Instructors

"I am proud of the Pilates Teachers we have at Centered Body Pilates. I can honestly say that we have some of the best teachers in the City." — Oona Nelson

OONA NELSON
Whether it is competitive hunter/jumper riding, snowboarding, windsurfing, dirt biking, or scuba diving, I love staying active. My focused interest in Pilates has grown out of this need to keep my body in motion, my muscles strong and my lifestyle healthy. I am a certified Pilates instructor through Integrated Teacher Training (ITT). In addition to my Pilates knowledge, I am also certified as a Personal Trainer through the American Council on Exercise. Before opening Centered Body I was the staff Pilates trainer at San Francisco's Healthwell Physical Therapy Group. My approach is holistic and balanced for the entire body always remembering that training is as much mental and emotional as it is physical. This perspective is echoed in Joseph Pilates philosophies and techniques.



AVENNE MCBRIDE
Avenne founded Centered Body in 2003 with Oona Nelson. She comes to Pilates with over fourteen years of Pilates practice. She is certified in Pilates through Integrated Teacher Training (ITT). In addition to her Pilates practice she is an avid runner. Her early background is in dance and equestrian sports. As she matured she focused on horses to become a highly accomplished, and life long equestrian. Avenne has a holistic approach to the body with which she brings sportsmanship, knowledge of modern body science, and a deep understanding of traditional Pilates.



CANDICE BROWN (on leave)
Candice has been dancing since the age of 6 and began performing professionally at age 18. She became a Radio City Rockette in 1999. All the years of ballet, jazz, tap and acrobatics created obvious wear and tear on her body. Through a need for some rehabilitation she discovered Pilates in 2000. It was then that she knew she wanted to become an instructor. Candice moved to San Francisco at the end of 2003 and was certified with Ellie Herman Studios, as well as studying the neuromuscular re-education work of Vladimir Janda with Lizz Roman. She is experienced with all levels and bodies, she truly enjoys sharing the knowledge of the Pilates method.
see her travel blog at: cydneyandme.blogspot.com

TAMAR DOVER
Originally from New York, Tamar has been teaching Pilates in the Bay Area since 2002. She received her first certification in New York in 2001 and recently completed her second year-long training and certification through the Pilates Center of Boulder. While both of her trainings were in classical Pilates, Tamar brings a variety of experience to her teaching. During her tenure as a physical therapy aide and dance medicine specialist at Center for Sports Medicine in San Jose, she refined and expanded her approach to Pilates working in a rehabilitation setting under the guidance of physical therapists and orthopedists. She has studied with some of the most distinguished teachers in the Pilates world, including Amy Alpers, Cara Reeser, Erik Franklin, Ron Fletcher, and & Marie-Jose Blom-Lawrence. Tamar is greatly inspired by her work with pre/post-natal women, and in spring of 2008 she completed Carolyne Anthony's Pre/Post-Natal Specialist Certification Program.


ALISON WILLIAMS
Alison completed her Pilates certification in 2006 in Brooklyn, New York at BodyTonic Gymnasium. She studied under master teachers Jennifer DeLuca certified by Romana Kryzanowska and Caitlin Cook certified by Madeline Black and the PhysicalMind Institute. This foundation has given her a well-rounded approach to her teaching and practice. Throughout a lifetime of studying dance with various masters of the craft, Alison has studied the body with passion. She has completed Lizz Roman's Pilates for Rehabilitation course. She is a certified Massage Therapist from the San Francisco School of Massage. She has completed two yoga teacher trainings, one with Ana Forrest and the other at Laughing Lotus in San Francisco. She also holds a Masters degree in Somatic Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Undoubtedly, she is fascinated by the correlations between physical health and overall well-being.



SONYA LO
Originally from Taiwan, Sonya has toured the world as a professional dancer since the age of 14. In Taipei, she performed with the Four Seasons Ballet Company and throughout Europe with the Lan-Yang Dancers. After moving to the United States, she received the Creative Achievement Award in Dance while completing her Masters of Fine Arts at University of Arizona. She then went on to dance with Ballet Oklahoma as a lead dancer for many years. Sonya discovered Pilates after undergoing surgery to repair a severe hip injury. She rehabilitated her hip with Pilates and was so affected by her experience that she decided to launch a new chapter in her career and become an instructor. Through her extensive teaching experience and comprehensive understanding of the body, she is now devoted to sharing her knowledge of both Pilates and ballet.


SARA BAGHERI DOWNS
Sara began her Pilates practice in 2003 in San Diego, California and is certified through the Pilates Method Alliance and also holds a certification from Pilates of La Jolla. Sara developed her own studio in San Diego from the ground up and successfully shared her passion for the discipline of Pilates with a wide ranging group of followers. Upon moving to San Francisco, Sara has instructed in a variety of environments, from class room atmospheres to one-on-one personal training. All the while, Sara cultivated and maintained a reputation as a highly proficient and dynamic instructor. With a life-long background of varied athletic pursuits, to include soccer, swimming, gymnastics, and figure skating, Sara has competed at numerous state-level and national level competitions. With this experience, Sara understands full well the importance of a strong core and well centered body alignment.

LEAH RYBOLT
Leah Rybolt began doing Pilates at Goucher College, where she received a B. A.in Dance and Psychology. She studied classical Pilates all 4 years at Goucher. She found Pilates to be extremely beneficial to her dancing as well as her overall physical and mental well-being. After graduating college she spent time in the mountains of North Carolina working as a raft guide and kayak instructor. While there she began teaching mat classes to her fellow employees as well as teaching guests at a mountain resort. After her river adventures Leah decided to return to dancing, which brought her to San Francisco in January 2007. Here she completed a Pilates instructor training program through Body and Sciences International. She now enjoys using Pilates to help others meet their own specific health goals and needs.

LEA BOUCHARD
Lea Bouchard found her way to pilates while studying dance here in San Francisco.  She moved to New York City to be certified and had the distinct pleasure of working with many of the top teachers of the method while living and studying there for 7 years.   Her greatest influence in New York was through Kathy Grant and Romana Kryzanowska. Her approach to pilates is rooted in the classical method and has since added many alternative methods of aligning the body. She has an extensive background of continued education which helped open her eyes to teaching to the individual and gives her a very caring and always fun approach to her clients. 

SARAH MORROW
Sarah has been teaching since 2008. She is certified through Body Arts and Sciences International. Growing up she was involved with many kinds of dance and was introduced to Pilates at a young age by her mother who has been a pilates instructor for more than ten years. Sarah got serious about Pilates after using Pilates to recover from one of many back injuries and was finally convinced that her life does not have to be lived in pain. Her experience with her own pain and scoliosis has influenced her interest in helping others. Sarah is dedicated to creating a space where clients are comfortable and leave feeling revived and ready to take on the physical challenges of everyday life. In her spare time Sarah likes to hike, bike and swim. She is also an avid painter and artist; she is in final year at California College of the Arts persuing her BFA.