"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
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.



TAMAR DOVER
Tamar has been teaching Pilates since 2001. She was certified in Port Washington New York at Body N Sync Studio. She brings a variety of experience to her teaching. Involved in dance since childhood she has always been drawn to different types of movement and exercise. During her work as a physical therapy aide at Center for Sports Medicine in San Jose she refined and expanded her teaching style by learning to incorporate rehabilitation into Pilates training. She has successfully guided and educated a wide range of clients including dancers, elite athletes, women during and after their pregnancy, and clients with a variety of injuries. Tamar combines her experience and personal knowledge of the Pilates method with her love of dance and yoga to provide her students with a balanced approach to conditioning. As an avid outdoor enthusiast, Tamar recently completed her open water SCUBA certification and keeps trying to surf.



ALISON WILLIAMS
I have come to Pilates & Yoga through a lifetime of exploration with dance. I received my Pilates certification through Body Tonic Gymnasium in Brooklyn, NY, studying under master teachers Jennifer Deluca and Caitlin Cook. Prior to my Pilates training I had the honor of studying yoga with Ana Forest and completed her teacher training in 2001. I now continue this exploration of movement practices through teaching at Centered Body and through my course work at The California Institute of Integral Studies.




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
Sara trained through Pilates of La Jolla, CA in 2003. Sara developed her own studio from the ground up and successfully shared her passion for the discipline of Pilates with a wide ranging group of followers for two years. For the last six years 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.



BLAIR BODIE
Blair Bodie has over 17 years experience working with the body. She came into Pilates through dance and fell in love with the potential for movement it produces. She did her pilates training in Charlottesville, VA and then was later certified through The PhysicalMind Institute in Hong Kong. She has taught in Southeast Asia as well New York City. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with an MFA in choreography and received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in dance. She teaches Ashtanga yoga, and has trained in Feldenkrais. She draws from her vast movement vocabulary to teach everything rehabilitative to athletic training styles of Pilates.



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.

LESLIE OLSSON
Leslie was introduced to Pilates in 2003 and became a fan while recovering from major back surgery. Pilates has been instrumental to her back recovery and health.   She did training Pilates Training Ellie Herman in San Francisco. Beginning her dance training with ballet at the age of 4, Leslie co-founded and choreographed San Francisco's dance troupe, the Devil-Ettes.   Additionally, she spent 12 years as a professional chef in the San Francisco Bay Area.   Currently, besides teaching Pilates at Centered Body Pilates, she is also earning her Masters in Holistic Health Education with a focus on nutrition at John F. Kennedy University.   Through nutrition and Pilates, she hopes to help others achieve a healthier, happier life.

NICOLE GIMMILLARO
After moving to the Bay Area in 2001, Nicole was inspired to explored the opportunities for training to teach yoga and Pilates. She completed her Yoga Certification in 2002 at The Mindful Body in San Francisco. Nicole furthered her exploration of anatomy and movement beginning in 2004 with her study of Pilates at The Ellie Herman Studio, where she was trained and certified. She continues to expand her body knowledge throughworkshops and training seminarsso that she can deepen herpractice and teaching.

JAMES EVERETT JOHNSON (aka, JJ)
Two Time REEBOK and TONE SOAP National Aerobic Champion, Personal Trainer, indoor/outdoor cross training Strength Coach, Boot Camp leader and Feldenkrais practitioner. ACE certified. And the founder of Kick-box Jam. It was a girlfriend that first got me into fitness training when she asked me to spot her in the weight room. Soon after she challenged me to take her aerobics class. I did. It nearly killed me and now I'm following in her foot steps. I gained my knowledge and training at the Kenneth Cooper institute in Dallas, TX. I've been training at some of the top fitness gyms across the nation for well over 15 years, and have traveled to well over 20 countries teaching, coaching and inspiring others to be their personal best. Because I know that a poor approach to fitness training can create bad habits and chronic injuries, I have always trained for the longevity effects of core stabilization, strength training and balance.

As well as training at Centered Body JJ also runs SF Hills and Drills an outdoor boot camp.