 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Who We Are
OWNER ~ Madeline Black Madeline's passion is to continue learning and growing as a teacher and bodyworker. She has studied Pilates with Eve Gentry, Romana Kryzanowska, Naja Corey, Jean Claude West and Anna Schmitz. Madeline worked and mentored with Marika Molnar at Eastside Sports Medicine Center in New York, studied anatomy and neuromuscular re-education with Irene Dowd, and went on to study Gyrotonic with Julio Horvath and the wonderful teachers at the San Francisco Gyrotonic Center. Madeline explored bodywork such as, Orthopedic Massage with Tom Hendrickson, IMT with Sharon Wielselfish-Giametteo and the faculty of School for Integrated Manual Therapy and Lauren Berry work with Lynda Caesara. She is also exploring the field of energy work. When you attend a teaching session with Madeline, you experience clarity of educational material, understanding of movement concepts and learn tools for accessing optimal results for your clients. One of Madeline's gifts is how she presents complex material in an easy to understand fashion. She explores ways to create balance in the body utilizing Pilates, yoga and Gyrotonic along with release techniques, breath, three planar movement concepts, a knowledge base of anatomy, biomechanics, quantum physics concepts and energy work. Madeline brings maturity through experience, continued self-growth, study and intuition. Her perspective on Pilates' history, evolution and industry changes comes from her longevity in the fields of fitness, healing arts and Pilates itself. Madeline is known in the industry and among her clients for her integrity, openness and love of the work. A resident of Sonoma, California, Madeline’s home studio is Studio M. 
Yoga and dance were the main influences of early life. Keli spent twelve years participating in the first Yoga center in San Francisco, leaning toward the expressive and esoteric qualities of movement. She then focused on a career as a choreographer using Gyrotonic as an inspiration for her work. During the past 15 years Keli has renewed her love for Yogic practices, studying with world-renowned teachers Raman and Patel and Kofi Busia, as well as continuing to study with Juliu. Keli is known for her ability to guide and inspire her students to move beyond limitation into freedom, passing on the love and knowledge she has received from her teachers. You can see Keli Fine’s schedule by visiting her web site at www.kelifine.com
Brian has been working with Madeline Black at Studio M for the last nine years. Brain has also been certified in the Gyrotonic Expansion System, trained by master trainer Keli Fine. Brain’s work continues to evolve through continuing education & exposure to a wealth of exceptional teachers and peers.
Gretchen truly enjoys working with others as they learn body awareness and use it to further their health and life endeavors. Gretchen is an ITT certified Pilates instructor who trained with Madeline Black, Jean Sullivan, Debra Schubert, Leah Putnam and Jorg Chabowski. A focus on the fundamentals is an integral part of Gretchen's classes. You will get a firm grasp on the essentials and learn a repetoire of exercises that build strength, focus and fluidity. Your practice will create deep core muscles and help you to develop and maintain health through breath, body awareness, strength and flexibility.
She is a certified in Pilates Mat instruction though the Physical Mind Institute. She has also completed her Master Level Trainer degree through ITT Pilates. Odile is also a certified Vinyasa Yoga instructor. She enjoys the compliment that yoga offers to body movement and Pilates. Furthermore, she loves interacting with people. Above all, Odile is continually inspired by her clients. Odile loves to teach people how to be in their bodies. Her sessions with clients are light and fun, yet intense and focused. STAFF ~ Susan Olson began her Pilates training during her years as a jazz dance instructor in Santa Rosa, where she owned a dance school and taught children, teens, and adults the art of jazz dance for more than a decade. Having been a dancer her entire life, she turned to Pilates to help heal repetitive stress injuries and bring balance into her body and life…It worked. In search of new horizons, Sue departed the world of dance to earn a B.S. in journalism and practice public relations in the wine industry. As you can imagine, her new career presented quite an adjustment and she soon began missing the things she loves the most – teaching movement and the wonderful feeling of gratification that comes from seeing her students learn, progress, and succeed. So, inspired by the outstanding training she received at Studio M, Sue became an ITT Pilates certified personal trainer and matt instructor and now enjoys practicing public relations by day and teaching Pilates by night. As a Pilates instructor, she combines her years of experience as a dance teacher with her ITT training to create an experience for her clients that is challenging, encouraging, and rewarding. In her sessions, Sue emphasizes proper Pilates technique and helps her clients build a solid foundation for their practice. She encourages quality of movement over quantity and focuses on helping her clients achieve heightened body awareness, increased core stability and joint mobility, and an overall balanced, aligned, and healthy body.
Katrina’s diverse and eclectic fitness training background includes; yoga, cycling, swimming, dance & equestrian arts. Since 1995, She has studied intensively with yoga teachers including; Anna Forrest, Judith Lasater- PT, Max Thomas and Amy Ippoliti in the schools of Anasura, Vinyasa Flow, Iyengar and Ashtanga. Katrina has been a student of eastern philosophy at New York’s School of Practical Philosophy and Spirit Rock Meditation Center where the Upanishad, Buddhism and the Yoga Sutras were of particular interest. Katrina came to Pilates through the rehabilitation of a chronic condition and has maintained a pain-free lifestyle ever since. She is a certified Pilates instructor thru ITT-Integrated Teacher Training www.ittpilates.com, San Francisco with Jean Sullivan, Madeline Black, Joerg Chabowski and Debra Schubert. Ms. Charmatz continues to explore rehabilitation thru anatomical studies, kinesiology and mobility and stability applications with such practitioners as Jean-Claude West. STAFF ~ Anne Nina Woltering has been a certified massage therapist for the last 13 years. Working in private practice as an intuitive healer her studies included several modalities of hands on healing: Swedish-Effleurage, Reflexology, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Polarity and Aromatherapy. In the summer of 2001 she was introduced to the Amazon Herb Company and their whole foods line of wellness. These products and their purity have had a life changing effect on her and she loves to share them with her clients. In the fall of 2003 she began her study of the “Hendrickson Method” of orthopedic massage. This in-depth, training of anatomy and functional rehabilitation combined with her intuition, studies of whole wild foods and years in private practice offer profound healing affects that penetrate deep with in the body. Her greatest joy has come from helping and assisting other towards better health and wellness. STAFF ~ Chelley BonDurant A certification in Pilates came from Madeline Black and Jean Sullivan in 1999. She has studied with Mercy Sidbury, Jean Claude West (a specialist in kinesiology) and Movement Medicine, a Pilates-based rehabilitation program with Nora St. John. She is currently in the Gyrotonic certification program with Keli Fine. In addition, Chelley is studying energy work with Lynda Ceasara, and is also in the Integrated Manual Therapy program created by Sharon Weiselfish-Giamatteo, PhD.
After becoming Ananda Yoga Certified in Raja Yoga, Lily was in the first of two car accidents. After two years of struggling to heal with chiropractic and acupuncture treatments, again she turned to Pilates and went on to receive her Pilates Mat Certification. Lily enrolled in and received certification through the Integrative Teacher Training program, co-founded by Madeline Black, Joerg Chabowski, Debra Schubert and Jean Sullivan. Her struggle with injuries and accidents has infused Lily with a heightened sensitivity to working with students who are similarly injured and in pain. Lily is committed to helping others make positive changes in their bodies, by building awareness, and balancing the body, mind, and spirit through the healing movements of yoga and Pilates. Lily’s teaching offers students an opportunity to go deeply into their body’s and explore the cause of their movement habits and to restore them to a healthful place. With gentle guidance and clearly set goals, Lily is able to help students achieve their fitness and wellness objectives.
While working as a trainer, she realized that Pilates was the perfect fitness regimen for golf. It’s unique combination of strength, flexibility, balance, and mental focus work together to maximize one’s golf swing. Her clients typically report increased yardage and greater consistency in their swing. Because of this background she works with a wide range of clients: from those who are looking for pain relief to those who are interested in getting into better physical shape to those who are driven by the desire to lower their golf score. In addition to working at Studio M, Jeanette teaches Pilates and runs the Pilates for Golf Program at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and works with Sonoma Golf Club members.
|
 |
GYROTONIC® MASTER
INSTRUCTOR ~ Keli Fine began her Gyrotonic training in New York City in
the late 1980s with the first Gyrotonic studio. After returning home
to San Francisco and
pioneering one of the first satellite studios she continued her studies
with Juliu Horvath on both coast. Currently based in Sonoma, California
she travels and teaches worldwide conducting workshops and teacher training. 
STAFF ~ Brian Heigel has worked in the fitness field for the last decade. His extensive experience working with diverse population groups has helped develop an approach towards overall health and wellness. Originally certified through the Physical Mind Institute, he has since been certified through Madeline Black’s ITT Pilates personal trainer program. 
STAFF ~ Lisa Micheli has been exploring the boundaries of movement for over twenty years. She started out as an athlete competing at the national level in equestrian and water sports. As a college student, she worked as a research assistant in one of the first sports medicine clinics in the country. While pursuing graduate work in the environmental sciences, Lisa became disabled by a repetitive strain injury and set off on a path of intensive study in the complementary healing arts. She is a certified cranial-sacral therapist and her approach to the body is firmly grounded in the osteopathic tradition. She has practiced Pilates (with Madeline Black and Debra Schubert), Continuum® (with Emily Conrad), and Chi-Gung for over ten years, she has also performed with the dance company Salt Farm Butoh. Since 1996 she has been exploring the Gyrotonic Expansion System® of Juliu Horvath via Master Trainers Tamara Yoneda and Keli Fine. Lisa is certified in Gyrotonic® and teaches group Gyrokinesis™ classes at Studio M and is delighted to join this vibrant healing community.
STAFF ~ Gretchen Turzo 
STAFF ~ Odile Zelenak comes to Pilates from a myriad of inspirations.
The strongest influence is her father, who had his own Physical Therapy
office while she was growing up. She enjoyed watching people move and
exercise. She was therefore curious about the process of helping them
move more easily and sometimes even become happier. She was also influenced
by her love of running, walking, swimming, gymnastics and springboard
diving. Being pregnant and having two small children to bathe, put
in car seats and carry around inspires her to find her core strength
on a
daily basis.
STAFF ~ Katrina Charmatz
STAFF ~ Lily Vickers
STAFF ~ Jeanette Newman is an ITT certified Pilates instructor who trained with Madeline Black, Jean Sullivan, Debra Schubert, Leah Putnam and Joerg Chabowski. She is a certified in the Gyrotonic Expansion System; trained by Keli Fine. In addition, she is a certified Pilates for Golf Coach, trained by Monica Clyde, author of The Golfer’s Guide to Pilates. She continues to study advanced education in pilates. Although she had been athletic all of her life, Jeanette decided to become a trainer several years ago after Pilates relieved her back pain. Doctors had told her that only fusion surgery would relieve the non-stop pain that was caused by disc damage in a car accident. Though the accident was nine years ago, she is happy and grateful to report that she is still 99 % pain-free due to Pilates!