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About Soma Soma Movement Studio, LLC promotes whole-body health by offering inspired fitness™, personalized instruction in exercise, health and wellness. Soma is a fully-appointed Pilates studio with equipment by Balanced Body. Programs are designed with your unique abilities, fitness goals and learning styles in mind. Soma's home-studio atmosphere and down-to-earth instruction create a warm, easy-going environment in which you can focus and relax. About Jennifer Jerrett Jennifer began studying Pilates in 1992, during her career as a contemporary dancer. A 3rd generation Pilates instructor, she is certified through the highly-regarded Core Dynamics Pilates, directed by Master Instructor Michele Larsson. This is a comprehensive and rigorous program through the classical lineage of Pilates Elder Eve Gentry. Jennifer excels at training the special-needs client, and works with a diverse population, including professional athletes, musicians, post-rehabilitation clients and individuals with movement and structural challenges (for instance, those living with Cancer, severe Scoliosis, Parkinson's Disease and Multiple Sclerosis). Jennifer holds a Bachelor's degree in Dance and Kinesiology from Arizona State University, and works part-time at Mountain Land Physical Therapy. In addition to movement science, the biological sciences have featured prominently in her life. She has worked in wildlife biology and ecology in some of the most far-flung corners of the planet including Mongolia and Antarctica. Jennifer is a member of the American College of Sports Medicine, The Pilates Method Alliance and the IDEA Health & Fitness Association. About the Pilates Method What we today call Pilates was originally known as "Contrology." The movement technique was developed by Joseph H. Pilates, born in Germany in 1880. In spite of (or perhaps because of) being faced with several childhood illnesses, Joseph grew up with a fervent focus on athleticism and physical fitness. During WWI, while living in England, he was interned as an "Enemy Alien." During his time in these internment camps, working with people recovering from illness and injury, Pilates refined his Contrology techniques. Modifying hospital beds and using the springs for both resistance and assistance, he helped patients regain movement and strength. Those modified beds were the early prototypes for some of the modern Pilates equipment that we know today. Pilates also spent a great deal of time working with the highly-conditioned, including athletes, police forces and military personnel. In 1926, Joe immigrated to the United States and met his future wife, Clara. Together, they opened a studio in New York City and the movement technique began to take hold. While Joseph was the creative genius behind the method, Clara is often credited with having been the more gifted teacher. Today, known for the results it produces, Pilates is fast becoming one of the most sought after fitness modalities. It is a system of exercise that teaches integration to uniformly develop body and mind and it stresses several major principles: Breathing Balance Concentration Control Centering Precision Rhythm and Flow Whole body movement Combining focused breathing patterns with exercises that balance strength and flexibility in both large and small muscle groups, Pilates promotes agility and economy of motion. While the method places special emphasis on core strength; stabilizing the deep musculature of the spine and torso, the real essence of the work is whole body integration: coordinating the entire body in your movement. Because of this dynamic, functional, whole-systems approach, Pilates is a remarkable way to address structural imbalances, to heighten athletic performance and to help produce improved strength, flexibility, balance, and posture. The Pilates equipment utilizes spring tension, straps and pulleys to both support and challenge the body. Because of the emphasis on precision and concentration, the method helps to develop strong perceptual and motor skills and is wonderful for enhancing cognitive well being. It is a mind-body fitness system that is appropriate for all ages and just about any level of ability. Because Pilates helps establish healthy habits that carry over into many aspects of day-to-day living, it is a system which will serve you your whole life. To read more about Joseph and Clara Pilates and the Contrology method, check out Your Health, written in 1934 or Return to Life, written in 1945; both authored by Joseph Pilates himself.

Integrative,  Functional, Whole Body Wellness.©