Our Mission

Balanced Body Pilates, Yoga, TRX, Barre, NASM Personal Trainer

Heather has been living/breathing/teaching Pilates for over a decade and is the proud owner of Core Pilates and Yoga since 2016.

Heather’s style is client-centered, intuitive and focused, and she coaches her clients to a deeper awareness of movement and strength, moving beyond functional training and toward integration and awareness of the whole body. 

Her eye is laser focused on your form and she knows the exact way to cue you into a deeper and more precise understanding of your movement blind spots. 

Her first years of training and teaching Pilates took place in a physical therapy clinic in Orange County, California, which sparked a passion and talent for injury prevention and rehabilitation. She saw how the Pilates method worked wonders when it could be intelligently applied and translated to the individual. 

One of her favorite things is using her Pilates toolkit to help people out of chronic pain or injury patterns and guiding them to new movement patterns that support healthy alignment and functional movement. After over a decade in the industry, she can confidently say that the Pilates method changes lives and heals bodies!!

Heather also holds certifications in Yoga (RYT 230 Yoga Center of Minneapolis), Personal Training (NASM), TRX and also teaches dance and barre. She is also a Holistic Health Coach with the Institute of Integrative Nutrition. 

Heather is comprehensively certified through Balanced Body Pilates and continues to deepen her Pilates knowledge and expand her toolkit through regular continuing education courses all around the country. She firmly believes that a great teacher is always learning, and brings new curiosity and techniques to each session. 

Stott Pilates Comprehensive Instructor, TRX

Victoria believes that Pilates is for everyone, and everyone deserves a functional pain free body they have confidence in.

Victoria is Comprehensively certified through Stott Pilates with additional training in Injuries and Special Populations. She also teaches TRX Suspension Method.

She started her study of the human body in 1996 as a rehabilitative massage therapist. Victoria is a former massage instructor at Centerpoint School of Bodywork in St. Louis Park, a former member of the Minnesota Sports Massage Team.

Victoria combines a passion for anatomy with a fun and creative client-centered approach to teaching Pilates and is dedicated to helping her clients meet their goals. She has a special interest in working with people recovering from injuries, chronic pain, and older adults.

Stott Pilates Comprehensive Instructor

Kristine is so glad to be teaching at Core – “the clients and instructors here are awesome and they love Pilates as much as I do”!

Kristine has been practicing the Pilates method for over 20 years.  She is certified through STOTT PILATES® and teaches one-on-one and group classes on the mat, reformer, chair, and small equipment.

Her teaching style incorporates her lifelong dance training and yoga experience to increase students’ total body strength, balance and  form, flexibility, and coordination.

In addition to Pilates, Kristine is also qualified to teach Total Barre™, ZEN•GA™ (a blend of mind-body modalities, supported by the latest findings in fascial fitness), and the TRX Suspension Trainer. If you haven’t tried these complementary disciplines, just ask at your next session–you’re in for a treat!

The main reason Kristine teaches:  “I love to see the difference my clients see and feel almost immediately with a regular Pilates practice. The improvements in posture and stamina are truly amazing. Experience the feeling yourself!”

Balanced Body Pilates 

Becca began practicing Pilates 14 years ago when her younger sister dragged her to her first Pilates session. Having never exercised before Pilates, Becca was surprised to find out she loved how strong and tall she felt after each session.

In 2011, Becca completed her comprehensive Pilates Certification through Turning Points Studio. Originally from California, Becca moved to Minneapolis in 2018 with her rescue dog Serena and is loving the Twin Cities.

Physical Mind Pilates, Yoga, Barre, Personal Trainer

Jessi's journey with fitness began in high school when she developed her personal Yoga and Pilates practices.

 In recent years, she developed a regimented Pilates practice to alleviate hip and low back pain. She has noticed major gains in flexibility, muscular balance, and strength with a dedicated and consistent Pilates practice!

Jessi is a graduate of University of Milwaukee-Wisconsin with a Bachelor's  in Kinesiology.  She also holds a 200 Hour Registered Yoga Teacher Certification from Everyday Bliss of Brookfield, Wisconsin, as well as Personal Trainer and Barre Instructor Certificates.

Jessi is infatuated with the connection between the mind, body and breath, and is passionate about assisting others to become their most authentic selves. She believes that mind-body movement can be transformational for anyone whether it be for recovering an injury, meeting a health or fitness goal, or simply to become more connected to their mind and body.

Stott Pilates Reformer and Mat

Samantha Meryhew, a Saint Paul native, is a professional dancer who began her pre-professional training at The School at TU Dance in 2011, and received her bachelor of Art in Dance and Art from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities in 2019. 

As a dancer she strives to delve deep into the physicality and emotional nuances of the movement presented to her, and she brings this skill and presence in physicality to her teaching.

Samantha’s interest in Pilates sparked when it was offered as a conditioning class in high school. She found that Pilates aided with helping her core stability, balance, coordination, form, and flexibility.

Samantha’s goal is to discover ways to combine her knowledge of dance technique with her education in Pilates instruction to help clients discover new things about what their body can do.

Stott Pilates, Yoga, Barre, Zumba, Personal Training

Chris is a lifelong mover who grew up with a love of dance and movement! While studying dance at UW River Falls, a Professor inspired him to start instructing Zumba at the YMCA. It was at this time he discovered his passion to encourage people to keep moving no matter their level or ability.

When Chris discovered Pilates he realized how well it complimented with his dance classes. Over time, it became evident how significant of an impact Pilates can make on an individual’s life. It is for this reason he have chosen to share his passion with others.

Chris has choreographed and taught dance with the Phipps Center, Lakeshore Players, and Minneapolis Musical Theatre. He also enjoys taking dance classes and supporting the performing arts community.

Chris is certified in Pilates Mat and Reformer through Stott Pilates, and has additional certifications in various Group exercise modalities including Yoga, Zumba, Barre Fusion, and Silver Sneakers.

BASI Pilates

Julie is from southern California, spent years in Oregon, and in 2007, Julie abandoned her stressful architecture career path and hopped on a plane to Antarctica for a job with the U.S. Antarctic Program.  During subsequent contracts, she slowly began the pursuit of “what next?”- especially since mom kept asking. 

Eventually, Julie realized that those many years of modern/contemporary dance practice and performance had embedded a love for movement and body awareness that could be shared with others through Pilates.  

Movement has always been a deep thought process for Julie and she appreciates that Pilates helps people tune into their bodies. 

Julie is certified through Body Arts and Science International and has recently begun a career as a physical therapist assistant working in skilled nursing in St. Paul.  

Pilates Sports Center Mat Certified, Barre

Having lived most of her adult life here, Laura calls Saint Paul, Minnesota home. She is a bit of an anatomy geek who loves to learn and teach, and believes finding creative ways to describe how a movement should feel in the body is one of her best teaching tools. 

Laura has been teaching in the Saint Paul area since 2013 and is certified in Barre method though Align studio, and Pilates Mat I, II and III under Master Trainer Stacey Celi through Pilates Sports Center.  She studied Ciccetti Ballet for 15 years in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and continues to practice today.