Our Team
Soyoung
Founder, Lead Instructor
Soyoung began her Pilates training in South Korea in 2015. What started as curiosity quickly turned into something more serious. Movement that felt both challenging and genuinely enjoyable drew her in, and before long she was pursuing formal education and immersing herself in the work as a practice, not just a workout.
After moving to the United States, she deepened her foundation through classical Pilates training under Karen Frischmann, immersing herself in the precision, structure, and intentional sequencing that the tradition is built on. It gave her a strong base to teach from, and it gave her good questions to sit with.
Over time, her natural curiosity pushed her further than technique alone could take her. She wanted to understand not just what she was teaching, but why it worked for some clients and not others, what was actually happening in the body when it landed, and what was missing when it didn't. Teaching what she had been taught felt like a starting point, not a destination. She needed to see the logic behind the movement, to experience it herself before she could honestly pass it on.
That search led her to neuroscience-based movement education, including intensive study through the Kopelle Method and training through Neuro Studio. For the first time, the why had an answer. Understanding how the brain receives and interprets sensory information before producing movement gave her a framework that matched the way she already thought. It didn't replace her classical training. It gave it a reason.
She continues to study and train today, and considers that ongoing education a core part of her practice.
Much of Soyoung's current work is with clients with neurological conditions, including multiple sclerosis, stroke recovery, and Parkinson's disease, developing individualized Pilates programs based on how each person's nervous system responds to movement. Her work emphasizes mobility, strength, and neuromuscular awareness in equal measure.
In both private sessions and group classes, she teaches with the understanding that the same cue lands differently in every body. Her approach creates space for that, allowing each client to find movement that feels personal and real rather than performed.
She believes Pilates should feel good to do, not just good to have done. That belief shapes every class she teaches.
Starlene
Kingston, Pleasant Valley
Pilates has been woven into her life since the 1990s, when her mother first began learning and studying the work of Joseph Pilates. Watching her mother explore the method planted an early understanding of movement, care, and consistency, long before she realized how deeply it would shape her own path.
Years later, she returned to Pilates with intention. Through her personal practice, she healed from an ankle injury, rebuilt strength after back challenges, and reshaped her relationship with her body and personal goals. That experience led her to become a certified Pilates instructor, grounded in a deep respect for both classical and contemporary Pilates and guided by an athletic, supportive approach.
She continues her training because growth matters to her. She has spent many hours teaching bodies of all types, in both group classes and private sessions, and values the long-term relationships she has built with her students. Teaching is where her experience, care, and trust come together.
Through her journey, she has learned that potential does not have a ceiling. Her own continues to grow, and she is passionate about helping her students discover the same sense of confidence and possibility within themselves.
Nicole
Kingston, Pleasant Valley
Nicole is a contemporary trained Pilates instructor, teaching small group Pilates classes across the Hudson Valley. She is a former dancer, and has always prioritized movement and a healthy lifestyle. She took her first mat Pilates class as an elective in college and fell in love with it. In 2021, she took her first reformer class, and that love was reborn and inspired her to get certified to teach. Nicole is passionate about Pilates for the way it strengthens the mind-body connection, and its ability to be adapted for every body, at every stage. When she’s not practicing or teaching, Nicole can usually be found reading, cooking, and spending time with her husband and their boxer, Pearl.
Emma D.
Kingston
Emma Davies became a fully certified Pilates instructor in anatomy, mat and equipment through the Kane School of Core Integration in NYC with its emphasis on anatomy, biomechanics and integrating classic Pilates principles with a modern clinical perspective on the body. She taught at three Equinox Pilates studios in NYC as a senior instructor before moving to Dynamic Body Pilates in Union Square full time in 2021 where she taught until moving upstate in 2025. Her client base includes both fitness and special populations. She is experienced in moving clients who are pre-natal and post-partum; with herniated discs, frozen shoulders, hyper mobility (Ehlers Danlos), Crohn's disease, osteoporosis, scoliosis and clients returning to movement after knee and hip replacements. Her clients range in age from 13-103.
In addition she has taught mat Pilates at WIN NYC (a supportive shelter for homeless women) and chair-based Pilates programs for residents at three senior living residencies in NYC. She has completed levels 1 and 2 of FAMI (Functional Anatomy for Movement with Injuries) through the Icahn School at Mt Sinai Hospital in NYC. Continuing education includes pre-natal and post-partum training with Deb Goodman PT; and Pilates for scoliosis incorporating Schroth Method techniques (Madeline Black and Karena Thek). Emma believes passionately that movement is medicine and the key to long, healthy, pain-free living.
Emma K.
Kingston
Emma Katz is a Hudson Valley–born certified Pilates instructor who completed her Mat and Reformer training through the Pilates Sports Center (PSC). She works with clients of all levels, with a strong focus on clear cueing, proper alignment, and intentional movement.
Emma found Pilates in 2018 and never looked back. Growing up as a competitive gymnast, the method naturally fit what she was looking for—strength, control, and mindful movement. Her classes blend Pilates principles with contemporary flow, emphasizing core strength, endurance, and control, all set to thoughtfully curated playlists that enhance the energy without overpowering the work.
Outside of the studio, Emma is a public school teacher and field hockey coach. She loves being outside, traveling, and exploring the Hudson Valley with friends, family, and her dog.
Lauren
Pleasant Valley
Lauren first found a love for pilates in 2015 when she took her first mat class. She found that pilates was challenging yet accessible at the same time. This balance has kept her hooked throughout the years, finding movements that were once out of grasp attainable and looking for that next challenge.
Since starting pilates she has noticed she stands a bit taller, her posture improved, and she finds new strength she didn’t realize she had.
Lauren decided to take the next step in her pilates journey in 2023 when she enrolled in a pilates teacher training program. She loved every minute of the training and each apparatus for its versatility.
As an instructor, Lauren aims to meet each client where they are while offering thoughtful challenges that support growth and confidence. She believes Pilates should feel accessible to everybody and empowering at every stage of the journey.
Laura
Kingston
Five years ago, Laura began taking Pilates apparatus classes every week in the hopes of resolving her chronic lower back pain. Two months later, she was shocked to see how quickly her body was responding. Laura was thrilled and relieved by the physical improvements, and at how fun her time was in class. She felt like she was accessing a sacred knowledge that gave her greater power over her body as a newfound passion was born through the profound experiences practicing the Pilates Method.
Laura’s journey to certification began with Juliet Harvey at Beacon Pilates where she received her 500 hour Pilates Instructor Certification. She apprenticed with Beth Graziano, a Romana Kryzanowska trained teacher, for almost two years. Her time working with these master teachers has deepened her understanding of the benefit of Pilates to use foundational movements to stretch and strengthen the spine and its supporting muscles to relieve back pain. Laura learned that the attention to form is more important than getting through the exercise itself. Her belief in adhering to the “6 Principles of Pilates”, especially “Precision”, assists clients to alleviate back pain and feel an overall sense of health and vitality. As soon as she started teaching, Laura felt a deep sense of satisfaction, helping others harness the same power and mastery in their bodies. While finding a new profession was unexpected, she found teaching Pilates to be incredibly rewarding and is grateful that this brilliant method exists to help others heal themselves on their Pilates journeys.
In addition to being a Pilates Instructor, Laura is also a certified Pilates Equipment Technician.