Hi there!

I am a Pilates, yoga, GYROKINESIS® teacher, and a Personal Trainer with a 30-year span of experience in dance, fitness, and strength training. I am a native of Finland, but have lived in Washington, D.C. since 1980, when I came here to join the staff at the Finnish Embassy for a four year assignment.

Whether you are an experienced athlete or new to fitness, I can design a challenging program for you, with plenty of variety from different fitness disciplines.  I have worked with clients of different ages and fitness levels, from kids to seniors and from novices to professional athletes like D.C. United soccer team, as well as professional dancers.

I believe in cross training! Here is my background:

Pilates

I began studying Pilates in the mid-1990’s with Karen Garcia of Studio Body Logic, in Washington, D.C. I am certified in the Pilates method through Physicalmind Institute, Power Pilates, and the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). Currently, I am Pilates Director at Results Gym, with four locations in Washington, D.C., and I teach Pilates mat and apparatus at various locations in the city. Internationally, I have taught Pilates workshops and classes in Europe and South America. 

Yoga

I have been practicing yoga for more than ten years. My certification is through the Samayama Yoga program, grounded in the teachings of Ashtanga, Anusara, and Yogi Erich Schiffman’s work. Since then, I have trained in a variety of styles, including Vinyasa Flow, Ashtanga, and Bikram.

In January 2011, I completed the AntiGravity^® Yoga Teacher  Level 1 training with Christopher Harrison, the Founder and Artistic Director of AntiGravity^®, Inc. AntiGravity^® Yoga is the first complete program in the field of "suspension training".

Personal Training

I am accredited as a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CPT).

Dance

I started my dance training in jazz, ballet, modern dance, and Afro jazz at the Joy of Motion Dance Center in Washington, D.C. in 1980, with Michelle Ava, Robert Teri, Tyrone Murray, and Don Bailey. I studied New York-style salsa with Shaka Brown and Irene Holtzman of Clavekazi Dance Company and performed with the Clavekazi student group in 2004-2006.

Since 2007, my dance life has been taken over by Argentine tango. I have studied tango in Washington, D.C. with Jake Spatz and in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with various teachers including Dana Frigoli, Pablo Villaraza, Christian Duarte, Sebastián Posadas, and Eugenia Eberhardt.

GYROKINESIS®

I have completed the GYROKINESIS® Foundation Teacher training with Master Trainer Miriam Barbosa at the GYROTONIC® Vista studio in Columbia, SC and Final Certification with Juliu Horwath in Muenstertal, Germany in June 2010. 

Volunteer work

My volunteer work includes fitness classes, "Baile y Pilates" (Dance and Pilates), at the Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care in Washington, D.C. in 2006-2007. During the same time, I developed and taught fitness classes for teens and pre-teens in the Center’s after-school and summer programs.

Outside the body-mind disciplines, I study Spanish and Italian.

Life is about growth and change!