Studio offers purely Pilates
By Jamie Forsythe
Tacoma WeeklyPublished on: June 28, 2007
Pilates is much more than a trend according to Michelle Kerby, director of Pür Pilates in Tacomaâ??s Stadium District. â??Pilates is for everyone,â?? she remarked. â??Thereâ??s not anyone who canâ??t do it.â??
Kerby described Pilates as â??amazing,â?? with a series of over 500 exercises on apparatuses and a mat. She said itâ??s a lifesaver for people overweight as well as individuals underweight who need to gain muscle mass. â??Pilates involves a system of building,â?? she explained. â??You start at the bottom and work your way up.â??
She said business has been booming at Pür Pilates, which opened just last year. She noted she even has a waiting list of clients. â??Itâ??s pretty amazing the energy around Pilates,â?? she commented.
Kerby explained she discovered Pilates when she was involved in mountain climbing, which requires strength, flexibility and balance.
During her ascent up Mt. Rainier, she did a lot of thinking and decided she wanted to pursue a new career path and become a Pilates instructor. â??Itâ??s very energizing,â?? Kerby said of Pilates. â??It quickly became a passion for me.â?? The Edgewood resident earned her certificate from the PhysicalMind Institute and soon after opened her studio, Pür Pilates, in Stadium District.
She wanted to locate her studio in Stadium due to the districtâ??s close proximity to hospitals, including Tacoma General and St. Joseph Medical Center. â??People in the medical field need this,â?? Kerby said, noting that a few medical professionals she sees do their sessions with her on their lunch breaks or right after work.
Coming up with a name was simple enough - she wanted to do â??purely Pilatesâ?? at her studio, so thereâ??s no better name than Pür Pilates, according to Kerby. â??It tells people what we do right away,â?? she commented. â??I want to put off an image of purely Pilates.â?? Â
Kerby designed the studio, filled with earth-tone colors. She described it as â??clean, crisp and organized.â?? For her, Pilates is about â??relaxation, centering and alignment,â?? as well as strengthening and toning.
Kerby emphasized that Pilates is not about weight loss. â??Itâ??s about muscle balance and ease of movement,â?? she commented.
For Kerby, gaining certification prior to opening a studio was very important to her. â??Too often people donâ??t take into account an instructorâ??s credentials,â?? Kerby said. â??Pilates is a very professional industry and needs to be taken seriously.â??
There are a lot of safety issues involved, she noted, and caution that needs to be taken when working in spring resistance training.
For her clients, Kerby said, she creates a program that fits their needs and adapts to their strengths and weaknesses. â??In Pilates, itâ??s very important to lengthen the muscles before you strengthen them,â?? she explained.
Pür Pilates serves a variety of clientele, according to Kerby, from men to women, adults to teens, athletes to less-active individuals. â??I help a lot of people with different types of body injuries, from knees to backs,â?? she added.
Kerby isnâ??t the only instructor at Pür Pilates. She teaches alongside Cameron Gregory, who relocated to Tacoma from St. Louis and is certified through Core Dynamics. Kerby explained they connected through the Internet.
â??Iâ??m blessed to have her here,â?? Kerby commented. â??Cameron is a wonderful instructor.â??
Pür Pilates offers one-on-one instruction, a duet session or a class of around 10. â??Bigger is not always better,â?? Kerby commented, â??and thatâ??s definitely the case in Pilates.â?? She does hold a mat class three times a week from noon to 1 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 6-7 p.m. Thursdays. She noted she likes to teach her clients exercises they can take with them and do at home or when traveling. Prices of sessions and classes vary, according to Kerby.
In the future, Kerby would like to organize more community events, like a survivor Saturday for breast cancer survivors and Pilates in the park, with the close proximity of her studio to Wright Park. â??I want to give back to the community,â?? she said, while emphasizing Pilates isnâ??t just a trend. â??Itâ??s something that needs to stay with us for a long time.â??
Pür Pilates is located at 201 N. â??Iâ?? St. For more information, call (253) 380-1263 or visit www.purpilates.com.
