The team is friends that we have made along our own Pilates journey and it's a pleasure to introduce them to you. All our Pilates Instructors are trained in the Classical Method as developed by Joe and Clara. Each has invested at least 600 hours in a teacher training program. Most importantly all are talented in leading a dynamic group class as well as working one on one to tailor workouts to an individual's specific body type or condition. We are lucky to have them.

As owners and on behalf of the entire team at Joe & Clara we look forward to working together to meet your goals, have some fun and most of all make new friends.

Be happy and healthy,

Gaby, Stacey and Romina

Diane Umaña, Instructor

I was 19 and recently "retired" from a life-long soccer career. At the time, I knew several girls my age who were suffering with knee issues from running and soccer so I was concerned about the preservation of my own knees. This became of growing concern because I was also a soccer referee and was still intensely running. That's when I enrolled in the Pilates course at my junior college.

The early days of my beginner Pilates course were subtly life-changing for me. My "ah-ha" moment came after only a few months - I was simply strolling into the supermarket and remember thinking, "I never knew walking could be so....EASY." Despite my young age, I had been laboring for years and only just found what it meant to feel "good".  Simply "feeling good" led me to more effective running, increased stamina, better food choices and weight loss. My enlightenment did cause a slight moment of regret. I regretted how much better my soccer performances could have been if my training substituted Pilates for those pointless hours doing quad-centered leg extensions in the weight room.

Fast forward nine years after attending USC,  working in the music business and traveling the world (still working on this part), I found myself, as many do, disillusioned by my nine-to-fiver and wondering what was next. I kept circling back to the idea of Pilates and could deny it no longer: I entered a comprehensive teacher training program. One year, 800 hours and several rewarding personal challenges later, my Pilates journey had just begun. 

Joe said that physical fitness is being "capable of naturally, easily, and satisfactorily performing our many and varied daily tasks with spontaneous zest and pleasure." He didn't suggest that we all attain to run a marathon, but to simply stop suffering our bodies and feel good so that we can freely, and with "spontaneous zest and pleasure", pursue happiness. That is what I hope to help you find, as I did, at Joe & Clara.

Gabrielle Lawrence,
Owner & Zumba Gold Instructor

In 1999, I graduated from California State University Northridge with a degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Adapted Physical Education, planning on a teaching career. I felt that I would be very effective in Adapted Physical Education because of my own disability, dyslexia.

However, life has a way of taking it own journey. After graduation, my career became marriage and motherhood. My two sons Nick and Steve are active in many sports. Now that my boys are securely in school, the time has come for me to start a new journey; I can pursue my first love of kinesiology.

In my youth, physical activity became an outlet. After High School, I maintained interest in the way my body worked. Exercising made me feel good and I was able to enjoy its many benefits like stress relief, an improved self-image, and better mental performance.

Being true to "me" is important. I have always been interested in knowing the human body and understanding how it works. As a kinesiology major, I began to look at the human body in a different way. Each muscle flexes uniquely as the body moves. I admire the physically or mentally challenged, who continually endeavor "to just do it" without any pretence of striving for perfection.

After many years of going to the gym lifting weights and taking cardio classes, my body eventually plateaued. I decided I needed to switch up my routine. After hearing so much about Pilates and not knowing much about it, I decided to investigate. After taking some classes and private instruction, I fell in love with it. Not only did it challenge my body but my mind as well.

Pilates emphasizes putting you in touch with both mind and body as a single entity, I believe that the mind and the body are integrated. You cannot separate them. Mental visualization can enhance physical performance and exercises can reduce mental stress and improve the quality of life. You must stimulate the mind as well as the body. A positive change in lifestyle is the most effective way to prevent illness.

When the opportunity came for me to be part of something new and fresh that combined my love of physical activity and mental stimulation, I knew this was an opportunity to start a new journey. I may not have extensive teaching experience like my partners but what I bring to the mix is enthusiasm. Being active in both my sons' schools and sports teams gives me the opportunity so spread the word about the benefits of Pilates.

One aspect that drew me to this endeavor was because I can see that Pilates can be adapted to individuals with physical disabilities or injuries. Pilates has no age limitations. Dyslexia at times has made my life difficult. Throughout my life I have continued to find new ways to counterbalance life and dyslexia. One teaching of Joe Pilates is finding your balance both mental and physical.

My physical health has always been important to me. As a curvaceous woman, I must be physical active to maintain my beautiful self. Through Pilates, I am to gain both the physical benefits and the calming effect it has on my mind and overall being. It is through perseverance and now with the encouragement of my Pilates family that I continue to pursue my personal potential

The aesthetics of human movement refers to the "beauty" of human movement. For some this beauty lies in just being able to move at all. There is beauty all around us, the beauty we all posses, perhaps just hidden underneath the surface. It is my hope I can make a difference in another's life by encouraging them to see their own personal beauty.

Romina Laygo, Owner & Instructor

In 2003, I was newly married and working a corporate job when I found myself in the worst shape of my life.  I had always been an athlete and a dancer, so weight and fitness had never been an issue for me.  One day after unsuccessfully wrestling my jeans, I knew the honeymoon was over and decided to make some serious changes.

I renounced my sedentary life of desk work and commuting and concentrated on getting back into shape. I returned to the familiar halls of the gym and ran the gamut of fitness crazes from spin to cardio barre to weight training.  I was on an impressive regimen of two hours a day, five days a week. You know what I had to show for it? Low back pain. And my jeans? They still refused to fit.  That is when I turned to Pilates.

I was ecstatic to find a Method of exercise that was not only kind to my body, but also challenged my mind.  Within months, I steamlined my body, got out of pain and grew half an inch! It didn't matter to me that I had gained eight pounds when I had gone down two pant sizes. I was so enamored with Pilates that I entered a teacher training program.  I wanted to further my knowledge of the Method and impart what I had learned to others.

After completing the rigorous, year-long program that included 600 hours of teaching, observation, work outs and lessons, as well as multiple anatomy and practical tests, I revisited past physical activities such as running. With my body now balanced, I was able to run without pain for the first time in my life. In fact, I improved my 5k time by 1:05/mile. Cycling, which used to cause painful leg cramps, became effortless. I use this firsthand knowledge of how Pilates bettered my game and recovery that motivates me whenever I teach athletes.

In 2008, I underwent probably the biggest physical challenge to date when I became pregnant with my first child. Because Pilates gave me such a great understanding of breathing and body awareness, my pregnancy was effortless. In fact, I was able to teach until eight days before I gave birth. To this day, I have a soft spot for teaching pregnant clients and rehabilitating them post-partum. After having my second child recently in March 2011, I understand that every pregnancy and recovery is unique. For me, this time around, the weight loss remains elusive so I must remain vigilant to my discipline.

In my practice of over five years, I have been requested mostly by two vastly different groups. To those in pain and the injured, I have been affectionately called "Rominatherapy" and "Dr. Ro." To those looking for a physical challenge, I have been not-so-affectionately called "Coach". No matter what end of the fitness spectrum, my goal for my clients is to balance their body. For the injured, that balance is to feel "whole". For those seeking a challenge, that balance is the act of enabling the body to the level that their mind can imagine.

Today, I am excited to take my practice beyond both personalized training and class instruction as I assume my role as program director at Joe & Clara. While I will always be a Classical Pilates enthusiast and instructor first, I believe that there are many forms of beneficial movement. I am committed to seeking out fun and innovative workouts while at the same time infusing the traditional principles and concepts of Pilates. I look forward to taking this new journey with you.

Romina Laygo is a Fourth Generation, Classically Trained Pilates Instructor with over five years and 5000 hours of teaching experience under her belt. She is certified by the Pilates Method Alliance, the internationally recognized professional organization of Pilates professionals.

Stacey Philipsen, Owner & Instructor

I'm not a dancer or a lifetime athlete. I'm a gal with a marketing background who found herself burnt out from a hectic career. Although now it seems a lifetime ago, I can still recall how I'd pull out of the driveway near dawn on my way to work and watch neighbors jogging by and wonder how many calories a fifty meeting dash burns. I'd dream up ways of turning my desk "hunch" into a tummy "crunch." But the only thing I managed to master was finger training on the keyboard for what seemed like marathon sessions.

After stepping back from corporate life, I had the time to read Fat, Forty and Fired, a memoir written by a friend I met while working in Australia. It inspired me to get back into shape and rethink my career.

Having spent the better part of my adult life dabbling in various physical activities I knew this time I was looking for an alternative that would be kind to my body and provide something different to keep me motivated. I was older now and a mom to a precious little girl. I had survived cancer in my early twenties but the year's dose of chemotherapy had now delivered me into early menopause.

For years I had heard about Pilates and had always assumed it was for celebrities and dancers, not something that would be affordable or accessible to someone like me. But the more I learned the more I realized how wrong I was. After my first session my body felt disentangled and taller. I felt rested because the mind body connection allowed me to free my psyche even if only for a short while and focus on myself. While a few sessions didn't result in weight loss, I felt lighter on my feet.

All those years hunching over a desk had impacted my posture and my shoulders were upwards and forwards. As weeks turned into months, my shoulders relaxed and fell back into place and the back of my neck seemed to magically reappear. Then all of a sudden one day I looked into the mirror and my upper legs looks different. By strengthening my hamstrings my bulked-up quads no longer had to do all the work and they had leaned out and lengthened. This change to both my upper and lower body wasn't because I was focusing on them during my workouts but because Pilates starts with the core and works from the inside out which includes both up and down. The result is what Joe Pilates called 'uniform development.' To have a strong, healthy body all the muscles needed to be used equally.

Now that my body was on the right track I had to think about getting back into the job market. If you recall those old Remington shaver ads from the 80's where the CEO, Victor Kiam, says 'I liked it so much, I bought the company.' That quote almost captures how I was feeling except that instead of buying a company I wanted to start a new one.

I enrolled into a comprehensive training program comprised of over 600 hours of theory, practice and teaching. As a fourth generation instructor, my lineage of training traces back to Joe Pilates himself. During this period I discovered a very talented instructor, Romina. She first became a supportive teacher, then a wonderful friend and now as my business partner at Joe & Clara she oversees the thoughtful development of all our Classical Pilates and Pilates Inspired programs.

So let me close by saying that after two and a half years immersed in everything Pilates including planning this new venture, what I still get the most pleasure from is introducing people to the many life-changing benefits of Pilates. I find it particularly gratifying being a part of your initial journey, from the first equipment orientation through to learning and practicing the exercises. Watching someone marvel at the renewed feeling in his/her own body even after only a month always reminds me that I made the right decision.

Tania Hoyt, Instructor

I have been a dancer for over 35 years - tap, jazz, ballet, lyrical, contemporary and hip hop. I taught good old school aerobics in the 80's, the days of leotards and legwarmers. I had a child and discontinued dancing for many years and only worked out here and there. My mother passed away when I was 27 years old and my life changed, my priorities changed. I realized how short life was. and therefore realized I needed to spend my time doing what I love to do. I went back to the dance studio and began teaching in 1998. I put rigorous amounts of hours on my body teaching 36 classes a week - at one point I was teaching at six different locations. My life was crazy busy and I was in constant pain. I was using my body too much...literally. I was diagnosed with arthritis in my neck. I was in physical therapy but found no relief as they tried to "stretch" me out. I can still, in my 40's, do the splits in all three directions.....stretching was not what I needed.

Cut to me with a new boyfriend and a new 20 pounds attached to me. When I could no longer zip up my pants and was forced to buy another pair the next size up, I turned to a Pilates mat DVD that I found at Target. One time and I was hooked!!! Pilates was for me. I did my research immediately and began my Pilates Mat certification process and was certified in 2003. I lost the 20 pounds and toned up quicker and looked better than I did in my 20's!!! I used to wake up every morning for eight years with excruciating neck pain, and was now pain free and still am to this day. I owe it all to Pilates.

A few years later, I decided to certify again in another Pilates Mat program because THAT'S how much I loved Pilates. I also retained my certification in sport Yoga. Most recently, I earned my certification in Zumba. I thoroughly enjoy teaching. The most rewarding part is watching the improved strength in my students, how they become proud of their strength and how their bodies change shape week after week. The best part is when they tell me they were becoming disappointed because they weren't "losing weight", and then they mention that friends and family members were making comments about how great they look. The scale does not matter....how you look and how you feel matters. Pilates takes off inches and tones the body head to toe. Most who take Pilates are hooked!!

I continue to see my body changing from Pilates and continue to realize the benefits. It applies to all aspects of my life. I feel good. I stand tall. I am strong. I recently took up snowboarding which is very core- based. I feel my core strength and great balance from Pilates allows me to do this sport in my 40's. I am the strongest I have ever been in my life and am proud of it! I am excited to join the team at Joe and Clara's because it is yet another aspect of Pilates for me to learn and share with you all.

Yoni Avni, Instructor

Originally born in Israel I moved to the US in 2002 and discovered Pilates a few years later. I immediately fell in love with it. It was like nothing I had ever done before. With a background in swimming and dancing, Pilates 'completed me.'

Pilates first gave me the knowledge to understand movement. Then it awakened an awareness of my own body in motion. And finally how we can support our body through proper movement for a more fulfilling life.

It was my thirst for continued knowledge about the body that led me to enroll in a comprehensive Classical Pilates training program in 2006. I continued my Pilates journey by enrolling in the Master's program at the Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado. I hope to complete this program within the next year.

As an instructor, I strive to inspire my clients by alleviating their pain and discomfort, assisting with correct body alignment, helping them remain present in the moment and find their own passion for the Pilates Method.

Besides Pilates, I enjoy the art of contemporary dance. I have a passion for world travel and love exploring new and different cultures.  

I believe that Pilates is such a powerful method that with hard work and an open mind it can change your life. Join me on this voyage of discovery.