Kristi had her first exposure to Pilates at the age of 13 when she took a “teen class” taught by Kathy Corey in Solana Beach, California. Kristi loved Pilates right from the start. She took lessons for two years and became a teacher herself at the age of 15. “I knew back then that I would always have Pilates in my life in some way,” says Kristi of her immediate love and passion towards the work.
Kristi continued to teach through high school and then moved to Santa Barbara California to attend UCSB. In 1989, work as a Pilates instructor was almost non-existent so Kristi entered into the traditional fitness world as an aerobics instructor and Personal trainer. After 6 years teaching fitness and earning her BA in Communication at UCSB, it was time for Kristi to get back to her original passion, Pilates. She began studying the method guided by Cathie Murakami earning a certificate from Synergy Systems™ and the Physical Mind Institute. Continued learning is always a high priority for Kristi, so in 1997, Kristi aligned with Master Teacher Rael Isacowitz, founder and director or the world renowned Pilates education organization, BASI Pilates®.
Kristi earned her certification with BASI Pilates® in 1998 and shortly after graduation was honored to have been invited to work with Rael in his studio in Costa Mesa, California. It continues to be a privilege for Kristi to call Rael her mentor and friend. Kristi has since been named a Principle Instructor for BASI Pilates®, a job that entails development of advanced education and allows her the opportunity to teach the BASI Pilates® certification in places like South Africa, China, Australia, Greece, and both coasts of the US . In 2003, Kristi had the unique opportunity of participating in the DVD series Rael Pilates. The three part series was voted number one Pilates DVD by health magazine for 2006.
At home in Santa Barbara, Kristi has a full time practice teaching mostly private lessons. Kristi’s approach to Pilates maintains that the exercises practiced in the Pilates method are the vehicle which drive us towards increased awareness, balance, and harmony. “Through Pilates we can begin to bridge the gap between the body and the mind that seems to exist when we aren’t paying attention”. Kristi has enjoyed sharing Pilates with her clients over the years, a list that includes many fellow Pilates instructors as well as Oprah Winfrey.
In February 2005 Kristi was featured in a segment on The Oprah Winfrey Show in which Oprah spoke of the benefits she had achieved since beginning Pilates with Kristi.
In recent months Kristi and two partners have been working to fulfill their goal of providing greater access to high quality Pilates instruction with the creation of their subscription based website Pilates Anytime pilatesanytime.com Look for the official launch Jan 1, 2010!
