Barbara Bruni thought it might be risky to open a Pilates studio when few people in the area new what Pilates was. The owner of Pilates Core Training, in Pensacola, states, “I knew that a large portion of my job would be in educating the community. I spoke at every organization I could and set up at every health fair. I also was fortunate enough to have a TV show through the University of West Florida that has been playing for the last 12 years on channel 4 Cox Cable.”

After 15 years, the studio now offers all levels of Pilates, including popular mat classes and equipment classes. Those who want or need more assistance choose to take private or semi-private sessions. In addition to Pilates, Bruni is certified and licensed to teach GYROKENISIS and GYROTONIC  classes. “It is more like dance and yoga combined,” explains Bruni. “The classes start with exercises performed while sitting on a stool, and then progress into floor work. The exercises can also be performed on specialized pieces of equipment.”

  Specializing in working with people to improve their posture and improve their structural alignment, Pilates Core Training also offers specialized massage in the Rolf Method of Structural Integration and Myofascial Release. “Many times people have restrictions from surgeries, accidents and other stressful trauma, and the exercises can be so much more effective once those restrictions are removed,” she says. “The hands-on therapies make such a profound change in their bodies that they reduce or eliminate their pain altogether.”

Pilates Core Training is also home to Barbara Bruni’s Pilates and Beyond teacher training school. “I noticed that instructors certified from some of the larger schools were not able to work with the specialization that our clients needed, so I pulled together all my knowledge from the various techniques and created a curriculum. In fact almost everyone who works here has a degree in either exercise physiology or physical therapy,” explains Bruni.

As Bruni describes her growing Pilates practice, “In the beginning years, I went into the work with the idea of simply an intelligent, balanced fitness routine. But we soon evolved as we started seeing more and more clients who had chronic pain and discomfort. Some people came to us because the standard conventional workouts were causing more pain, or they no longer were seeing improvement. I took additional classes and earned additional certifications to continue my education and offer more to the community.”

Bruni notes that Pilates is most well-known for its deep abdominal and core work, but it is also a full-body exercise program that improves overall strength, flexibility, coordination and balance. Conventional exercise focuses on muscular contraction for strength, while Pilates works from the inside (deep core muscles) out and focuses on creating length and expansion in the body.

Every muscle is working with every exercise in coordination with the core muscles. This, combined with correct postural alignment and controlled breathing, is what makes the exercises so beneficial.

 

Location:1310B Dunmire Street, Pensacola. For more information, call 850-287-5836, or visit PilatesCoreTraining.com.