Christine Hall

Christine Hall is a senior instructor and the owner of Studio 8 Pilates and is a certified Pilates instructor through both The PhysicalMind Institute and the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). Chris has been teaching pilates for 13 years and specializes in training people who want to move better, feel better and live better and healthier lives.

Pilates Certifications & Additional Experience

• PhysicalMind Institute Trained

• Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) Certified

• Diastasis Recti Certified through Carolyne Anthony and The Center for Women’s Fitness

• CoreAlign training through Balanced Body

• Jumpboard Dynamics Training through Basi

Her clients include many that have back/spinal surgeries, hip and knee replacements, c-sections, scoliosis and other spinal conditions.

Areas of Deep Study

• Pilates for prenatal & postpartum care

• Pilates for Diastasis Recti and pelvic floor health

• Pilates for shoulder mechanics & optimal health

• Pilates for hip and knee mechanics & optimal health

EXPERIENCE & BACKGROUND

Chris herself was an young athlete first, having played competitive tennis for many years and running long distance. Fast forward when having 2 children led to a diastasis recti and back pain, Chris decided to seek alternative methods of exercise to safely rehab herself and return to the sports she loved. Two visits to physical therapy finally exposed her to the world of Pilates.

Pilates was the balance she had been looking for a combination of the challenge of athletic movements as well as the lengthening/strengthening and core development her body was missing. After a few years of being a Pilates client, Chris decided to leave her corporate finance career to pursue teaching Pilates. Chris has successfully completed 3 marathons, numerous half marathons around the country, and is virtually injury free. In her own words: I want to feel great on as many days as possible. I don't believe in aging gracefully, I believe in fighting it every step of the way!

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Beth Ruder

Beth Ruder is a senior instructor at Studio 8 and has been teaching Pilates since 2005. Her approach to Pilates instruction focuses on a refined sense of how we move, how we think about our bodies, and how the two relate. She strives to create an inclusive environment where her students are given the tools to experience their personal best. 

Beth Ruder has been studying the Pilates Method since 2002. Beth was certified through Pilates Unlimited in 2005 and started teaching at The Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis right away. After 2 years of working as a Teacher Training Assistant with Karen Sanzo of Pilates Unlimited, she became a lead Teacher Trainer in 2008 working both in Omaha and in St. Louis. Looking for a deeper understanding of the body, Beth went to graduate school at the University of Illinois where she studied Interpretive and Cultural Kinesiology. While in school, she was asked to create curriculum for and teach Pilates and Yoga courses in the Kinesiology Department. She completed her Masters in the summer of 2008, researching adolescent girlhood and girls' difficult relationship with their bodies. 

After graduate school, Beth moved back home to St. Louis and worked at her home studio, The Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis. It was exciting to get back to teaching and working with both new and former clients. She continued to develop a strong understanding of the delicate nature of movement patterns and the subtlety of the Pilates movement principles. Still very interested in teaching teachers, she trained in California and received her Pilates Instructor Certification through Balanced Body. She was the premiere Teacher Trainer at The Pilates and Yoga Center of St. Louis from 2010-2013 and tested out many of the Pilates Instructors in the area. 

In 2013, Beth relocated to Texas and with a mission to give Pilates more of a voice in the fitness and wellness community there. Beth has designed and led workshops for teachers and movement practitioners looking at anatomy and biomechanics, the purpose of Pilates techniques, and the relationship students have with their bodies. In her 11 years of teaching experience, Beth has trained young women, people with injuries, and even a 77-year-old first-time Iron Man athlete. Beth's safe yet challenging methods help students of all shapes and sizes experience their personal best.

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Alexandra Trifonova

Alexandra was born in Bulgaria, where she was a gymnast for many years and that lead her body to multiple injuries and misalignments especially after the birth of her child. She experienced Pilates after a chiropractor suggested it is as a way for her body to get stronger and better aligned. After a few sessions she saw the incredible benefits of the exercises and quickly decided to enter the Comprehensive Instructor training program at Pilates Chicago. Soon after completing it, she was certified by Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). Alexandra has completed continuing education workshops with pilates teachers Madeline Black, Cara Reeser and Carolyne Anthony. She is Pre and Post Natal and Diastasis Recti certified through Carolyne Anthony’s Center for Women’s Fitness. 

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Jessica Parsons

Jessica was introduced to Pilates at a very young age thanks to her mother who has been teaching for over 20 years. Growing up around the method, Jessica naturally became aware of the benefits of regularly practicing Pilates. After graduating from the University of Colorado Boulder with a political science degree, Jessica got a job working for a US Senator. However, Pilates continued to influence her and her desire to learn more about the method grew each year. In 2012, she decided to move to Boulder and spent six months immersing herself at the The Pilates Center. After her time in Boulder, Jessica moved back home to southern California where apprenticed with her mother while managing the family’s Pilates studio. She completed her teacher training through Stott Pilates® in 2015.

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Gisela Perez

Gisela was first introduced to Pilates after the birth of her second child. Falling in love with the method as well as the ideology of Joseph and Clara Pilates, she decided to pursue a career in Pilates after more than 10 years in the corporate world. Gisela is a Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) certified Pilates teacher who completed her 510 hour training program through Pilates Chicago in 2016 and her apprenticeship at Studio 8 Pilates under Christine Hall. Gisela has worked with pre and postnatal clients, as well as those with spinal conditions like scoliosis. “Health and an overall sense of well being is the greatest gift you can give yourself thru Pilates!”

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Julie Wang

Julie is of Korean descent and currently lives in Chicago, however, she was introduced to Pilates when she lived in China. Julie learned that Pilates could improve not only the health but also the quality of life for the less privileged who resided in terrible conditions. Julie’s interest has always been about people she can help through the Pilates Method. She realized that Pilates can be a great tool to help people feel better about their bodies and their lives overall all over the world.

When Julie relocated to Chicago, she entered the Comprehensive Pilates training program at Pilates Chicago and poured her energy into learning all aspects of the Pilates Method. Shortly after finishing her 500 hour training program, she completed her Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) Certificate. Julie is also certified in Pre and Post Natal Pilates (Carolyne Anthony), Spinning and Body Pump. 

Julie loves to share the benefits of Pilates and then watch a client’s body learn and move better! 

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