Florblanca Pilates Classes & Therapeutic Sessions
Our beautiful oceanfront fully equipped Pilates studio in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica is open to students of all levels. We offer daily scheduled group classes (max four people per class) and private or semiprivate sessions arranged at your convenience. Newcomers will benefit from a personalized step by step introduction to the Pilates method, while more experienced students will get a chance to review their practice and work on more advanced exercises.
Our group classes make use of the Balanced Body Pilates Springboard. The Springboard provides an invigorating full body workout, each limb working independently with its own spring. This adds a significant coordination challenge – talk about making a mind/body connection! Come and see for yourself and enjoy tailored, fun and challenging classes.
In addition to Pilates, we also offer private Therapeutic sessions at the studio. Our experienced and highly qualified resident physiotherapist and Osteopath has helped many local residents and visitors on their path to recovery from existing and new injuries.
Our Studio Equipment
Springboard
Designed by master teacher Ellie Herman the Pilates Springboard™ provides an invigorating full body workout, each limb working independently with its own spring. This adds a significant mind/body coordination challenge.
Cadillac
The Cadillac (Trapeze Table) supports fitness and rehabilitation for all ages and abilities. An extraordinary variety of exercises are possible — from gentle, spring-assisted sit-ups to advanced acrobatics.
Spine Corrector
The Spine Corrector is an essential Pilates tool that can be used to perform exercises that lengthen and strengthen the torso, shoulders, back and legs while correcting or restoring the spine’s natural curvature.
Pilates Chair
The Pilates Chair is designed to stretch and strengthen muscle groups not easily reached by more traditional techniques and equipment. The Chair evolved from Joseph Pilates’ original Wunda Chair. The addition of a padded split pedal allows exercises that use rotational and reciprocal movement of the extremities.
Reformer
This traditional piece of equipment was designed by Joseph Pilates and looks like a bed with springs, a sliding carriage, ropes and pulleys. It is used to break down the flowing movements of the matwork to strengthen an individual to where they can do the matwork effectively but it has additional athletic and toning benefits.
Ladder Barrel
The Ladder Barrel challenges core stability and strength of students of every level. The surface is ideal for stretching and strengthening exercises and the wooden rungs provide versatility for different users. This is designed for serious core conditioning and will allow students to increase flexibility and mobility.
Instructor Info:
Mav
Mav is a certified STOTT PILATES® Instructor and Level 3 Fitness and Personal Trainer who enjoys teaching one-to-one, duos and small group classes. She is a personable, patient and fun teacher who encourages clients to connect with their bodies and to move with precision and control. Mav imparts knowledge through sound teaching strategies and demonstration.
She started practicing Pilates around nine years ago whilst preparing for her first ever half marathon having never run before. After struggling with a number of injuries, she enlisted the help of a personal trainer who, knowing of Mav’s dancing background, suggested she join a Pilates studio to complement her strength training. And that was it – love at first practice!
Mav says: “Regular one-to-one and class tuition helped me understand the benefits of combining breathing, control and mind body connection to address muscle imbalances, improve my running performance and also provide the movement and alignment my body craved after many years of a desk-bound job. I progressed from mat to reformer classes and have been a dedicated Pilates student with hundreds of classes under my belt. After a successful 20-year career in financial communications, I am concentrating my professional focus entirely on training others in the Pilates-based method of exercise by teaching one-to-one and small groups. Teaching at Florblanca gives me the opportunity to meet wonderful people from all walks of life and I get to share in their joy as they get stronger and stronger!”
STOTT PILATES® certified; Premier Global NASM certified; Member of REPs
Nadja
Nadja is a certified Pilates and Yoga instructor, with over 15 years of teaching experience. She is also a passionate surfer and has lived in Costa Rica full time for the past 14 years. She is originally from the rugged west coast of Canada where she fostered a great love of the outdoors and where adventure was always a part of her life – a natural athlete inspired by the natural elements.
Nadja says: “I have a contemporary approach to the Pilates method and I enjoy teaching so that students can enjoy movement and their bodies in a new or different way than they did before. In my classes, I like to combine stretching and strengthening exercises to create a sense of balance in the body and mind. I get great satisfaction from working one-on-one with clients who have specific requirements or goals and just as well I teach a fun, flowing group class available to all levels of experience.”
Balanced Body Certified
Julie
Julie is a newly qualified Pilates teacher. She trained with Gramercy Pilates in New York, a well-known contemporary Pilates certification school.
Julie has a dancing background and is a credited yoga teacher. She fell in love with Pilates six years ago.
Born in Denmark and as a Danish-Israeli has lived in London, Paris, New York and settled down in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica two years ago with her young family.
“I aim to help my students find new ways to feel more connected with their body and movement.”
Lucia
At the age of 16, Lucia started practicing Pilates in small studio in her native city of Buenos Aires. As a sporty teenager, she loved moving but it was practicing Pilates that prompted her to study Physical Education and to become a Pilates Instructor. After completing her teacher training and whilst teaching Reformer group classes and circuit classes for individual clients, she realized how much she enjoyed helping people with their posture, alignment, and injury prevention. To offer her clients even more support Lucia decided to study physical therapy.
Lucia says: “During my five years of physiotherapy courses, I worked in various Pilates studios in Buenos Aires, and I found that my approach to Pilates was changing dramatically from a classical style to more therapeutic hands on work. Then, in the summer, I started visiting Santa Teresa to surf and teach Pilates. I always knew Santa Teresa was going to become my home. Once I completed my physiotherapy course, I headed straight back to this stunning beach to do what I love. Florblanca offers me the opportunity to work in the best location, a fully equipped ocean view studio, with an incredible team and family.”
Three years ago Lucia went back to the books to study Osteopathy and her dedication to her clients and love of Pilates, Physiotherapy and Osteopathy is clear to any person who is treated by her.
Physical Educator UNLP; Pilates Instructor PYP; Physical Therapist UAI; Master in Osteopathy EOM
For further information about our Pilates classes and studio, or to make an appointment, please contact Pilates@florblanca.com.
