Meet the Instructors
Millie O'Brien Owner/Instructor
Millie has been a certified Pilates instructor since 2002. She began apprenticing and teaching at Core Kinetics Pilates Studio in Bellingham, WA. Later she moved to Southern Oregon with her husband to open Verve Pilates Studio in 2006. Holding certifications from Polestar Pilates (Rehabilitative Pilates)and Physical Mind Institute give her a broad knowledge of Pilates repertoire. In 2008 Millie began taking courses through Balanced Body University entitled Movement Medicine. These courses broaden her knowledge of rehabilitation techniques specific to Pilates. This enables her to work with a variety of needs; offering private instruction for rehabilitation and a challenging but safe workout for those with no injuries. Millie has a passion for working with Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction and many injuries related to faulty hip and lower body biomechanics. Millie has enjoyed running for the past 15 years and loves being outdoors.
Margie Norgan
Margie Norgan earned her BA in Dance from California State University, Long Beach. She was a member of Dance Kaleidoscope of Orange County. She taught Modern Dance, Jazz and Ballet for Coastline Community college in Huntington Beach, California. After moving to Oregon she began dancing with Robin Bryant. Margie is a company member of HeartDance Repertory Dance Company. In 2005 Margie began studying Pilates and became certified in 2006 through Power Pilates and has gone on and trained with Balanced Body University. She began teaching at Verve in 2006.
Kat Jonsson-Vincent B.S.
Kat completed her teaching certification at the Pilates center in Boulder, Colorado in 2002 after earning a bachelor of science degree in Exercise and Sports science from the University of Utah . She is also yoga certified and holds a diploma in the Lotte Berk Method in London. Prior to owning her own studio in Park City, Utah for 10 years, she taught group fitness classes, weight training and worked as a back country guide. Kat is intrigued by the ever-deepening layers of the Pilates method and the many things that it involves - natural movement, balance, focus and empowerment thru self awareness. Having the ability to facilitate and enhance those qualities in others continues to inspire Kat in many ways. Whether you are looking for core strength, flexibility, mind-body awareness or improved posture, all these can be achieved. Kat is very passionate about teaching and feels that everybody can benefit from and enjoy doing Pilates.
Avril Betoushana
After being introduced to GYROTONIC® in 2004 Avril Betoushana instantly fell in love with the methodology. It left her feeling centered, grounded and fluid in her body, giving rise to a flexibility that she had never experienced before. She left a successful medical career to pursue her passion and became a GYROTONIC® trainer in 2009. She has since gone on to become a GYROKINESIS® trainer and will continue to grow and expand in her practice. Avril is a highly inspiring trainer. She has a love of helping people inhabit their bodies in an empowered way.
What is Pilates?
Pilates is a method of physical and mental conditioning that uses specialized equipment to condition the entire body. With systematic practice of specific exercises coupled with focused breathing patterns, Pilates has proven itself invaluable not only as a fitness endeavor itself, but also as an important adjunct to professional sports training and physical rehabilitation of all kinds. Pilates trains for enhanced strength, flexibility, balance, posture, and coordination, and is suitable for a wide range of people regardless of age or condition.
What are the benefits of Pilates?
- Core-flat Abdominals, Strong Back
- Build Strength w/o Bulking
- Flexibility-Muscle Elasticity and Joint mobility
- Balance-Evenly Conditioned Body
- Improved Posture-Confidence
- Breathing / Increased Lung Capacity
- Overall Body Awareness
What are the benefits of using the Pilates Equipment?
Pilates equipment was designed to challenge every muscle in your body; using spring tension as resistance, equipment offers more challenge than matwork.
In a way, Pilates equipment today is not that much different than when it was designed by Joseph Pilates over 80 years ago. Pilates was designed to help those in need of rehabilitation. Spring tension, straps to hold feet or hands, supports for back, neck and shoulders are as important now as they were then.
Because of the remarkable nature of the equipment - to both challenge and support the body as it learns to move more efficiently - the inimitably designed equipment truly acts as a complement to the challenging "matwork" exercises.
Using equipment with a trained Pilates professional on hand is also important. Pilates instructors specialize in form and alignment. This allows them to guide your body through exercises using the muscles properly.
In a way, Pilates equipment today is not that much different than when it was designed by Joseph Pilates over 80 years ago. Pilates was designed to help those in need of rehabilitation. Spring tension, straps to hold feet or hands, supports for back, neck and shoulders are as important now as they were then.
Because of the remarkable nature of the equipment - to both challenge and support the body as it learns to move more efficiently - the inimitably designed equipment truly acts as a complement to the challenging "matwork" exercises.
Using equipment with a trained Pilates professional on hand is also important. Pilates instructors specialize in form and alignment. This allows them to guide your body through exercises using the muscles properly.
How does Pilates differ from other forms of exercise?
Pilates should not be considered cardiovascular exercise. It can and often does take place of weight-lifting, but is gentle enough that it does not have to. Pilates seeks first to correct any misalignment during an activity such as weight-lifting and then to strengthen the muscles in correct alignment.
Pilates works your body from the inside out. You will look and feel different immediately and even more so with time.
Pilates works your body from the inside out. You will look and feel different immediately and even more so with time.
What you should know about Pilates...
Joseph Pilates created 'Pilates' in the early 1900's. Pilates has been practiced since it's creation and has stood the test of time because of its effectiveness. For more information about Pilates see following links.
Pilates is gentle enough for rehabilitation of injuries and powerful enough for enhancing performance for professional athletes. Pilates evenly conditions the body to prevent sports injuries.
Pilates focuses on using core muscles (deep abdominals, glutes, inner/outer thighs, back muscles) to perform an array of exercises using a variety of equipment. Results include toning of core areas as well as increased balance, strength, flexibility and more.
It is important to seek trained Pilates professionals. Because of Pilates' intricate attention to detail and alignment; specifically of the spine and pelvis, it is vital the instructor have anatomy and kinesiology training.
Pilates should not be thought of as a cardiovascular exercise program. It is muscle toning, strength and flexiblity, postural enhancement and core strength.
The use of Pilates equipment increases the intensity of the workout and the versatility of exercises.
Pilates is gentle enough for rehabilitation of injuries and powerful enough for enhancing performance for professional athletes. Pilates evenly conditions the body to prevent sports injuries.
Pilates focuses on using core muscles (deep abdominals, glutes, inner/outer thighs, back muscles) to perform an array of exercises using a variety of equipment. Results include toning of core areas as well as increased balance, strength, flexibility and more.
It is important to seek trained Pilates professionals. Because of Pilates' intricate attention to detail and alignment; specifically of the spine and pelvis, it is vital the instructor have anatomy and kinesiology training.
Pilates should not be thought of as a cardiovascular exercise program. It is muscle toning, strength and flexiblity, postural enhancement and core strength.
The use of Pilates equipment increases the intensity of the workout and the versatility of exercises.