YOGA AND PILATES TRAINING BACKGROUND

YOGA PILATES POSTCARD

TO: Yoga Style

FROM: kateryna Smirnova, owner of three studios and founder of the International Pilates University Fitness4you, the largest Pilates training center in kiev, Ukraine.

HOW SHE GOT TO KIEV

My whole family lives in kiev, I’m third-generation here. I’m really lucky to live in this city with more than 1,500 years of history.

YOGA AND PILATES TRAINING BACKGROUND Photo Gallery

TRAINING BACKGROUND

I’ve been doing Pilates since 2003. I was trained by the Pilates Institute London (by Michael king and his partners, Malcolm Miurhead and nuala Coombs). I also had the opportunity to become a student of kathy Corey and Alan Herdman. In 2014, I became a Lolita’s Disciple Educator and already graduated my first group in kiev, who finished Lolita’s Legacy Training under my mentorship. I’ve also visited Mary Bowen in her studios.

HER TYPICAL CLIENT IS

We have many different clients, from children to professional athletes. Like most other studios in the world, we offer health-oriented programs, such as healthy back, happy feet and so on. My personal clients range from Pilates teachers to Olympic medalists to people who need spine rehabilitation after surgery. At our studios, we always advise that clients stay independent and work with as many teachers as they can.

KIEV’S PILATES CULTURE

Pilates has a shorter history here than in the U.S. For example, if you ask a taxi driver in the U.S., what is Pilates?, they might actually know. In the Ukraine, you cannot even try to ask people on the street what Pilates is. But Pilates is becoming bigger and bigger, especially over the last two years. Still, most people think about Pilates as a mat class because more often than not, that’s how they see it in the fitness club environment. Quite often, people come to Pilates classes because they think it is fashionable, but with time, those who understand became really addicted to Pilates.