Katya Almog
Katya Almog is a certified Pilates instructor passionate about helping people of all ages and
fitness levels achieve their Pilates goals. She is known for her clear and concise instruction,
positive and encouraging attitude, and commitment to helping her clients reach their full
potential.
Katya’s love for movement dates back to her early years in Ukraine and Israel. She danced
professionally until the age of 17, and movement remained a vital part of her life even after
concluding her dance career.
However, several years ago, Katya faced a daunting challenge: recovering from a massive procedure
that left her feeling weak and fragile. Traditional methods did not yield results, and that’s
when she was introduced to Pilates. Slowly but surely, her body started to respond, growing
stronger day by day. The transformation did not occur overnight, but through persistent
dedication, it allowed her to achieve physical and emotional goals she had set for herself.
Pilates did more than aid in Katya’s remarkable recovery; it also addressed the posture issues
that had developed from long hours in front of a computer. A career change was inevitable.
Katya made the decision to undertake one of the most comprehensive classical Pilates
certifications at Romana’s Pilates. Nearly a year and a half of daily practice, along with 1000
hours of practice and observation, was dedicated to this journey.
Joseph Pilates
Joseph Pilates was born in Eastern Germany on December 9, 1883, and immigrated to England in
1912, working as a circus performer. In 1914, he was placed in forced internment on the Isle of
Man at the outbreak of WWI. While in the internment camp, he began to develop the exercises that
evolved into what we now know as the Pilates mat work.
"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness."
"Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit."
Joseph Pilates began to daily train a thousand men in his part of the camp and work in the
hospital hut as an orderly helping those who were suffering from diseases and injuries.
Pilates developed his work from a strong personal experience in fitness. Joseph Pilates was
trained in gymnastics in school and inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of man perfected in the
development of body, mind and spirit. On his way to creating his own method he called
“Contrology”, he also studied anatomy and developed himself as a body builder, a wrestler,
boxer, skier and diver.
After WWI, Joseph Pilates briefly returned to Germany and developed a spring-based apparatus to
help the injured soldiers and trained the Hamburg Military Police in self-defense and physical
training. He came to America in 1925 and filed his first of many patents, returning in 1926 to
establish his studio in New York at 939 8th Ave. next to what was then, Madison Square Garden to
work with the boxers.
Joseph Pilates taught in New York from 1926 to 1966. During that time, he trained a number of
students who not only applied his work to their own lives but became teachers of the Pilates
method themselves, such as Romana Kryzanowska, his protege who carried on his work. This
approach is called “classical” Pilates, the unchanged, original method.
Joseph Pilates’ New York studio put him in close proximity to a number of dance studios, which
led to his “discovery” by that community in the early 1940’s. Many dancers, performers,
politicians, socialites, and just normal people of New York depended on the Pilates method of
training for the strength and grace it developed in the practitioner, and its rehabilitative as
well as preventative qualities. Until exercise science caught up with the Pilates exercise
principles in the 1980s and the surge of interest in Pilates that we have today got underway, it
was chiefly dancers and elite athletes who kept Joseph Pilates’ work alive.
Joseph Pilates passed away in 1967. He had maintained a fit physique throughout his life, and
many photos show that he was in remarkable physical condition in his older years.
Joseph Pilates called his work, contrology. He defined Contrology as “the comprehensive
integration of body mind and spirit.” This philosophy is beautifully elucidated in his book,
Return to Life Through Contrology.
Our Philosophy
At Life by Pilates, we believe that Pilates is more than just a workout. It’s a way of life. It’s
a way to connect with your body, mind, and spirit. It’s a way to find strength, flexibility, and
balance. It’s a way to live a healthier, happier, and more fulfilling life.