About
Katya Almog
Katya Almog is a Romana’s Pilates-certified instructor passionate about helping people of all ages and fitness levels achieve their goals through classical Pilates. She is known for her precise, thoughtful instruction, her encouraging attitude, and her unwavering commitment to helping each client 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.
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 is when she was introduced to Pilates. Slowly but surely, her body began to respond — growing stronger day by day. The transformation did not happen 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 became inevitable.
Katya undertook one of the most comprehensive classical Pilates certifications available — at Romana’s Pilates, the school founded by Romana Kryzanowska, Joseph Pilates’ own protégée. The program demanded nearly a year and a half of daily practice and hundreds of hours of supervised teaching and observation.
Today, Katya brings that depth of training to every class at Life By Pilates — working with clients recovering from injury, managing chronic pain, preparing for or returning from pregnancy, and those simply seeking to move better and feel stronger. Her approach is individual, attentive, and rooted in the original method.
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 developing the exercises that evolved into what we now know as Pilates mat work.
“Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness.”
— Joseph PilatesJoseph Pilates trained the men in his section of the camp and worked as an orderly in the hospital hut, helping those suffering from disease and injury. He drew on gymnastics, anatomy, bodybuilding, wrestling, boxing, skiing, and diving — deeply inspired by the ancient Greek ideal of body, mind, and spirit in harmony.
After WWI, Pilates briefly returned to Germany before emigrating to America in 1925. He opened his New York studio in 1926 at 939 8th Avenue — steps from what was then Madison Square Garden — and taught there until 1966. His studio’s proximity to the dance world led to his discovery by that community in the early 1940s. Dancers, performers, athletes, and everyday New Yorkers relied on his method for the strength, grace, and rehabilitative power it developed.
“Contrology is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit.”
— Joseph PilatesJoseph Pilates called his work Contrology — “the comprehensive integration of body, mind and spirit” — a philosophy he elaborated in his book Return to Life Through Contrology. He passed away in 1967, having maintained remarkable physical condition throughout his life.
Among his students was Romana Kryzanowska, his protégée, who carried his work forward unchanged. This lineage is what we call “classical” Pilates — the original, unmodified method as Joseph Pilates himself designed it.
Our Philosophy
At Life By Pilates, we believe Pilates is more than a workout. It is a practice — a way of listening to your body, building strength from the inside out, and moving through life with intention. Every class is built around you: your body, your history, your goals, and your pace. The method works when it is taught correctly, and our commitment is to teach it that way every single time.