Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amy Young. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amy , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What was your school or training experience like? Share an anecdote or two that you feel illustrate important aspects or the overall nature of your schooling/training experience.

in 2001 I was a listless college graduate who’s plans to work abroad in France were dashed by the events of September 11th.

Needing to adapt swiftly and start my career, I began searching for the most pure and authentic Pilates teacher training I could find. Quickly, I realized that in Chicago, I was only a couple of miles away from one of Romana Kryzanowska’s Pilates training centers. (Fast history lesson: Romana was one of only 2 people that Joseph Pilates ever certified to teach his method. When he passed away in 1967 she carried on his legacy and continued to run his New York Pilates studio with his wife, Clara.)

In order to become a teacher apprentice for Romana you had to log 75 private lessons BEFORE you could audition for her program. Only upon acceptance could you begin the 600 hour hands on apprenticeship with Romana and her vetted educators, which she called Teachers of Teachers.

So I took all the money I had saved for that trip and plunked it down on 75 private Pilates lessons. I had some experience with Pilates (from my dance days at WMU and Columbia College) but no formal training.

With an enthusiastic confidence I trotted in for my first lesson and……. I HATED IT!

All of the exercises were slow, controlled movements, with very small ranges of motion, and they were super hard! I had never engaged my abdominals like that and the physical tasks assigned to me felt nearly impossible.

I wanted to run, jump and hurdle my body through the air like I loved to do in the dance studio. I wasn’t accustomed to moving my body in that slow, methodical way.

So I freaked out – I mean, I spent the largest sum of money I had ever accumulated on all of those lessons!

After my 2nd lesson, I approached the front desk and begged for a refund. To which they kindly replied: ‘NO.’

After a night full of tears and tantrums, I swallowed that difficult pill and continued on.

THEN!….Something amazing began to happen after about a month working out in the Pilates studio nearly every day.

My back began to release. My abdominals got stronger than ever and my posture began to improve.

The relief I experienced from de-stressing my joints was profound. I was completely hooked into that incredible feeling of strength and ease in my body that I had never known was possible.

After learning the skill and technique of Pilates the exercises and workouts began to intrigue my body and mind in a new and expansive way. I began to love and CRAVE the workouts, my body couldn’t get enough of it.

The more I practiced, the stronger and happier I felt.

I cringe now at the thought of what my life would be like if I had been issued that refund and sent on my merry way.

One thing is for certain…

I would not be living the full, viable and healthy life that I’m living right now.

Pilates is not easy, it requires commitment, tenacity and a lot of physical and mental effort. I am so grateful that I was kept on the path before I knew myself how important and impactful it was going to be for me to be there. It’s been one of the greatest gifts of my life.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As a dance major at university, the physical demands are high. Each day is filled with 6-10 hours of technique classes, rehearsals and personal workouts. Feeling soreness and pain are not only normal, but are often worn as a badge of honor and gauge of your efforts.

However, nagging and increasing back pain sent me in for X-rays and some life changing news followed. The pictures showed spondylolisthesis in my spine; a stress fracture in the lumbar that had weakened to the point of causing the L5 vertebrae to slip out of place.

Here are some facts:

1. Spondylolisthesis is a common young athlete’s injury.
2. It occurs commonly in kids who participate in sports that involve repeated stress and torque on the lower back, such as gymnastics, football, weight lifting and dance.
3. You can only relieve the symptoms of Spondylolisthesis, but the condition is inherently chronic. You can’t heal it.

At that time, over 20 years ago, a high grade case of Spondy like mine was often treated with surgery, which is exactly what was recommended to me. My doctors advised a spinal fusion and told me to quit dancing forever.

I walked out of that office and never returned. I knew what I had was serious and needed attention, but I wasn’t about to fuse my spine, I just knew that was not the way.

Resolved to heal myself naturally and to keep dancing – I found my way to Pilates. The Pilates method predates our traditional physical therapy and has been a well known way to heal dancer’s issues long before doctors would or could do it.

Learning the Pilates method has been the ultimate key to managing my spondylolisthesis for the last 25 years and with incredible results. I’ve never had a surgery nor will I need one. Today I dance, hike, ski, run, lift weights, practice yoga and do any other physical activity I desire to do. And I do it better BECAUSE of my Pilates practice.

Now it’s my passion to show my clients the power of the Pilates method to heal themselves. From everyday aches and pains, to injuries, to gaining flexibility/mobility to improving in your sport to aging with grace – Pilates has a wide capacity to improve healthy and physicality in a multitude of ways.

My personal and professional experience has given my teaching a deep and creative perspective that my clients love and appreciate. Through sharp, precise cueing and rich visual imagery I help my clients to not only change their bodies but also their minds; their nervous systems.

Pilates is not just a series of exercises – but an orchestra of mental and physical engagement, that when practiced with an experienced instructor will sharpen your neuromuscular control, rebuild your posture with ease, create freedom and functionality in your joints and strengthen your core like nothing else can.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

My clients, their experience and their results are my utmost priority. When my client enters the studio for their session I go into an almost meditative state, working to provide the most clear and impactful session that I can offer. Pilates with me is not a chatty, casual experience. I want my students to get the most they can possibly get out of every single moment. That commitment to them, I believe, has been the largest contributor in my success in building and maintaining full client schedules for many years over.

If you could go back, would you choose the same profession, specialty, etc.?

I would absolutely do it all again in exactly the same way. From a young age, even before I have a memory of it, I asked my mom to put me in dance class. Movement is ingrained in my DNA and I was compelled to it before I could even choose it. I feel so super lucky that I get to teach movement for a living and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://amydoespilates.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amy_does_pilates/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/amydoespilates
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiCuFbS1m6KYlmN765WzVGA

Image Credits
Blue Flame Studio – photographer Mackenzie Nemeth-Suko