Program Overview 
Gemma’s Way

Gemma Pagliei provides her students with an intensive training regimen of Pilates and yoga based exercise, structured on each individual student’s movement skills and experience.  All students, whether new or experienced, enter her program through the same door.  

Gemma provides a comprehensive evaluation session as the starting point.  All new students receive an overview of the training program, a tour of the studio and equipment, and an explanation of program policies and procedures.  New students are introduced to the Pilates Method and Joseph Pilates, its creator.  They learn the Pilates Principles, upon which the Pilates Method is based, and the Fundamentals, the movement skills upon which the exercises were created.  Gemma then applies these principles and fundamentals to basic Pilates Method exercises.  

Experienced students are given a brief review of Pilates Principles and Fundamentals, since previous experience with Pilates studios and instructors may differ in style and content from Gemma’s use of terminology and instruction.  Gemma uses a progressive style of teaching, in which students develop a baseline of skills in early sessions.  Determined by the student’s flexibility and fitness, the fundamentals are applied to more full-out exercises, utilizing greater range of motion, both with and without the equipment.  As the student becomes more proficient at these skills, the work progresses to more difficult skills and exercises.

New students are encouraged to proceed slowly through these exercise routines.  The longer the student continues to study, the greater and more refined their body awareness and skill level become.  Students who study with Gemma have an opportunity to achieve peak performance in Pilates, limited only by their desire to do so.