ABOUT ALYSSA
Alyssa Mandell, a certified Pilates Instructor, studied under the direction of Diane Diefenderfer, a certified Master Teacher of the Ron Fletcher Work, owner of Studio du Corps in Orange County, and faculty member at the University of California, Irvine teaching ballet and pilates. A dance-related injury led Alyssa to discover the Pilates Method more than 9 years ago where she fell in love with the work and concept. She continued her education by being a student and avid believer of the work throughout her high school and college careers until she faced a life changing hip injury that required surgery in 2008. Alyssa once again used the Pilates Method to rehabilitate her injury that allowed her to continue on with her passion of dance. After her recovery, Alyssa knew that Pilates was her calling and that she wanted to help others the way Pilates helped her. Since completing her certification, Alyssa continues to teach pilates and continue her advanced education to learn and grow as a an instructor and student of the Pilates Method. Alyssa is also a member of the Pilates Method Alliance.
In addition to her Pilates training, Alyssa graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a minor in Education. Alyssa has been a dancer for the past 19 years of her life, and uses her dance influence in her approach to Pilates. The base of her training was spent at Retter’s Academy of Dance in Agoura Hills, CA where Alyssa assisted in the teaching of several dance classes as well as being a part of the Rhythm Machine Dance Company for over 9 years as an ensemble member and soloist. Her experiences with performance, teaching, and dancing have allowed Alyssa to understand the body in a way that she can relate to her clients. She continues to pursue her career in dance while sharing her passion and knowledge of the Pilates Method.
ALYSSA'S PHILOSOPHY
Unlike most exercise programs, the Pilates Method follows well-constructed philosophies and a solid foundation of carefully created fundamentals. Alysa believes that in order to achieve these fundamentals, each client needs to warm up the body both mentally and physically before beginning their work out on the reformer in order to promote proper body alignment and awareness. Not only will a proper warm up wake up the body, it will prevent injuries from occurring. The importance of warming up is often overlooked due to time constraints and other teaching methods, but as a dancer who has used the Pilates Method as a means of rehabilitation, Alyssa feels it is crucial to the longevity and health of one’s body. By using the basic fundamentals of Pilates, each client will feel refreshed, lengthened, stretched, and ready for their day!