Instructor

Risa discovered Pilates in 2008 as a pathway to recovery from years of ballet-related injuries and intensive conditioning. Her practice has since spanned various methodologies—Classical, Contemporary, and Fusion. She holds certifications in both Balanced Body Contemporary Pilates and as a National Certified Pilates Trainer (NCPT), and brings experience from the physical therapy setting, where she worked with conditions ranging from spine pathologies and joint replacements to chronic connective tissue issues.

After training across multiple Pilates methods and experiencing different approaches to the work, it was under the guidance of Daniela Escobar at Westwood Pilates that Risa truly fell in love with Contrology—the classical form of Pilates as taught in the Jay Grimes lineage. This experience became the most challenging and intuitive workout of her life, revealing the profound empowerment of Joseph Pilates' original method in a way she had never encountered before. That transformative discovery ignited her passion to guide others in experiencing what Contrology uniquely offers: a system that cultivates endurance, alignment, and uniform development leading to self-reliance and a better quality of life for any body.

Her teaching focuses on helping clients discover their own physical resilience through this time-tested system. With both parents living with Parkinson's disease, Risa's approach to physical wellness is deeply personal, focused on empowering others through movement, strength, and mobility.