True Pilates LA offers a rarely found opportunity to experience the original method of Pilates. Teaching the "original" method means that we prioritize personal body alignment and respect various body conditions where others teach a one-size-fits-all routine. This main distinguishing factor allows our method to be universally individualized. Practicing the original Pilates method also means that the full system of specialized equipment ("apparatus") is used to guide the body.
Unmatched Qualities
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Lineage
From Joseph Pilates to Romana to you. We provide you with an undiluted approach to the method which allows the work to uphold it's uniquely individualized approach.
Joseph Pilates taught a lot of clients, some became pupils who then went on to create their own "schools of Pilates" (nowadays some of these teachers are considered the "Pilates Elders"). But out of the crowd only one stood out as Mr. Pilates protegé: Romana Kryzanowska. She embodied everything about his Contrology method as well as Pilates' legendary tenacity. Romana understood the work, the philosophy, the vision and how to teach it as well as train others to teach it in its entirety.
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Education
Maytal is a graduate of the prestigious Romana's Pilates® Program. RP is internationally recognized as the most comprehensive certification program in the world: it's the most selective and protective of the original work (not a "line-em-up, sign-em-up" factory-like program). Where others memorize routines/choreography and certify over a weekend Romana's instructors are required to complete the most amount of mentor-monitored hours and pass the most rigorous testing of any program; they learn the in-and-outs of the method.
Maytal, the owner, has years of experience in the Pilates world both personally and professionally. Since the age of 14 she has incorporated the Pilates exercises in her various workouts. After a dissapointing experience at a random "pilates" certification in 2004, Maytal's relentless search for the authentic method brought her to Romana's Pilates. The endless possibilities of the true method revealed themselves. Instinct is what led her to the original work, dedication made her a Romana's Pilates instructor.
Maytal has a vast experience of working with different types of clients: from those who are in pain to those just looking to get their core strong. She specializes in working with injured bodies, both pre surgery and post-rehab/physical therapy (herniated disks, fused spines, joint replacements) as well as chronic and genetic body conditions (such as Spinal Stenosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Hypotonia, ALS).
Maytal spent over 6 years working as an instructor at Mari Winsor's famed Winsor Pilates studios. She brings her personal experience with cheerleading, dancing, JRA, and scoliosis with her brief time on the PT track to her teaching. She has been featured as a demonstrator and model for Pilatesology and as consultant on various Pilates exercise videos.
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Equipment
At True Pilates LA our dedication to maintaining the integrity of the original work means that we don't make concessions on the equipment we use. It is for this reason that we are equipped with only the best brand of Pilates equipment: Gratz.
Based out of the East Coast, Gratz is the original manufacturer of Pilates apparatus. As an inventor Joseph Pilates spent his entire life creating equipment to help his method achieve full potential. He came to Gratz with his designs and they have been specializing in making Pilates' custom equipment ever since.
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Dedication
At TPLA we are dedicated to helping every client achieve their fitness goals, short-term and long-term. Every session is customized and adjusted to your body's needs both overall (ex. scoliosis) and for that specific day (ex. tweaked neck from sleeping weird). Our private space allows for undivided attention with minimal distractions. From high intensity strengthening and flow, to balance work, to stress-relief breath-work and opening stretches, we are committed to providing you with your most effective and enjoyable Pilates workout.
"You can say what Pilates is in 3 words: Stretch with Strength and Control. And Control part is most important because that makes you use your mind." - Romana Kryzanowska
YOUR INSTRUCTORYOUR INSTRUCTOR
MAYTAL ROZENSHER
Maytal is a Romana's Pilates® certified instructor with over 21 years of Pilates experience.
Romana, Sari and Maytal
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About Maytal
I have always had a love of movement. I started dancing at the age of 4 and added track, competitive cheerleading, gymnastics and more to my repertoire. Despite a diagnosis of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA) in my childhood and scoliosis later in adolescence I was determined to continue staying active. These conditions influenced my decision to pursue a degree in Physical Therapy but my heart drew me towards the creativity of the arts. I graduated with a degree in Photography with an emphasis on observations of the human form. It's quite fitting that Pilates allows me to combine the creativity of the art of movement with the analytical elements of the science of anatomy.
In 1996 I was introduced to "pilates" during warm-ups for dance class. I spent over 9 years regularly practicing "pilates" this but always felt something was missing in the instruction, like the pieces of the puzzle just didn't fit. In hindsight I was practicing derivatives of Romana's Pilates.
I moved out to LA in 2006 where I started taking (mat) classes at Winsor Pilates. And, despite pursuing a previous "pilates" certification, it was there that I was first introduced to the equipment and to the Romana's method. Instinctively the pieces of the puzzle finally clicked. It was only after this chance encounter that I started hearing about Romana and really diving into research and into learning more about the original practice.
My journey has taught me a lot. I continue learning from both my mentors and my clients and strive to grow as a teacher with every passing day.
I want to share the love and inspiration the Romana's method has given me with everyone and to help them feel as good as I know they can.
Maytal (pronounced "May-Tal") is a 3rd generation Pilates teacher with direct training lineage to Joseph Pilates through Romana's Pilates. Among her accolades Maytal is one of the few teachers in Los Angeles that was trained at the legendary Drago's (Studio), Joe Pilates' original studio, and was a top instructor at the famed Winsor Pilates. She is committed to continuing the legacy and brilliance of the original work.
Maytal is a dedicated practitioner and regularly takes weekly Pilates lessons. She exemplifies what it means to be a Pilates nerd: renewing her certification every year since completing the Romana's Pilates Program, frequently participating in domestic and international workshops and attending weekly apprentice meetings to help budding instructors reach their full potential. She continues her studies under the tutelage of such revered teachers as Sari Mejia Santos, Cynthia Lochard, Juanita Lopez, Trish Garland, Anthony Rabara, Cynthia Shipley, Jerome Weinberg, Michael Levi, Roxanne Richards Huang and Jay Grimes, to name a few.
Among her many talents Maytal is fluent in both Hebrew and English and can teach the work in Russian and French as well.
"Physical fitness can neither be acquired by wishful thinking nor by outright purchase." - Joseph Pilates
The only studio on the West Side dedicated to the original Romana's Pilates method.
The Studio
True Pilates Los Angeles is a private studio with a mission to upkeep the tradition of excellence in quality that is expected from the original Pilates method, Romana's Pilates. TPLA is the product of years of experience in the Pilates world by its owner and operator, Maytal Rozensher. While there seems to be a new "pilates" studio popping up on every corner, none can provide the exemplary level of quality that is synonymous with Romana's Pilates. Where other studios claim "classical" or "New York Style" True Pilates LA is dedicated to the method from which all others are derived. TPLA stands out in the crowd of trends as a staple for the integrity of Joseph Pilates' vision. We are committed to providing the best quality workout to meet your personal needs and goals; nothing less than the best for our clients.
TPLA is located within a wellness center where we can provide a warm, welcoming, professional and clean experience.
The Most Effective Workout System
A machine works you; you work an apparatus.
When alignment is the foremost concern in every movement, having the correct angles, proportions and resistance is essential to achieving peak physical and mental connections. Uncompromised quality means uncompromised design. It is for this reason that we insist on combining the original movements and philosophies along with the original equipment. These apparatus guide the body to connect with its weaker areas through continuous movement.
Contrology, or Pilates, may be just words to many people, but at Romana’s Pilates it’s the exercises and philosophies of Joseph and Clara Pilates that we teach, as handed down to protégé Romana and her daughter Sari. This is what we call True Pilates. Through True Pilates you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then, through proper repetition of its exercises, you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your mental and subconscious activities. True Pilates is designed to give you suppleness, natural grace and skill that will be unmistakably reflected in the way you walk, play and work. You will develop muscular power with corresponding endurance, ability to perform arduous duties, to play strenuous games, to walk, run or travel for long distances without undue body fatigue or mental strain.*
There are 6 basic principles applied to Pilates. Though they were not originally distinguished by Joseph Pilates, over the years they have been recognized as the general guiding message of the work:
Pilates is the ultimate mind-body enhancing exercise system. Being present in the moment and bringing your focus to the task at hand is essential to successful mind-body connection resulting in contol. Joseph Pilates considered this a means to awaken dead brain cells and provide a building to neurological pathways. Learning to both listen to your body and to communicate with it forces you to set aside the outside world and its situations/worries/problems. Some would consider this a form of meditation.
The process of dictating which muscle groups will preform a movement, large or small. Through concentration and the building of body-awareness we can increase how we control our body, first consciously until it becomes natural. Without concentration our body creates movements from a limited set of muscle groups repeatedly, often times compensating and disregarding aligment just to keep us upright and moving.
Pilates is meant to reconnect you both with and through your core. Every exercise originates from the center core of the body, the "powerhouse". It's from this powerhouse that we achieve muscular balance. Centering goes hand-in-hand with bringing balance to the body via an emphasis on symmetry. Symmetry is essential to realigning you body to relieve pain and avoid future injury.
Movement is the most fundamental element to the Pilates system. Joseph Pilates believed that age is defined by the flexibility of the spine. A body in motion is a healthy body. Most pain is a result of the stiffness of muscles from a stagnant body position for a prolonged amount of time. In Pilates every exercise is meant to be connected through seemless continuous movement. The movements connecting each exercise, "transitions," are considered exercises themselves. Connecting each exercise promotes and challenges the ability of the powerhouse to be used in daily life. These "transitions" also promote muscle memory which takes the method beyond the studio and into everyday life.
The quality of movement is essential to the effectiveness of the method. The difference between a tucked spine and a lengthened one can be a matter of mere millimeters. The same is true with the alignment of the knees to form a proper gate. The details matter. Seeing, understanding and being guided by these details is also, ultimately, the deepest distinction and effectiveness of the original Pilates method as from the rest.
Joseph Pilates is said to have cured himself of his asthma by training his own breath to be more efficient. The general rule in Pilates is that we "breathe to live" but there are certain exercises that are considered "breathing exercises". Most of us have a much shallower breath than we realize. Proper breath training not only helps with circulation providing increased amounts of oxygen to our blood but it also provides a level of lightness to our spines. By expanding the lungs to their full capacity your expand the back of the rib cage, the area attached to the spine which, in turn, helps elongate and lift the spine and decompress the vertebrae. In essence working from the inside out.
