Downtown

Janet French was first introduced to Pilates in the 1990's when she was working as a performing dancer and dance teacher in the Indianapolis area. She fell in love with the technique immediately and completed an initial teacher training through the Physicalmind Institute. She also trained with Integrated Balance and Balanced Body and has been teaching for over 20 years. She spent a year teaching Pilates in Jakarta Indonesia in 2013/14. Janet has taught Pilates in private studios, therapeutic, gym, dance studio and academic settings. She teaches Pilates to children as well as to adults. She believes that the sense of flow, alignment, core strength and mind/body connection that the method develops can benefit everyone. 

In 2013 she started practicing Pilates to eliminate her low back pain. She lived in Colorado Springs for 25 years before moving around for 3 years and in each place, she has found a place to continue Pilates and learning new apparatus and teaching styles. She entered the Pilates Sol certification program in 2018 and looks forward to sharing her love of Pilates with many! 

Deana has a backround in gymnastics and dance, which laid the foundation for her love of yoga and barre. She has been practicing yoga for two decades, and has been a certified yoga instructor since 2014. She specilaizes in Sculpt Yoga, Vinyasa Style Yoga and Barre classes. She's a criminal defense attorney by day and tries to balance the demands of work with yoga, cycling, barre and hiking. She believes in creating a challenging, evolving practice to enable her clients to reach their full potential.

Meet our new and upcoming instructor Merideth Prescott. Merideth hails from southern New Hampshire and has a true love for exercise and the outdoors. After suffering an injury in college, she had 2 back surgeries, neither of which helped. After exploring many health and therapy options, she tried Pilates. She can attest that nothing else helped like Pilates did. She is now fully recovered and healthier than ever! She is so excited to introduce the healing properties of Pilates to others. 

Inger Bull is a Stott certified instructor in matwork and reformer Pilates. She received her first Stott certification in 2005, but has been teaching fitness classes long enough that she remembers when step aerobics was the new thing sweeping the nation. She has taught high/low aerobics, step aerobics, indoor cycling, and Pilates. She currently teaches Pilates at Sun Pilates and Colorado College. In 2019 Inger “pre-tired” from her professional career of 23 years as Director of International Education, most recently at Colorado College and previously at Nebraska Wesleyan University. She is married to Anthony Bull, a professor of exercise physiology at Colorado College. They enjoy hiking, biking, and camping as well as academic discussions on the kinesiology of Pilates exercises. 

A former winemaker, Jen’s winery days ended with a back injury incurred during her final harvest in 2015, leading to a lengthy process of trial and error to find relief from the chronic pain. It wasn’t until the discovery of alignment-focused yoga in 2017 that she truly began the healing process. Inspired by the life-changing effects of alignment yoga, she completed her 200-hour teacher training in 2018 at Playoga. Drawn to the biomechanical side of alignment yoga, she is excited to continue to discover how yoga can positively impact the body so that she can both help others who suffer from chronic pain find relief and begin to heal, as well as share her excitement to be teaching with all students. In her free time, Jen, her husband, Jay, and dog, Saxby, an official K9 Member of El Paso County Search and Rescue, travel the country in search of Americana and quirky roadside attractions, documenting their adventures in their travel blog, Tin Sheets to the Wind.

Hi, my name is Amy Higgs. I am certified in Mat and I am close to getting my Equipment Certification. I have always been pretty active, playing softball when I was younger then switching to tennis when I got out of high school. Tennis is great cardio but it was just not enough to keep totally fit. In 2012 I had to get back surgery due to a herniated disk. After that I started focusing more on strengthening my body as well as cardio. It wasn’t until I got engaged and wanted to make sure I fit into my dress that I took my first Pilates class. After the class, I felt like I could breathe better, I felt taller and my whole body had gotten an amazing stretch and workout. I was hooked. I started doing Pilates 1-3 times a week. I easily fit into “The Dress” when it was time and I was feeling strong in my core and back. After I got married I embarked on my Pilates teaching journey. I have had a child since starting, great workout for strengthening pelvic floor while pregnant, so that has slowed the process down a bit. I’m still hooked and LOVE teaching people about the the awesomeness of Pilates and helping their body get stronger and feel good.

Hi my name is Joanna Brezin Hancock (jojo). I have been with my sweet & supportive husband, Bobby, since 1988 and we have 3 brilliant blessings: Ryan (25), Lauren (23), and Emily (17). I am new to Pilates. I am choosing to be involved in movement that leads to functionality. I want to remind others of what I constantly speak to myself...that progress is simply about consistency. I enjoy hiking, mountain/road biking, and reading! I hope to see you in the studio soon!

Meridith Norwood, physical therapist, is a Southern transplant from the Carolinas, where she graduated with her BS of Science-Teaching Biology from Clemson University. She went on to receive her Masters of Physical Therapy at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. Meridith has worked in a variety of settings – acute and subacute rehab, skilled nursing, home health, and currently at Cornerstone Physical Therapy, a specialty outpatient clinic. Meridith is Certified Mat Pilates and Barre Instructor for Sun Pilates, as well as a jazzercise Instructor for over 20 years. Nutrition, Movement, and Mindset are her focus in encouraging other women to rise to the very best version of themselves. She has been happily married to Ken Norwood for 25 years, and together they have reared three young men.

Hi there, my name is Chelsey McNutt and I'm a Licensed Massage Therapist for 15 years now. I became interested in Pilates when a client of mine started taking classes. It sounded like a great opportunity that would go well with massage, something I could teach clients to help them get stronger and become more aware of body mechanics. I am enjoying learning this new skill as it is helping me improve my overall body mechanics awareness.

Susan is passionate about health and fitness and is very active in an indoor setting as well as taking advantage of the beautiful Colorado outdoors.  Of all exercise formats and disciplines, Barre is her first love.  Currently, she has specialty certifications in BarreAbove, Yoga, PiYo, and Strength Conditioning and Weight Training Consultancy.  Her primary group fitness instructor certification is through Athletics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA).  She was introduced to Barre at a local gym, was encouraged to obtain her certification, and from there began her fitness career.  Susan’s focus is to coach and motivate class participants to achieve their fitness goals while delivering a safe and fun class format.  Her intent is to further her knowledge, skills, and experience in the fitness industry and to bring all that body of work to each and every class.

Alison teaches in the Vinyasa tradition, which is a flowing style of yoga that links breathe with movement and teaches principals of alignment as a theraputic approach for the body.  She understands yoga is to be practiced on and off the mat and is always looking to find ways to convey that in class.  It is Alison’s joy to share this lifelong practice that brings so much balance, fulfillment and vibrant health. Alison has taught yoga to all ages & ability levels for almost 20 years in Colorado Springs & is happy to join the Sun Pilates team.