Clasique offers the most Authentic Pilates

As Asheville's premier Classical Pilates studio, Clasique is proud to offer affordable Pilates classes ranging from Pilates mat class, Pilates Chisel class, Pilates group equipment classes, and Pilates private and semi-private sessions.

Pilates is intelligent exercise that will change the shape of your body and how you feel in it. Authentic Pilates instruction improves posture, balance and body awareness, while increasing strength, flexibility and spine motility. The workouts are adapted to suit the client, whether injured, athletic, young or aging. Regardless of ability level, every workout is productive and challenging. Pilates is all about the core-strength of the abdominal muscles, and with strength in the center, anything is possible.

Classical Pilates Method
There are over 500 different exercises performed on five unique pieces of apparatus. Each exercise is done in a particular sequence, with a minimum number of repetitions and a high degree of precision and mental focus. The movements are continuous from one exercise to the next, and as the client progresses, the workout becomes increasingly more challenging and aerobic. The true Pilates method, referred to as Classical or Authentic, captures the benefits of Eastern exercise philosophies, such as yoga or qi gong, by emphasizing mental focus, breathing, and flexibility. Pilates also maximizes strength, endurance and cardio, which is the focus of traditional forms of many Western exercise methods. By blending the best of these approaches, the Pilates method trains the mind and body to work together toward the goal of overall fitness. Pilates benefits all ages, injuries, and athletic abilities. Pregnancy Pilates is especially beneficial for women as the body shifts and changes throughout pregnancy, and then post-partum Pilates for recovery and regaining strength.

Pilates Powerhouse
The core, or in Pilates terminology, the “powerhouse,” is comprised of the upper and lower abdominal muscles, the lower back and the buttocks. Conventional forms of exercise and athletic activities develop strength in the arms and legs, but largely ignore this area because these muscles are difficult to isolate and strengthen. This is the same set of muscles that support good posture and, if not used properly, will deteriorate with time. Pilates exercises are designed to stabilize the torso and work the muscles of the powerhouse lower, deeper, and more intensely. All movements are initiated from the powerhouse, which in turn results in incredible stability and flexibility for the spine.

Joseph Pilates
Pilates is not a new phenomenon. Joseph Pilates started developing his exercise method while serving in hospitals during the First World War. In 1926, Pilates moved to New York City where he opened his studio and since that time has maintained a steady and devoted following. After his death in 1967, his work has been carried on by Romana Kryzanowska, master teacher and protégé of Joseph Pilates. Early advocates of Pilates came from the arts and entertainment community, particularly dancers and schools of ballet. In recent years, many celebrities and professional athletes say they attribute their strong toned bodies to the Pilates method.

Classically Trained Pilates Instructors
Not all Pilates methods are the same. Classical Pilates, synonymous with Authentic or Romana’s Pilates, requires extensive training for Pilates instructor certification with over 700 hours of studio internship and three tiers of testing with practical evaluation. This Pilates method uses the best equipment available and follows Joseph Pilates’ vision of teacher instruction and client workouts. Clasique is proud to offer only Classically trained Pilates instructors, and the studio is fully equipped with the highest quality equipment on the market made by Gratz Industries. Pilates workouts at Clasique are dynamic, challenging, energizing, and create the perfect blend of stretch and strength for each client.

Clasique is now a member of the Authentic Pilates Union. This organization is a non-discriminatory organization dedicated to preserving the authentic work and philosophy of Joseph H. Pilates by expanding opportunities to study the traditional method of Contrology. Organized by some of the leading Pilations instructors in the industry, Brooke Siler, Peter Fiasca, Mari Winsor, Kathy Ross-Nash among others, the Authentic Pilates Union focuses on continuing education opportunities for instructors and unifying the field of Pilates styles.

 

Note from Studio Owner

"Joseph Pilates was a genius when it comes to intelligent, effective, corrective, long-term exercise. I’ve been doing Pilates as a student for 12 years now, and teaching for 10 years. And still… every workout is still extremely challenging, and every single hour I teach is unique and inspiring.

Whether on the mat or the equipment, the Pilates work requires the attention of the mind. Like anything, the quality of the result is determined by the quality of the effort. With such focus, the Pilates work never gets easy… in fact, as you advance in your workout, it only becomes more challenging as the work deepens, the core strengthens, the mind sharpens, and the form gets perfected. Joseph said, “The mind, when housed within a healthful body, possesses a glorious sense of power.”

The heart of our mission at Clasique is nourishing and inspiring you, the client, to feel like your best self."

- Brooke Tyler, Studio Owner