My Pilates Story

Marylinn Wheatley-Powers, Centered Studio Pilates Founder, Director & Teacher

I took dance classes from second grade through junior year in high school, first at a dance studio and then at school. I went a few towns over from home to a magnet high school that had a performing arts academy which meant I performed in theatre, choir, and dance programs. My classmates were amazing and many of them went on to be professional performers. Honestly, I was mediocre but I loved the music and movement---it fed my soul.

Going into my senior year, I dropped all of the performing arts classes to focus on practical skills for college since I knew I was not good enough to be a professional performer. A big catalyst for my change of direction (besides my building insecurities and need to be best at everything) was my dance teacher berating my mistakes and inability to perform as well as others during class on one occasion---she stopped the music repeatedly saying it was because I wasn’t keeping up and so we restarted again and again with all eyes on me until I could perform to her standards. I was trying my best and kept trying over and over, but of course after class my confidence was shaken.

Through senior year my body and spirit were missing the regular movement I had been participating in for years, so on a whim I signed up for a Pilates Mat Class series at the local community center over the summer between high school and college, just to try something new. I liked the class and wanted to learn more so I signed up for Pilates Classes that were offered twice a week at Sonoma State University when I started there in 2005. The classes were massive but the teacher had a warm, bright personality and did well in verbally guiding us through the exercises. After completing multiple semesters of Pilates Classes, I started practicing what I learned in class at home and followed along with online videos daily.

During one of the dance classes in junior year of high school I was stretching when I felt and heard something pop around my sacrum. It was a quick sharp pain which then turned into an area of chronic pain over time. By freshman year in college I was popping Advil like candy, seeing a chiropractor twice a week, and I saw a physical therapist a handful of times. But magically (and sort of accidentally) the more I practiced Pilates, the less pain I had, and I eventually stopped taking Advil and stopped going to the chiropractor, which was great because I was a full-time college student on a tight budget eating ramen noodles for dinner.

In addition to my sacral pain becoming almost non-existent, I felt stronger and more confident in my body with Pilates. It continued to be a dedicated hobby and priority for me through college.

After I graduated with a degree in Biology, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do career-wise. I was considering applying for a Master’s or PhD program but I didn’t really want to be in a lab for hours a day. At the time, I was in a difficult relationship and going to a local Pilates studio became my outlet away from my negative living space. It was my first time going to an actual Pilates studio and it felt like an oasis, a respite for me---time where I didn’t need to think about anything else but what my body was doing at that moment. Sometimes by the end of class, I would be near tears with how much it had an impact on my body and mental state. I took mat and springboard classes as often as I could afford while I was looking for full-time work.

I eventually moved out on my own to Hayward and was working full-time at an unfulfilling job that I was unhappy at. I was stressing over what I wanted to do with my life, and I prayed and prayed. What job could I get that I would love doing, that I would feel fulfilled in doing? What if I could do Pilates for a living? It’s my favorite thing I do everyday---could it actually be a career? Pilates was life-changing for me mentally and physically, and I truly wanted to help other people have a similar experience---I wanted to share the joy!

I started taking Private Sessions with a Pilates Teacher at her home studio in San Leandro which was when I really began practicing the full Pilates repertoire and learning the contemporary method. She later told me that she was just a bit concerned about me when I first started because my stress and anxiety had whittled me down to a weak and meek 107 lbs standing at 5’4” by that point. She was an energetic and encouraging teacher. She wrote my letter of recommendation to the Teacher Training program with STOTT PILATES that I then started in January of 2012.

She believed in me enough that when she moved away she referred her clients to me, so in April 2013 I started subletting from a Physical Therapist in San Leandro teaching privates and classes. When she told me she wouldn’t be renewing her lease in a few months, I decided that day that I would open my own studio in the same space. She also referred many of her Pilates clients to me. My Pilates career was beginning to pick up momentum and then hit lightspeed. I didn’t plan on opening a studio so soon, but I couldn’t miss the opportunity to keep growing what I had just started and already love. I officially opened Centered Studio Pilates on November 1, 2013.

My goal was to create an inclusive space for people who want to move, want to learn about their bodies, want to feel stronger and have less pain, and want to be part of a supportive Pilates community. I loved movement from a young age from participating in dance, but Pilates opened up to me the ability to move and learn without judgement, to progress at your own pace.

What attracted me to STOTT PILATES was the emphasis on updating exercises based on current understanding of the human body and the ability to modify every exercise for every body. In 2018 I started a new Pilates Teacher Training journey with Body Harmonics which for me fostered a deeper way of allowing and encouraging natural, comfortable movement. It helped me to let go of the rules even more (which is hard as the rule-follower that I am) and to hone my intuition for developing intentional programs to best suit each individual client. There was no ‘wrong’ way to move and no ‘correcting’ movement---the emphasis was on the teacher guiding and offering suggestions for the best experience of the client, to empower the individual.

I stopped dancing because I felt not good enough. Pilates was the way that I rediscovered my love of movement and exercise. I love to teach Pilates and share my passion for Pilates, to support people to move well and feel good in their bodies.