Dani King - My Pilates Story

Most new business owners carefully plan their ventures, sometimes for years—not me.  I didn’t have long to think about whether I wanted to become a studio owner. I had been an instructor with Sixth Street Pilates for several years when I found out it was slated to close and I had an opportunity to become the new owner if I acted fast. I thought about the relationships I had built with so many of the clients coming through our doors over the years. I thought about my fellow instructors and how we would all be displaced and looking for work in new studios. I knew I had to give it my best shot. Ultimately, after a 3 day shut down, we re-emerged as Flying Squirrel Studios. The turn around was fast and the learning curve steep. I’ve always done some of my best work under pressure, but since then I have found a profound appreciation for planning and staying ahead of the curve whenever possible.

Thinking back it seems inevitable that I would stumble upon Pilates eventually. I’ve been a mover my whole life; jumping from kick boxing to Brazilian Ju-Jitsu to African dance to acting. I was a tomboy but with a propensity for the prettier and more graceful movements of a dancer. In my late twenties, I discovered trapeze. It was “love at first flight.” Trapeze combines grueling workouts, grace, and an undeniable badass factor. I became fascinated by the idea that in addition to upper body strength, “core muscles” were a critical component in hoisting my body over a bar that could take me anywhere from 5’-60’ off the ground.  My teacher, Natalie Agee, made sure we built the strength on the ground to make this happen safely and efficiently. Conditioning began on the floor—hollow body rocks were my introduction to pilates and they blew my mind.

I started seeking out Pilates classes in between trapeze sessions. I would obsessively practice the exercises at home so I could progress faster in my trapeze lessons and it worked like a charm. Prior to this introduction of “core muscles” I was obsessed with abs. Having them, working them, but not having any idea on how to really use them other than to show off a wardrobe full of half shirts. Once I began to learn how to properly use my deep abdominal muscles, I had a sense of being transformed into some kind of well oiled machine. Throw in some crazy upper body strength from the aerial training and I felt like a straight up super hero. Trapeze was my passion, but I also knew Pilates had provided such a solid foundation with which I could rely and draw from to keep my body primed and ready for anything. I was hooked on both.

I decided to go through the comprehensive Pilates BASI certification program in 2009 and transitioned to teaching full time the following year. For most of my early years I was training rigorously in trapeze alongside teaching Pilates. My aerial instructors and coaches were my muses and mentors. It gave me a somewhat unique perspective on the method and a reputation for being primarily upside down much of the time and encouraging my more adventurous students to do the same. This period also brought my acute attention on how to train towards injury prevention, since I was not coming at this as a child or even a young adult, I had to be extra fastidious in my maintenance. As many teachers come to understand in the pilates world, flexibility is just as important as strength for a well balanced body. In the world of athletes, active flexibility is the gold standard for injury prevention. This was extremely relevant to what I was asking my body to do on the daily and my aerial teachers were an instrumental part of my daily understanding of this concept. 

As my teaching matured I became interested in expanding my horizons through continuing my education and hands on personal experience with special populations. I’ve been fortunate enough to have trained with some extremely knowledgeable and incredible individuals: Irene Dowd for anatomy and functional movement training; Anatomy Trains Intensive with Tom Meyers including live dissections with emphasis on the myofascial systems of the musculoskeletal structure; fascia in motion with Karin Gutner; Joy Puleo who shares her knowledge of breast cancer recovery through Pilates in Training to Heal; Cara Reeser and Jeremy Laverdure with their accessible and invaluable Separate but Connected series, Cara Reeser’s surprisingly moving Kathy Grant Heritage Training program and most recently Mariska Breland who’s pioneered Pilates for neurological conditions. I’ve also been trained and certified in Thai massage that’s provided me with a strong understanding of joint manipulation and soft tissue release techniques that I impart to my clients to this day. I continue to learn and evolve from friends, colleagues, workshops and other movement modalities regularly.  I appreciate just how much there is to learn and explore when it comes to the joy of movement. 

In 2013 I developed my own hybrid class of Aerial Pilates. I taught this class for 6 years out of Loom Yoga Center In Brooklyn. The class incorporated the use of an aerial apparatus called the sling and was used for Pilates inspired exercises that held an element of acrobatics. Think aerial yoga on steroids. The only reason I gave it up was to make the time to take on my new role as a studio owner. It was a tough decision—this was not only my passion project but such a fun and inspiring class to teach. Since I had learned the principles of Pilates through my own aerial training it was the easiest of connections to make and in some ways I found I could get my students to connect to their core muscles faster and more effectively when the stakes were a little higher (no pun intended). I still feel quite passionately about it and hope to have the time and opportunity to bring it back into practice someday. 

Since running the studio, my appreciation of what the Pilates method is and how it can be invaluable to our total wellbeing  has broadened enormously. Given the lessons of 2020, I’ve been reminded that Pilates truly embodies the therapeutic movement that is imperative for our mental health as much as it is for our ongoing  physical health. Alongside this, I've witnessed time and again that when you foster a healthy relationship with your body, the desire to treat it better by what you consume and caring for it from the inside out quickly follows. I’m extremely happy to be in a position to help people embark on this journey of self and to provide a home for like-minded instructors to come and impart their own unique talents and perspectives of the Pilates method to our East Village community and beyond.