instructors

Gizel came to Chicago from Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1995 to attend the University of Chicago and earned her BA in Economics. She fell in love with Pilates the moment she attended her first mat class in 1999 and in 2004 decided to teach it full time. In 2006 she and her partner Alex opened up Spring Wellness Center on Southport and Waveland in a renovated apartment flat. However, she truly believes that a balanced workout routine can truly keep the body young, healthy and fit so a few years later in 2009, a great opportunity came up for her to be able to open up a more spacious and beautiful space down the streets, just 50 steps from the Brown Line stop on Southport and Newport. The new studio allowed her to incorporate yoga, different styles of Pilates, Kettlebells, TRX, Core Ballet and various Fusion classes. You can automatically tell her enthusiasm and love for Pilates in every mat class and private lesson she teaches. She loves how athletic a Pilates practice can be and is incredibly grateful to share the power and strength her clients are capable of achieving in each of their sessions. Gizel is certified through BASI Pilates and is also a Level 1 certified Kettlebells instructor. In her spare time, she is very devoted to her daily yoga practice but most importantly, loves to hang out with her husband Craig and son River.

Sayward came to Chicago from Hermosa Beach, California and is Spring's long time Power Pilates instructor! She has always been active in athletics and she finally found her match in Pilates. She decided to undergo the Power Pilates Comprehensive Training Program and hasn't looked back since. In her spare time Sayward loves to go to music festivals, hang out with friends and practice yoga.

Emily has been practicing Pilates since 2000 and is certified through Body Arts & Science International. Her knowledge of Pilates, form, alignment, biomechanics and movement brings her clients to new levels of body awareness and focus. She motivates and encourages clients with creative challenging sequencing and unique fun workouts. Emily has fallen in love with both Yoga and Pilates. While living and teaching Pilates in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, Emily completed her 200 hour Vinyasa Yoga certification with Yoga by the Way in 2009. Her yoga instruction will strengthen, heal and align the body while bringing balance, discipline and peace to her students minds. With a passion for healthy cooking and a desire to educate others, Emily received her Health Coach Certificate in 2011 from Integrative Nutrition and specializes in helping people find balance through holistic wellness and nutrition consulting. Along with her work at Spring, Emily is also a Balanced Body® Faculty Member and and passes the knowledge of Pilates to others a deeper level in Teacher Trainings. She feels fortunate to have a job where she educates others and believes we are always students, changing and evolving throughout life. She also earned her BA in Art & Design from Columbia College Chicago in 2001. With almost 2 years experience in bilingual teaching she is able to teach clients and classes in Spanish. In her spare time, Emily enjoys spending time with family and friends, cooking and traveling as much as she can!

Emily graduated from DePaul University in 2002 and received her BA in Art History. After graduating from college she moved to Los Angeles to work in the fashion industry and it was there that she fell in love with Pilates. Emily received her first pilates mat certification in LA through the Physical Mind Institute. After moving back to Chicago she decided to continue her pilates education and completed the comprehensive training program through Body Arts and Science International. In her spare time Emily enjoys spending time with her husband and Himalayan cat Titan.

Alison is a native of Chicago and graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign. A lifelong health and fitness enthusiast, Alison began practicing Pilates in 2004 and has only grown to love it more with each year. Looking to challenge herself even further, she enrolled in the Power Pilates Comprehensive Certification Program. Her speciality is challenging clients with lots of abdominal work and fast-paced workouts. In her spare time, she enjoys soaking up the sun, traveling and feeding friends her latest creation from the kitchen.

Sarah is a native Chicagoan. Her dance background and love of feeling and staying fit led her to a career in Pilates. She is certified through Pilates Chicago, a Pilates Method Alliance certified instructor training studio in Rogers Park. She is passionate about Pilates as not only a great workout, but also as a corrective mind body experience, and is dedicated to preserving the exercises as Joseph Pilates intended while making them accessible to all. She recently left behind the office work life, and is thrilled to be on this new journey. She loves sharing her enthusiasm for Pilates with her clients. In her spare time, she thoroughly enjoys practicing yoga, wine tastings, bike riding on warm days, and eating whatever her chef husband prepares for her.

Lizzie began practicing Pilates in 2006 and instantly fell in love. After years of back pain, she found pilates to be the one thing that helped. Lizzie has always enjoyed running as her exercise of choice -- she ran the 2005 Chicago Marathon and has participated in a number of other races. Lizzie spent eight years of her life dedicated to the sport of Rowing -- she was a Division I coxswain for the University of Tennessee. Lizzie found Pilates to be such a good fit that she got certified through the Body Arts and Sciences International program.

Having always been enthusiastic about fitness, health and well-being, Angie began pursuing another form of exercise to supplement her daily running. Having been asked to be a case study for a friend's Pilates certification, she found something that would become her passion. She fell in love with Pilates immediately because of the way it made her feel, look, and act. Once the case study was complete, Angie decided to pursue Classical Training to be a Pilates Instructor. She knew she wanted to teach others Pilates to help change their lives the way hers had been. Once she was certified, Angie continued to follow her passion for Pilates, leaving her full time job at Leo Burnett, one of the leading advertising agencies in the country, and teaching Pilates full time. When asked what motivates her, she says 'my clients, their spirit, and their commitment. I love to see the amazing changes they undergo, both on the outside and on the inside.' You can catch Angie in her spare time with her 2 cats and huge Doberman Ty, as well as running, spending time with family and friends, and delving into the city's vintage shops to find the best steals.

Marie Doherty comes from Chicago IL. She began her dance training at the Chicago Academy for the Arts. She holds a BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase College Conservatory of Dance. While at Purchase College, Marie studied dance abroad in Taipei Taiwan, and Burgos Spain. After college Marie danced in Montreal, Los Angeles and New York City. She has had the opportunity to work with many choreographers: Asun Noels of Spain, Peggy Baker, Danielle Desnoyers of Canada, Kate Hutter of LA Contemporary Dance Company, Gregory Dolbashian, Sarah Oppenheim, Yung-li Chen, Indah Boyle, Judy Moss, and Merce Cunningham of New York. While living in New York, Marie found Contemporary Pilates through a Brooklyn based studio, The Fitness Guru, founded by NBC's Fitness Blogger, Michael Feigin, and his partner Lawson Harris. After suffering from a back injury, Marie found Pilates as a means to rebalance and regain strength and flexibility in order to continue her dance career and healthy life style. Inspired by the benefits of Pilates, Marie underwent a 750 hour Pilates certification program. The rigorous program required hours of class time, observing, continuing education, and teaching as an apprentice for one year. Marie is inspired daily by her clients who choose Pilates as a means to discover movement to help create a sound, healthy body and mind. She is thrilled to share her knowledge of Dance and Pilates with clients and inspire them to discover the love of movement, strength and flexibility. Marie has a constant practice of Yoga, Pilates and Dance daily, she is always exploring and learning new information to share with her clients.

Jessica is a lifelong fitness enthusiast, state champion athlete, cross-trainer, and certified pilates instructor. She was originally a Spring client and has been working at Spring since 2008. She is enthusiastic about bringing out the best in her clients and is passionate about the benefits of Pilates for both the body and mind. While pregnant, Jessica trained extensively and enjoys passing on what she learned to the pre & post-natal Spring community. She brings her expertise to her weekly private & group classes.

Joia loves Pilates and has practiced since 1999. She has reached an advanced level, yet she is continuously learning. In 2001, she was certified in classical and contemporary Pilates and began teaching in Los Angeles, California.
Joia is an artist with an MFA in Painting and Drawing from Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, California. She painted the Budda mural in the studio.