Susan Burke
My journey started due to a lower back injury from years of being a competitive athlete. Pilates was recommended to alleviate my pain. After three sessions, I was hooked. I found my back and entire body started to feel more balanced and stronger. I began to have a deeper understanding of how my daily activities and movements impacted my back.
After six years, because of the personal benefits I was gaining and with the encouragement of my Pilates instructors, I decided to earn the certification to become a practitioner. I studied with Michele Larsson at Core Dynamics in Santa Fe. This initial comprehensive training provided me with a solid foundation. Within two years I decided to open my own studio where I tailor sessions to meet individual client's needs.
My desire to deepen my personal understanding of Pilates led me to train in New York with Lolita San Miguel, a first-generation Pilates elder. Earning a Pilates Master Mentor certification deepened my understanding of the philosophy behind the method and took me to the next level. This allowed me to bring a more nuanced understanding of Pilates to my clients.
After these fundamental trainings and advanced certifications, I became aware that in my own practice there remained a disconnect or missing piece. This growing awareness and questioning led me to another Pilates mentor, Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle, creator of the Three Core Connection Embodied Perspective in Austin, Texas. Through Wendy’s gentle encouragement, I found the connection of all three―mind, body, spirit―that I had been seeking. I keep this inquisitiveness alive in my present practice and teaching philosophy by continuing to dig deeper into an understanding of the mind-body-spirit connections that began with Joseph Pilates.
Today, as a practitioner, I do not approach the work as a way of simply fixing people’s bodies. Rather I meet my client's present needs. I guide them toward an understanding of how current patterns of movement may not suit them anymore. I build a partnership with my students to understand how they can move better and feel more in tune with their body. This awareness is developed both inside and outside of the studio.
There are many Pilates instructors teaching. The lineage of Pilates that I have trained in has a deep focus on Pilates as a way to establish connections between the body and movement in the larger world.
What we do in the studio we take out into the world. Pilates is not about fixing people, it is a way to guide students to forge a deeper connection between their minds and bodies which translates into a deeper sense of feeling connected to themselves and their outer world. The Pilates method connects mind to body,
Pilates is not just a way to exercise but rather a way to energize the body.
Even after all this time, I am still developing a deeper understanding and appreciation of Pilates. I continue to evolve as a person using Pilates as a base for understanding how to move through the world.
Certification & Training
450 hrs comprehensive training Core Dynamics Michele Larsson Pilates 2007
Pilates Master Mentor Program 200hrs with 1st generation Pilates Elder Master Lolita San Miguel 2011
Yearlong Passing the Torch Mentoring Program with Wendy LeBlance-Arbuckle 2014-2015