Sebastopol Pilates (est. 2017) at 165 N. Main St. is a movement studio that provides the communities of West Sonoma County and surrounding areas with high quality and intelligent Pilates. We aim to create a warm and inviting environment where you can feel supported to connect, heal and thrive in your body.
We offer private, semi-private group and Pilates reformer/equipment classes as well as a variety of mat Pilates, Yoga and pre and postnatal options.In all of these classes you can easily engage and interact with the instructor because of the smaller class sizes .The instructors are all trained with professional certifications as well as continuing education specialties.
Sebastopol Pilates is a haven for Pilates practitioners, fitness enthusiasts and individuals seeking a holistic powerful approach to physical and mental well-being in a private setting. Situated in the heart of downtown Sebastopol, entrance on Main Street above Sprint Copy and Print shop, this light filled fully equipped Pilates studio offers high quality Pilates private and group instruction that goes beyond the conventional fitness routine.
At Sebastopol Pilates, clients are treated to a comprehensive range of all Pilates spring loaded equipment and props, including reformers. The studio's commitment to top-of-the-line Balanced Body apparatus allows individuals to challenge themselves and experience the full benefits of Pilates, ie; improved strength, flexibility, posture appearance, balance, alignment and overall health.
Led by 2 Sebastopol locals since opening in 2017 and keeping the business alive through the pandemic, Melissa Bechtel and Juliana Carlson, are a team of highly skilled and certified Pilates instructors. Sebastopol Pilates focuses on building a strong foundation for physical and mental vitality.
Melissa Bechtel
Melissa Bechtel was trained and certified in Los Angeles through BASI (Body Arts and Science International) in 2012. Melissa is committed to teaching integrative Pilates, resistance training and gravity bearing postures. She teaches how to strengthen muscles and use muscles that are the primary stabilizers of the body and take weight off the bones and joints through decompression. Melissa teaches how to absorb gravity and external force with deep posterior and postural muscle strength for everyday life. She can get you to put the work into the core muscles that are meant to hold you up. Her clients report feeling better quickly during and after Pilates. Melissa is a Pilates teacher who is passionate about building a strong foundation for the body and mind.
Melissa Bechtel is a certified Pilates instructor and proud owner of Sebastopol Pilates. With 15 years of experience in the field, Melissa has dedicated herself to promoting physical and mental wellness through the practice of Pilates.
Melissa's journey in the world of fitness began as a young mother in Venice, California she was certified first in Yoga and anatomy through Loyola Marymount University and Santa Monica Yoga, certified in Pilates through Body Arts and Science International. Amazed by the benefits of Pilates and the power of the equipment, she pursued extensive training and certification to become an expert in her field.
Melissa is committed to her clients goals and her own personal growth as an instructor. She consistently seeks out opportunities for continuing education. By staying at the forefront of her field, she ensures that her clients receive the most up-to-date and effective Pilates practices so her clients can do all the activities they want to do in life pain free. Melissa is also on the Board of Trustees for the Twin Hills Union School district because education is the foundation of a prosperous community.
Juliana Carlson
Juliana fell in love with Pilates because of her own positive experiences and she pursued extensive training and education in Pilates, earning her certification through the esteemed organization, Balanced Body. Pilates has become a cornerstone of her practice, and she has helped women and men gain strength, stability, and confidence in their bodies.
Juliana's warm, fun and compassionate nature creates a welcoming environment for clients of all ages and fitness levels. She takes a personalized approach to each individual, tailoring her sessions to address specific needs and goals. Her sessions and classes focus not only on building core strength and flexibility, but also on improving posture, balance, and overall body awareness.
In addition to her work as a Pilates instructor, Juliana attends Sonoma State working towards a degree in Science. She believes in the power of ongoing education to provide her clients with the best possible experience and results.
When Juliana is not guiding clients through invigorating Pilates sessions, she can be found spending quality time with her family in beautiful Sonoma County.
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Jessica McCready
Jessica McCready has been teaching all of her adult life - meditation and healing classes, knitting classes, and science classes (environmental, chemistry, passive solar architecture and robotics to elementary through college level students). One of her greatest passions is to provide a safe environment for folks of any age to connect with their natural born abilities to thrive in this innate human activity called learning - whatever the topic may be!
After retiring from teaching science she completed the SRJC Yoga Teachers Training (certified through Yoga Alliance) in 2018 and began teaching Yoga classes in a variety of venues- Finley Community Center, Sportsbasement, Wright Elementary School and online- to adults, teenagers, and athletes. In 2019 she took Sage Rountree's Yoga for Athletes Teacher Training- where she learned the true value of rest and recovery. And in 2023 she completed an inquiry and somatic based teacher training - The Inspiring Yoga Teacher Training with Lisa Peterson. She is currently enrolled in the SRJC Pilates Instructor Certification Program, as well as Donna Farhi's Art Teaching course.
Although she has been practicing mat Pilates for over 10 years, she recently discovered the exciting world of doing Pilates exercises on a reformer. In her experience, physically and mentally preparing to run half marathons, dance, garden, or race in a masters sweep boat, all physical exercise activities require an understanding of and appreciation for how the human body cycles. Through this embodied awareness she realized the importance of making the time for not only woking out hard but also embracing the time and space required for the mind/body to integrate, heal, and rebuild. Pilates on the mat allows for this, adjoining ones's strength training with rest and recovery- without having to wait to do the R&R later. Efficiently combining the strength training and the stretching all in one session.