P/oP Staff - Our Stories

Maria Jimenez-Tierney, Founder

Maria founded P/oP in 2014 after 16 years of teaching Pilates in Pasadena, California. Maria’s commitment to the philosophy of Pilates remains the basis for her practice.  

Her studio has the latest cutting edge Pilates equipment and utilizes the newest trends in movement to complement Pilates goals. Maria believes that instructors with high standards maximize results, and are even more essential than equipment. The incredible selection of certified professionals at P/oP are knowledgeable, versatile, talented, passionate, and committed to the art of well-being.

Her collaborative studio team strives to make P/oP the best Pilates workspace in Pasadena, all while having fun in a relaxed, positive and open environment.

Mirko Turla, Instructor

Mirko is originally from the Italian Alps, where he grew up skiing and hiking. He has over 20 years of experience in Health and Fitness and worked in London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore before moving to Pasadena.

Mirko is a Pilates Method Alliance Certified Practitioner (PMA®-CPT) and internationally certified Polestar Pilates Instructor. Since 2006, he has conducted Polestar Pilates certification courses throughout Asia as a Polestar Master Trainer (Educator) and is now conducting Polestar Studio courses in Southern California.

In addition to Pilates, he has taught group classes in Aerobics, Step, Aqua Fitness, Kickboxing, TRX Suspension System, Strength Training and Indoor Cycling.

Mirko works with a wide variety of clients ranging from the working professionals who want to improve their fitness and muscle conditioning to the pre/post-natal women who need to close their Diastasis Recti and strengthen their core and retired baby boomers wanting to maintain their health and functionality for years to come.

He is a certified Precision Nutrition Coach Level 1 & 2. He offers one-on-one and group nutrition coaching as well as corporate nutrition workshops/talks.

Lisa Deines, Instructor

Lisa's healing journey in the world of Pilates began with her own struggle with scoliosis. Since training with Polestar and continuing her own practice, she has seen and felt a massive shift in her own body/mind. She grew up playing competitive soccer and loves being part of a team. After working in fashion for 20 years, she realized her true passion is in helping others. 

She finds joy in connecting with people and showing them how to get in tune with themselves. She has a deep love for community, creative expression through movement and the process of getting to know one's own body.  Her goal is to help others get out of the head and into the body, working from the inside out, finding mobility, stability and strength throughout. Lisa finds inspiration in the emotional, mental and physical health progress she has seen in her clients. She believes that with a consistent and mindful practice, we can all achieve our goals together!

She loves nature, music, dancing, meeting new people and thrives on bringing people together through movement. To Lisa, Pilates is play time!

Dorothy Waterman, Instructor

As a small child Dorothy loved to MOVE!  Dancing, running, swimming, and bike riding were her most favored activities. She enjoyed her ballet training so much, she taught her second grade class mates how to perform a short dance she choreographed for the school talent show.

Since 1991, Dorothy has been sharing her love for movement with her clients and fitness class students. She has earned many certifications from Personal Trainer to Stott Pilates Mat Instructor. She has worked with fit triathletes to elderly clients in retirement homes up to the age of 103.

Dorothy teaches group fitness classes including: Barre; Mat Pilates; strength training, HIIT, aerobic  dance, Zumba and water aerobics.

Many of her loyal clients have aged with her during these years. She has helped clients who suffer from Arthritis, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease, along with post hip, knee and shoulder replacement and post back surgery patients.

Dorothy uses her extensive knowledge, training and experience to improve her clients lifestyle and help them maintain their independence!

Kiana Fotoohi, Instructor

Kiana discovered her love for Pilates in her freshman year taking a Pilates elective course while earning her Bachelor in Fine Arts for Dance Performance at Rutgers University. Being a mover her whole life, the practice of Pilates ignited a spark in Kiana through the physical and emotional benefits she felt after each class. She wanted to dig deeper into this practice and share it with others - not just dancers, but all bodies - to improve their mobility, coordination and find their breath.

She received her Pilates certification through Polestar Pilates Education (500 hours), which had an emphasis on rehabilitation patients with spinal pathologies, previous injuries, and more. She is nationally certified (NCPT) and taught private sessions in New York City after graduating. Kiana loves helping her clients achieve their goals, see results and feel the same benefits she did with this integration of mind, body and spirit.

Now back in her hometown of Pasadena, Kiana has had the opportunity to work with a vast range of clients in group classes or private sessions in the Los Angeles. She guides each person through the type of class their body needs, having them leave their session with more self-confidence and self-awareness. She has worked with pre/post-natal clients as well as clients with scoliosis, sciatica, herniated discs, degenerative disc disease, rotator cuff tears and more.

Lesley Elliott, Instructor

Lesley, born and raised in Winnipeg, Canada, grew up enjoying gymnastics, swimming and rough activities traditionally associated with boys. She was a typical tomboy.

She graduated from Oakwood University with a B.S. in Health & Wellness, and followed that with a degree in Physical Therapy from Loma Linda University. She is a licensed Physical Therapist Assistant with 17 years of experience.

In 2003, a flag football injury left her with a torn ACL, which led to reconstructive surgery and aggressive physical therapy treatments. Her combination of sympathy and empathy for other people’s pain has made her a compassionate practitioner.

Lesley has always enjoyed educating herself on how the nervous, muscle and skeletal systems affect the biomechanics of the human body, which led her to Pilates.

Lesley recently completed her Comprehensive Pilates Training with BASI (Body, Arts and Science International).

Her ultimate goals are to help her clients improve muscle imbalances, foster body awareness and increase strength through patience and precision in a non-judgmental environment.

Eric D. Haun, Instructor

Eric has been athletic his whole life. He began dance training at the age of 10. That turned into a fifteen-year professional dance career in the United States and Europe.

In 1999 he was certified as Pilates Instructor and has taught for over twenty years in Los Angeles. During this time he has worked in a variety of schools, gyms and clinics.

He has expanded his fitness knowledge to include weight training, yoga, mobility training, rehabilitation, recovery techniques, etc. Eric makes it a point to personally practice what he teaches.

Lara Scheunemann - Instructor

After suffering from back and knee injuries following years of dance, Lara found a way to heal her severe injuries, as well as stay in shape. In 2004 one of her dance teachers suggested she try Pilates. She fell in love with it so much that she decided to become an instructor so she could help others also heal their painful ailments. Lara received her Pilates certification through the Body Arts and Science Institute.  She is also a Certified Reiki Master and Self Defense instructor and has been training, teaching and healing for over 12 years. 

She has also been studying how the body works and why many individuals suffer from setbacks due to everyday physical wear and tear, as well as the problems caused by inactivity. One of the reasons she loves Pilates so much is that it can help everyone stay stronger.

Lara has been teaching a range of clients from healthy athletes; to the elderly who suffer from severe handicaps. She is constantly expanding her knowledge of new Pilates movements with continuing education workshops. She uses her knowledge of the body and the way the human body moves to help clients walk a bit straighter and enjoy life with a lot less pain.

Cheysa Santana - Instructor

Cheysa is a native New Yorker with roots (and heart) in the Caribbean. She moved to Los Angeles in 2016. Since then, she has blossomed through her connection with the wellness culture of LA.

Cheysa is a nurturer, highly intuitive, and loves nature.

She expresses herself creatively through fashion, design, and movement which helps her feel connected with her highest, most embodied self.

She graduated from Montclair State University with a B.A. in Psychology and has had a career in Fashion and Fine Jewelry for the past 16 years.

Six years ago, she stumbled upon a small Pilates studio in her neighborhood. She'd been practicing yoga for many years and while she loved the mind-body connection she found in her yoga practice, she didn't feel she was physically challenged enough. After just a few weeks of consistent Pilates practice, she became hooked! She started to see her body transform, building muscle, feeling stronger and more aligned, and her chronic back ache subsided. In turn, she felt a huge boost of confidence and learned to move more mindfully in all aspects of life.
 
Since then, she has completed a Balanced Body Pilates certification at Bodyline LA, in Beverly Hills, under the guidance of master instructor, Maria Leone. 

Cheysa is bilingual and speaks English and Spanish. She looks forward to being challenged physically and mentally, with a healthy dose of vivacity!

Kapri Hockaday, Instructor

Kapri Hockaday began her athletic career as a Division 1 Track and Field athlete at Troy University in Alabama. After hitting an Olympic qualifying standard, she trained to compete at the Olympic Trails. Her goal was to run for the USA. 

In 2012, following a knee injury that resulted from overtraining, lack of range of motion and overcompensation, she turned to physical therapy for relief. She had developed strong lungs and power from her athletic background as an elite hurdler, but lacked flexibility, balance, and functional strength. 

Having made no progress with physical therapy, Kapri turned to Pilates for help. Pilates helped nurture her injury and showed her a different side to fitness. Within three months of private lessons, she was ready to resume her training. 

After returning to the track, Kapri decided to dedicate herself to incorporating Joseph Pilates' Method exercises in combination with other forms of physical fitness training that she would go on to teach. 

Kapri has been teaching Pilates since 2012 when she began her fitness journey as a Group X instructor in Manhattan, the city of her dreams. After several joyful years in the Big Apple, she decided to move back to her California home after receiving a job offer to teach Pilates at Google. After COVID-19 hit, Google released Kapri. 

Fortunately, Kapri is now happily self-employed and working on her current dream – to build her own fitness business. 

Kapri has a B.A. in Sports Science (Sports Psych), an M.A. in Kinesiology, and has a nationally accredited personal training certification (NASM/AFAA). She is also Pilates Method Alliance certified; was classically trained at White House Pilates, in the South Bay, on all apparatus; and is a 3rd generation lineage Pilates instructor.

Michelle Vidal, Massage Therapist

Michelle has been a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant since 2015. She worked primarily with geriatric patients who suffered from decreased mobility,  either caused by or leading to a high risk of injuries and pain. Michelle believes mobility and movement are key to wellness and injury prevention.

She began taking courses and became certified as a Stretch Therapist. Michelle also attended the National Holistic Institute to become a certified Massage Therapist with the goal of providing an overall holistic approach with manual therapy.

Michelle has noticed that in today's society, more people are developing rounded shoulders and tight hips which may affect the way people move in day to day activities, causing compensations which then lead to pain. Her mission is to provide preventative and restorative interventions to stressed and overworked muscles by utilizing relaxation and stretching techniques to decompress stiffness and improve flexibility to sustain physical well-being.

Learn more about her services here.

Dr. Sue Breland, MPT, DPT, OCS

Sue studied at UCLA, earning a Bachelor's degree in Physiological Sciences, before moving on to attain Master’s and Doctorate degrees in Physical Therapy at Western University of Health Sciences. She is a manual therapist specializing in sports medicine and is board certified in Orthopedics.

Sue also specializes and is certified in Aquatic physical therapy and has treated pediatrics, adolescents, adults, and geriatrics with various orthopedic and neurologic conditions. Through her work with kids and adults who are nonverbal or minimally verbal, she has learned so much from her patients who have taught her to be even more cognizant of how each individual’s needs (physical and mental) are unique.

She has also treated athletes of all ages and in all sports including: amateur, semi-pro and professional athletes in football (49ers, UCLA, Ducks); soccer (UCLA); hockey (LA Kings); baseball; basketball; MMA; beach volleyball (UCLA); tennis; dancers (Cirque du Soleil); gymnastics; swimming; water polo; diving; and capoeira.

Learn more about Sue and her Physical Therapy services at Pilates of Pasadena here.