Rene Craig - Master Trainer-PMA CPT
Prior to becoming a fitness professional, I was an overweight, out of shape, stay at home mom who led a sedentary lifestyle. I didn't know how to start, much less 
maintain, an exercise program or a healthy lifestyle. My fitness journey began 14 years ago when I made an appointment with a dietician in order to lose weight. On the very first visit she informed me that for weight loss to be permanent, exercise was a must. By making exercise a part of my daily life along with healthy lifestyle changes I took control of my health and fitness. A passion for fitness was discovered and a dream to help others achieve their fitness goals was born. Over the years I have taught group fitness, yoga, pilates, body sculpting and cardio heart rate training as well as personal training. In 2004 I became a Stott Pilates Certified Instructor and have continued my education over the years. I enjoy helping others reach their fitness goals through pilates, personal training and phone coaching. I receive great satisfaction when my clients reach their goals, whether it is improving race times, losing weight or relieving stress and feeling more energized because they have made fitness a part of their daily lives. My most recent accomplishment has been completing a Master Teacher Training Program through Pilates Sports Center that will allow me to train others to become pilates instructors right here in Oklahoma City. I believe a true teacher should also be a lifelong student. I am always striving to increase my knowledge, skills and understanding of the human body and movement so my clients will receive the highest quality training available.
Gait Anaylsis Workshop 2011
Ped O Pul Training 2011
Functional Anatomy for Movement and Injuries 2011
PMA Certified January 2011
Master Teacher Trainer Certification with Pilates Sports Center 2010
Jumpstart MAT trained 2010
Stott Pilates Fully Certified Instructor Levels 1 & 2 2009
Stott Pilates ISP (Injuries and Special Populations) Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Advanced CCB Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Advanced Reformer Trained 2007
Stott Pilates Advanced Matwork Trained 2007
Stott Pilates CCB Trained 2006
Stott Pilates Matwork Trained 2006
Personal Trainer Certified by American Council of Exercise (ACE) 2005
Stott Pilates Reformer Certified Instructor 2004
Fitness Coach licensed by The Association of Fitness by Phone Coaches 2004
Heart Rate Training provided by Heart Aerobics, INC 2004
Yoga Instructor Certified by Yogafit 2002
Advanced Training for Weight Management by Dorene Robinson RD, CN 2001
Personal Trainer Certified by Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) 2000
Group Fitness Instructor certified by Aerobics and Fitness Association of America (AFAA) 1998
Shirley Hilton - Certified Trainer
In 1998 I walked into my first Pilates class and immediately fell in love with the breath and movement. I truly wanted to share this with others, so I started a mentorship program 
with Alisha L Cohen, who was my instructor at the time, and certified with her June of 2002. I immediately started teaching mat classes in Winter Park, Florida. I moved to Oklahoma and continued to study, certifying with PhysicalMind Institute Mat in February of 2004 and Advanced and Standing Pilates in April 2004. I also took the Yoga for Fitness Certification workshop in Oklahoma City in 2003. Always looking for new knowledge and creativity I continued my education with Stott Pilates completing the full equipment certification in 2010. I have also attended several Pilates Method Alliance Conferences along with Pilates on Tour. With this I have had the privilege to attend workshops or lectures with first generation teachers of the Pilates Method… Mary Bowen, Ron Fletcher, Lolita San Miguel, and Kathy Grant along with our new generation of teachers Rael Isacowitz, Jonathan Urla, and Mari Winsor. When I travel, I love to find Pilates studios and take sessions with my peers. I always learn something new. I am continuing my journey, and I do feel that it is a journey, by studying for the Pilates Method Alliance certification which I hope to complete this fall. My husband has always encouraged me to challenge myself and continue to learn along with my Pilates Edge family, without whom I truly do not think I could have done this. Pilates is something I will be able to take with me as I age and continue to grow as an instructor as well as a person, and for that I am grateful.
Gait Anaylsis Workshop 2011
Ped O Pul Training 2011
Jumpstart MAT Trained 2010
Stott Pilates Level 1 Certified Instructor 2010
Stott Pilates CCB Trained 2009
Stott Pilates ISP(Injuries and Special Populations) Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Reformer Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Matwork Certified 2006
PhysicalMind Certified 2004
Diane Stockton - Certified Trainer
My love of fitness and dance coalesced when I discovered dance aerobics after graduating from college. Within a year of taking classes, I 
became a group fitness instructor and the journey began. Continuing education courses and workshops exposed me to other forms of exercise for wellness including weight training, toning, Yoga, and Pilates. But it was Pilates that really hooked me. Maybe it was because Pilates included benefits from all the other exercise disciplines. Muscles are strengthened and lengthened, core strength is developed, and the body becomes more toned as a result. The real attraction however, was the emphasis on form acquired by finding and then recruiting only the necessary muscles to perform a certain movement. It changed the way I moved, felt, and sensed my body in space. Certification in Mat Pilates with The PhysicalMind Institute was followed by certification in Reformer work with Power House Pilates. My passion for more knowledge was fulfilled by the opportunity to acquire another certification in Matwork with Stott Pilates and then to complete a Reformer training workshop with Stott Pilates as well. Training on the Stability Chair, Barrels (Arc Barrel, Spine Corrector, and Ladder Barrel) and the Cadillac followed. In March 2010, I successfully completed the written and practical comprehensive test to become a Stott Pilates Level 1 Certified Instructor. The journey continues as I seek specialization in post rehabilitation conditioning and certification through the Pilates Method Alliance. It is a joy to work with clients who want to improve their core strength, joint stability, and flexibility, whether it is on the dance floor, the golf course, or following physical therapy. However, the goal is the same for all, to find body awareness, to look and feel fit, and to move optimally with ease. The more I learn about Pilates, the more I realize I want to learn. That is what makes this journey so wonderful! It is never boring and it never ends.
Gait Analysis Workshop 2011
Ped O Pul Training 2011
Jumpstart MAT Trained 2010
Stott Pilates Level 1 Certified Instructor 2010
Stott Pilates CCB Trained 2009
Stott Pilates ISP(Injuries and Special Populations) Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Reformer Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Matwork Certified 2006
Power House Pilates Reformer 1&2 Certified 2003
PhysicalMind Institute Mat 1 Certified 2001
Cierra Smejkal
My first Pilates experience was really quite by accident. Early in 2002 I was looking for a fitness program that would answer my specific requirements for a 
discipline that would bring in mind/body balance and awareness, would add grace and flexibility and would keep me fit while encouraging me to continue to higher levels of fitness achievement. I must say, I did not get hooked in my first private lesson but after about five lessons I truly began to see subtle changes in my body. I began to build a leaner, longer muscle structure; my waistline felt and looked more toned; and I began to find grace and balance. After two solid years of multiple private lessons per week, I had really found a new fitness level and practice that encouraged me to go deeper. I began training for the sprint tri-athlete events around the city. To my astonishment, my "pilates body" was strong, lean, balanced, and could take the cross training with no injury. By this time I was simply hooked and in love with the Joseph Pilates Principles and discipline. My practice went to a new level when I began my instructor certification program with Balanced Body. I am continuing my education by obtaining my certification with the Pilates Method Alliance. I was and still am excited to teach and train others. I am passionate about people, their fitness level, and their improved abilities to achieve fundamental life physical skills. I enjoy encouraging others to dig deep, press in, and enjoy the journey.
Balanced Body On Tour Exo Chair 2009
Balanced Body University Pilates Arc 2009
Balanced Body University Mat 2 2008
Balanced Body University Mat 1 2008
Balanced Body University Reformer 3 2008
Balanced Body University Reformer 2 2007
Balanced Body University Tower 2007
Balanced Body University Reformer 1 2007
Sami Kropp
I started taking pilates at age 15 because of a dance related injury. Pilates has made a true believer out of me. It has made such a difference in my
own dancing...keeping me strong, flexible and injury free! I also have a major appreciation for the human body and how it works. I love being able to share all of the information and knowledge I have collected over the years of being in the industry. It is never boring. The more you know the more you realize there is so much to learn and teach. I am thankful for the good health I enjoy and want to pass that knowledge on to my clients...paying it forward. It is exciting to see my clients take ownership of their bodies and workouts.
Ped O Pul Training 2011
Stott Pilates ISP(Injuries and Special Populations) 2011
Stott Pilates Barrels Trained 2009
Stott Pilates Chair Trained 2009
Stott Pilates Reformer Trained 2008
Stott Pilates Mat Trained 2008
Hartel Dance Company 2011-present
R.A.C.E Dance Company 2010-present
Applause Dance Studio 2009-present
Oklahoma City Ballet 2009-2011
Tulsa Ballet 2008-2009
Jami Haywood
Pilates is the perfect merging of my background in dance, fitness, and mental health. It is as if everything I have studied or done in the past was but a stepping
stone to where I always wanted to be - studying and teaching the principles of Joseph Pilates. In his small but powerful book, Return to Life Through Contrology, Joseph Pilates states that his method develops the body uniformly, corrects wrong postures, restores physical vitality, invigorates the mind, and elevates the spirit. There is nothing more rewarding than teaching others to develop balance, strength, mind-body awareness, self confidence and a sense of calm. I grew up in a home of dance as my mother started her own studio when I was 10 years old. I taught in my mother's studio through high school and later danced in a small group during college. My early studies in college included dance but I ultimately earned a masters degree in counseling psychology and a specialist degree in school psychology. Several years ago, I retired from a rewarding 30-year career in mental health and school psychology. A long-time (but not always faithful) member of the YMCA, I taught cardio kickboxing and general toning at the Edmond YMCA as I prepared to retire. While I had dabbled in Pilates through occasional classes and videos, I fell in love with Pilates after taking Shirley Hilton's class. Shirley's knowledge and ability to cue a class through an amazing mat program fulfilled a hidden longing. I suddenly felt at ease in my own body again. Shirley mentored me and introduced me to Rene Craig and The Pilates Edge. The use of equipment and props took pilates to an even greater level and I began training immediately. Currently I am continuing formal Stott Pilates training in October 2011 for the Cadillac and the Barrels. Regardless of your age and fitness level, I know that you can significantly improve your muscular balance, core strength and stability, and mind-body awareness. Get ready to leave the outer world behind while you breathe through movements that will both challenge and relax you.
Ped O Pul Training 2011
Stott Pilates Cadillac Trained 2011
Stott Pilates Chair Trained 2011
Stott Pilates Reformer Trained 2010
Stott Pilates Advanced Matwork Trained 2009
Stott Pilates Matwork-Plus Trained 2009
YMCA Certified Pilates Instructor 2009
YMCA Foundations of Group Exercise Certified 2009
YMCA Healthy Lifestyles Principles Certified 2008
American Training Professionals Basic Cardio Pump Certified Kickboxing Instructor 2005
Tanna Fried
I started doing yoga and pilates over 10 years ago, but when I finally started working out on the reformer I loved it! Not until then did I see the results in my body as far as strength and toning. It has truly helped to resolve my chronic TMJ up to 80-90%. I had been told I could only improve it by 50%. I was born and raised in Oklahoma, graduated from University of Oklahoma with a degree in marketing. I have been married for 10 years with two amazing kids. I worked with Dobson Communications after college for 4 years as a marketing manager over 5 states. I then bought a stationary business and worked in retail as well as a residential realtor til I had my kids and decided to stay home with them. I have trained people in every job I've had and that's really my passion, teaching and helping others. I would like to pass on my passion for pilates to each client, helping them to create a better muscular balance, stronger core, increasing their balance and coordination. To do this I want to always be looking for ways to improve myself as an instructor through practice and continuing education.
Pilates Sports Center trained 2010