Zebrafish Neuro, Bend, OR (2026)

05/02/2026

Is it a cult or the nudge you didn't know you needed?

I know, I know… Pilates can sound like a cult. I resisted it for years — despite tons of people recommending it to help with my back pain. I was deep in my CrossFit era — Pilates felt way too slow for 25-year-old me, who thrived off the adrenaline rush of a heavy lift.

But honestly? I owe the longevity of my neuro rehab career to Pilates.

I was 95% sure I’d be leaving the rehab world when I found it. My chronic back pain (from all the weird positions I had to get into — hello, treadmill training 🙃) was getting worse, and I felt like time in this line of work was running out.

Some of my clients had started doing Pilates and were seeing results, so I figured I’d try a class.

🤸‍♂️ I walked out feeling the best I had in years.

Between the results I saw in my clients and the way it made me feel… I knew there was something to this funny-looking method.

Turns out, there is 🙂

It’s why I integrate Pilates principles and equipment into my client programming, and why I continue my personal practice for my own health.

Whether you’re using Pilates to support SCI programs or just to keep your own body moving well — I truly couldn’t recommend it more. 🙌

Today, first Saturday in May, is National Pilates Day. Spending today with a little more gratitude for the method and community that pulled me out of my hole.

🗯️ Drop a comment below — how has pilates helped you grow (personally, physically, professionally)?

05/02/2026

Reformer + spinal cord stim session with SCI athlete, Suzanne.

completed her implanted spinal cord stimulator (eSCS) trial, and this session was 👉 using her SCS with her favorite reformer exercises - something she wasn't able to try with the research team, but she wanted to integrate into her home program.

💥 TDLR: The SCS integration was powerful, but not in the ways we expected.

First, we used the "core activation" SCS settings in the core exercises, as we assumed would be appropriate...

But the activation was kicking her off balance and was too chaotic for the desired fluidity - the technology isn't there yet for the nuance in core activation patterns.

When I was demonstrating how the exercise was actually meant to be done, she pointed out how much my legs were involved, despite them not actually moving. They were stabilizing - anchoring - so that my trunk could perform the hinge, articulation or stability.

Then it clicked:
💡 Let's try the Lower Body stim programs for the core work!

And by golly - that was the ticket. 💥

I fully understand the lack of LE integration in paralysis and how that makes exercises harder, but it was incredible to see the direct comparison of the LE support on vs. off. And it was not subtle.

I tell this story as a little reminder to think outside the box when it comes to your tools, equipment and recent developments in tech. Best use practices may not be so obvious. This tech was developed by engineers, and while it might work great in a lab, its going to take exploration by clinicians of many different types of backgrounds to optimize the day-to-day application.

Thanks Suzanne for trusting me in this process! It was such a fun session!

👉For more information on in-person training intensives at ZN HQ in Bend, visit the link in bio.

05/01/2026

This quarter's free community class is specifically for neuro rehab pros to experience pilates principles and exercises first-hand, and get some ideas for neuro clients/patients!

🗓️ Friday, May 1 - 3pm PDT

Can’t make it live? The recording will be sent out to all Movement Pros on the email list!

Gather your materials:
💥 11 foot Theraband (blue, green or silver - heavy-ish) with loops on each end.
👉 Secure the band on a door handle, squat rack, parallel bars, or anything sturdy to create an anchor point about hip height when standing.

💥 Squish ball

💥 Sliders, or towel for hard floors.

RSVP through the link in bio!

04/29/2026

Office Hours are professional meet-ups open to all course alumni + everyone signed up for an upcoming course!

This forum invites attendees to discuss challenges in client cases and celebrate client or personal/career wins. This forum is hosted by ZN but aims to hear ideas from all the talented and passionate professionals in the ZN Professional Network.

Here's what we discussed in our Q2 Meet-Up with

makes

👉 Group program brainstorming on T4 incomplete SCI working on correcting lumbar lordosis/excessive anterior pelvic tilt in standing with and without KAFOs.

👉 Discussion re: those clients who want a structured protocol when often times the nature of SCI requires exploration to hone in on the best stimulus and set-ups.

👉 How to structure a 3-month program cycle that keeps you focused on a target priority (or two) while offering enough variety for the brain and body to have it feel ‘novel’ - I screen shared my exact session notes & assigned HEP for two of my remote coaching clients.

👉 Brainstorming for contracted right bicep and triggers for minor AD that may be stemming from something a bit more visceral? Suggested areas of the body to address without re-triggering AD.

I'm always inspired by the collaborative conversations in these calls, and the chance to catch-up with other passionate professionals in this space.

🔍 You can find & work with several of these brilliant clinicians in the ZN Professional Network located on the website.

04/27/2026

"WATERSKIER" on the Pilates Push-Through-Bar

👉 A favorite all-around for postural mobility, stability and control.

With several neuro-rehab facilities (and my clients🙌) investing in Pilates tower units, here's a breakdown of "Waterskier" using the push-through-bar.

🔑 I recommend doing each of these components IN ISOLATION about 10 times, then flowing it all together like you see here in the video.

Start in a hang back, like you're waterskiing...
1️⃣ Straight arms: draw spine into extension/flat
2️⃣ With a flat back: pull body into bar
3️⃣ Holding upright/tall posture: push bar away
4️⃣ With straight arms: bow forward
5️⃣ With straight arms: round spine to pull spine upright - press down on bar
6️⃣ Reverse all the steps above to circle back to the hang position!

🙏 thanks to model

🔥Ready to try it?🔥Tag in your posts!

You can replicate a few of these components in isolation using a horizontal bar, a TRX or a physioball, but the full sequence is hard to flow through (as fluidly) as with the PTB.

Join in the upcoming Online Workshop Series: Pilates Equipment for Neuro Rehab
👉 5x 90-min Live Modules - replays available for self-paced
🗓️ starts May 5th!
+ Pre-recorded pilates flows for personal practice and more ideas for clients & PDF downloads for work-along and quick reference
🤑$229 - enrollment in bio!

04/25/2026

With the rise of Pilates equipment in rehab settings 🙌 let's discuss how to optimize each piece for different kinds of clients and leaning objectives.

📝This months blog goes into all of this in depth...👀 Check it out through the link in bio!

🔹 Trapeze Table aka Cadillac "because it has all the bells and whistles": great for off-loading the body through dynamic spring support (vs the limited "bouncy-ness" of RedCord) and unique range of motion offered from the push-through bar to challenge seated postures.

🔹 Reformer: a moving carriage resisted by springs creates a unique dynamic challenge for core/proximal stability and supported stretching.

🔹 Chair: great for supported back extensions (think GHD but way more fluid) and single leg stability work.

🔹 CoreAlign: designed for gait work, integrating stability all the way down to the foot/ankle; can also be used in prone, seated, quadruped and tall kneeling for reciprocating patterns in foundational positions.

🗯️What's your favorite piece and why? Share below! ⬇️

🚨 Please do your due diligence to get trained in your equipment: for the safety of yourself and clients, and to maximize your investment! Check out the blog or learn about my upcoming online Pilates Training for neuro pros! ⬇️

🧠 Pilates Equipment: Online Workshop Series
👉 5x 90-min Live Modules - replays available for self-paced
🗓️ starts May 5th!
+ Pre-recorded pilates flows for personal practice and more ideas for clients & PDF downloads for work-along and quick reference
🤑$229 - enrollment in bio!

04/23/2026

This workshop bridges the gap in traditional Pilates training and Neuro rehab adaptations designed to help physical therapists and other rehab clinicians use Pilates equipment with greater clarity, confidence, and clinical intent.

In this series, you’ll learn how to leverage key elements of Pilates equipment—such as spring tension, line of pull, suspension, and dynamic support—to address real movement challenges in neurological populations.

Each week, we’ll progress through the equipment (Tower, Reformer, Trapeze) in the same order it’s introduced in my clinical practice, covering:
🔹Equipment features that support kinesthetic learning and motor control
🔹Tried-and-true Pilates exercises adapted for both non-ambulatory and ambulatory neuro populations
🔹Practical modifications and progressions based on presentation and goals
🔹Effective use of equipment settings to influence load, support, and motor learning
🔹Safety considerations, common errors, and strategies for guarding and spotting

👉Don't use/have access to a Reformer or Tower? The CONCEPTS build and apply in each piece of equipment - learn how they stack, and how to 'hack' a pilates dupe if you don't have the exact machine.

Modules:
1️⃣ May 5 - Pilates Foundations: How to Think with the Equipment
2️⃣ May 15 - Tower: Upper extremity & Postural Control
3️⃣ May 19 - Reformer, part 1: Dynamic Postural Control & Stability
4️⃣ May 26 - Trapeze: using suspension to make positions accessible
5️⃣ May 29 - Reformer, part 2: Lower extremity integration

⬇️ Drop any questions in the comments so I can answer them for everyone!

04/20/2026

👉 Officially launching into "Pilates content season" here on this account - gearing up your 👀 and 🧠 to better learn from and absorb the summer training intensive highlights I'll be sharing very soon!

I always get good feedback from sharing these highlights ❤️ you tell me that you enjoy seeing the application of pilates for SCI in real time, and the creativity that flows from the the foundational work.

👉 So to better understand what you're looking at - the why, how it evolved from the foundations, and the interplay between the equipment and the body...

I'll be sharing more Pilates content to bring you up to speed! 🙌

Comment below a 🚀 emoji if you're along for this series!

Zebrafish Neuro

05/02/2026

05/02/2026

05/01/2026

04/29/2026

04/27/2026

04/25/2026

04/23/2026

04/20/2026

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