Pilates Haus

One Instructor. One Client. We offer private reformer sessions in person at our New Braunfels, TX location and virtual private sessions wherever you are!

Founded in Lake Forest, IL. Proudly serving LF/LB virtually, and New Braunfels locally! Our physical location for one on one private sessions is located above the Phoenix Saloon in New Braunfles, TX. We will not be physically reopening our group reformer studio in Lake Forest, IL due to the many changes that covid has brought about, but we will continue to serve our Lake Forest and Lake Bluff clients virtually!

07/04/2025

Presence is powerful.There are many days where Pilates feels insignificant, or even ridiculous to be talking about when I look around at everything going on in the world us. It is absolutely insignificant in comparison.But here’s what I know to be true. Presence is powerful.Presence says take a seat, you’re tired, rest. Presence says I see you, I’m here, we’re here. Presence says take a sip of safety. Presence says you’re not alone. People, especially with everything going on around us, crave spaces to be seen, to feel connected, to be heard and safe. While it feels insignificant, it’s a place we can intentionally pursue and offer the gift of presence. That’s how I’m going to keep showing up. Whether it’s in Pilates, a deep breath in the shower, a gaze at a sunrise or a hug from a friend, I hope you’re finding presence today.If you need to borrow a little bit of mine, here’s a beach in Sicily I can’t wait to go back to 💕

07/01/2025

Counting is not cueing.
This week, I’m walking you through 4 cueing styles that actually make a difference in your clients practice.

Save these if you’re a movement teacher shifting toward inclusive, intuitive, people-first spaces.

Directional Cues
Keep simple things simple.
What’s the set up, what’s moving, what’s not moving. That’s it.

If you complicate the set up, you’ve lost someone from the start.
If you want a nervous system friendly start, be kind by being clear. Layer in depth later.

Internal Cues
These are cues that encourage the bodies in front of us to go inward and be problem solvers. Give them the end goal and let them problem solve while making their own choices to get there.

Observational
Say what you see. Build trust with connection over correction.
Feeling an urge to correct? Pause and ask yourself what you’re seeing and what the goal is. Then your client in on the process.

For example… instead of “don’t move your pelvis” we could say something like “I see you working through where your pelvis feels best here”.

This is also a great opportunity to validating and normalizing statements.
“ I see you shaking, these are so challenging and that’s so normal”
“I see the power you’re using there!”

We are noticing and honoring and helping our clients to do the same.

Curiosity Cues
These help clients become their own best teacher. Instead of correcting what we think needs to change, we can get curious and invite our clients to be autonomous problem solves.

When we let them learn for themselves, the learning sticks, it’s internalized because they knew the goal, explored and found their own solution.

Instead of “don’t move your pelvis” after layering in observational cues we could say something” I’m wondering, if the goal is stability, how we could get there?” Or “feed them the thought to get there “I’m trying to straighten my legs with a relatively stable pelvis”

Other open ended option include…
-what are you sensing or experiencing here
-what feels sticky here?
-how could we troubleshoot this?

What’s your favorite way to add depth to cueing that actually helps your clients connect?

04/28/2025

Are you working toward more partnership with your students?

One of the biggest shifts that changed the way I teach was this question:

What would happen if the playbook wasn’t a secret?

Ever feel like you learned a set of instructions that live inside your head — and your job is to decode them for your students? Like you’re carrying a map only you can see?

There’s another way.

Instead of translating everything for them, we can let students become the translators.

That might look like:
 — Naming the overall goal or sensation, instead of just step-by-step instructions. — Inviting students to play, explore, and find what works for their bodies. — Asking students what they noticed, what shifted, what they thought about differently to move differently.

Over time, the language of Pilates becomes their own — not just something they memorize, but something they feel, internalize and have their own self talk around.

Some of the most meaningful feedback I get is, “It feels like you’re in my body” — in the least creepy way possible, lol.

But that connection doesn’t happen because I “read” bodies like a mind reader.
It happens because I partner with each student, stay curious, and let them shape the language we use together.

What’s one way you’re inviting your students into the process lately?

04/27/2025

So how do we Pilates differently?
With awareness of power dynamics, with understanding and actively mitigating oppression, and by getting really curious about the experience our students are having. Want to skip to the end of this post ? We differentiate between coaching and instructing, from learning and repeating.

If we want to offer a movement experience that disrupts systems of control rather than reinforces them… then we need to talk about what those systems actually look like.

Oppression isn’t just big dramatic moments—it’s often subtle. It’s the assumption that someone else knows better than you. It’s the expectation to follow the rules, even when they don’t make sense. It’s being told how to move, how to be, and who to listen to. It’s giving the messaging that someone else should override their body’s signals, and instead listen to yours.

Pilates—like all professions—was shaped in a world that values hierarchy, obedience, and expertise-over-intuition. That’s the context it was created in.

And context gives us choice.

We get to decide whether we’re replicating those patterns or co-creating a different way altogether of what teaching can look like.

There is a different way to do Pilates. One that centers collaboration. One that encourages dialogue and interoception. One that respects the intelligence and experience of the person in front of us.

I’m not saying it’s always easy. It requires unlearning. Curiosity. And a willingness to admit we might have been taught some things that don’t align with our values.

But it’s possible.

In my practice it’s the difference of instructing vs coaching.
If you’re interested in the latter stay close 💕

04/25/2025

TLDR: I’m way more interested in People centered practices than Pilates centered practices.

Let’s talk about something I’ve unlearned.

In the early days of my teaching, I remember feeling like I had to defend the method I was trained in. It was “better,” “safer,” more “current.” It wasn’t just a method—it was the method. Sound familiar?

Here’s the thing: Pilates isn’t an original island. It borrows from boxing, calisthenics, gymnastics, and more. It was always a blend of ideas. And there’s nothing about it that makes it superior to other forms of movement—unless we choose to treat it that way.

This isn’t about classical vs. contemporary. Honestly, that argument feels outdated.
I am infinitely more interested in asking:

What kind of experience are we creating for the people in front of us? Are we communicating in a way that invites autonomy and trust? Are we centering the person—or the method?

For me, Pilates is one of many possible tools. It’s not the point, not the rulebook, not the gospel. When we use it to help students tune in to their own inner knowing—when we coach from curiosity instead dictate from control—that’s where the magic happens.

Let’s keep building spaces where students are seen, heard, and supported—not just shaped and corrected. Let’s keep asking better questions. Let’s keep choosing people over performance.

✨ Pilates is the tool, not the rule.
 How do you actively center People more than the method?

04/23/2025

I’ve been thinking a lot about control.
What it feels like to be under it. What it looks like to internalize it. And how often we recreate it in places that are supposed to be liberating—like movement spaces and Pilates studios.
If you’ve grown up in a body that’s been consistently policed, criticized, or measured… you know the feeling. Someone stands over you, scanning you top to bottom. You feel the pressure to comply. To be good. To be correct. To be quiet.
Maybe that was religion. Maybe family. School. Society. Maybe it was Pilates.
Honestly, it can be hard to tell where one system ends and another begins—because the rules, expectations, and power dynamics tend to sound similar.
Pilates is not exempt. In fact, when taught without reflection, it can mirror the very systems that taught us to abandon ourselves in the first place.
The question I keep coming back to is: What kind of experience are we recreating in our studios? Are we offering something new—or just repackaging the same control in softer, or more subtle language?
What happens when we let students in on the process? When we stop assuming we know best? When we shift from “correcting” to collaborating?
This is the Pilates I’m working toward. One that resists hierarchy. One that honors body autonomy. One that doesn’t reproduce the power dynamics that so many of us are trying to unlearn.
Have you felt these parallels too?

04/08/2025

Hey party people, Carissa here. I’ve had some interest in a small virtual space for my fellow . I’m really excited to be able to offer a small series of Mat Pilates based movement experiences with chronic illness in mind.

This is the class I never had but always wanted.

Starting May 7th on Wednesdays at 12 PM Central, 8 of us will show up for ourselves (if able) and with each other. This is not a place for your biggest or sweatiest workout, to prove your Pilates prowess or level up in any way. It’s a space to show up how you are, be offered space and options, and give yourself and each other a big virtual hug.

We will be building a Pilates/movement foundation. Or pace will be mindful and our emphasis explorative. That does not mean easy! Do expect transition options for my POTsy friends and customized suggestions along the way.

It is my hope that you learn how to connect with your own body in ways that leave you empowered to move more confidently outside of class. There will be lots of space to explore what works best for you, to troubleshoot, to ask questions and find support.

If you’re Pilates curious but don’t feel like a typical class is right for you, I’d love to offer this space as an option.

What you need…
The ability to get up and down off the floor independently
A phone/tablet or computer with good WiFi for zoom classes
A mat
A small stability ball

Other props like bands/foam rollers, blocks or pillows are helpful but not required.

Please PM if interested and I’ll get you more info!

💕

02/21/2025

This is a gross oversimplification of seeing countless teaching styles over the last decade and some change.

But if I had to boil down the biggest differences I see in instructors, it’s what they believe their role is or isn’t, and then how they feel they should communicate in that role.

I don’t blame anyone who has landed, hopefully temporarily, in the instructor knows best camp. I can truly see how training programs can enforce this mindset. It’s one I had to work really hard to unlearn.

Going through my own chronic health issues gave me a whole new perspective on what movement support can look like. I was very quickly opposed to hands touching my body, cues about what not to do, instruction that sounded more like a task list without clear goals etc. it all felt like a giant spiral of experiences that left me feeling more disconnected with my body. I knew I didn’t want the experience that I had been trained to give… and I knew I couldn’t teach like that anymore.

I decided to start always with the approach that any body in front of me was the expert of their experience.

That meant asking more questions and giving less directions.

I learned my students thoughts were far better than my cues. That meant coming up with common terms together.

I watched as the more hands off I became the more space students have to truly own their practice.

My role shifted from Pilates manual reciter to cheerleader, partner, and troubleshooting guide.

If you’ve felt the pull to shift beyond how you were trained you’re in the right spot 🥰

I’d love to hear your experiences of growth as a movement instructor!

Which mentality did your movement training foster?

Address

New Braunfels, TX

Telephone

+12245449855

Website

http://www.wearepilateshaus.com/

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