Hi Beautiful Friends,
I want to share the story of how Alma Pilates & Yoga came to life—a journey shaped by unexpected turns, resilience, and a deep love for movement and community.
From the outside, Pilates may seem like just another trendy workout, but my own story with it began in 2018. Back then, whenever people asked me what Pilates was, I’d often say, “It’s like yoga but on a machine.” Every time I said it, it felt wrong, but I share that now to paint a picture of how unfamiliar Pilates was to the general public.
The Pilates spaces I stepped into then didn’t look much like me or the community I came from. In South Orange County, it was rare to see anyone under 30 in class—and even rarer to see a person of color. I want to be clear: this was simply my own experience. But it shaped the way I envisioned the future. You might be wondering, “Then how did you get into Pilates?”
During my certification, life threw me a curveball—a car accident that injured my neck. I couldn’t work for a month, but instead of letting it derail me, I poured myself into my teacher training program that I had just started. It was the perfect time to commit to my teacher training full-time, and even though it became my full focus, it still took me exactly two years to complete. In today's world, it's common for an instructor to be only mat- or reformer-certified, but it's like having a personal trainer who only knows how to use one machine at the gym. I don't want to dilute Pilates to just the machines, because it really is a system of integrated movement and a method of movement, but having a full, comprehensive certification was super important and necessary to be considered qualified in those days. Soon after graduating, what began as teaching a couple of classes soon became over 30 classes a week, and somewhere in that whirlwind, I realized—this wasn’t just a side hustle. This was my calling.
Let's rewind a bit. Part of my certification at MiraCosta College included a small business class. For my final project, I had to create a business plan from scratch—imagining my ideal studio, planning how I’d market it, researching spaces and pricing. That assignment planted a seed. Whenever I pictured my future classes, I saw Latinas filling the room—women who, in my experience, weren’t often given space in the wellness industry but who carried so much strength, grace, and potential.
Growing up bilingual, I knew I wanted to teach Pilates in Spanish and create a space where everyone felt they belonged. And because most certification programs don’t teach the many career paths available outside of the studio where you train, having this business class early in my career became pivotal. That, along with completing two internships—one at Club Pilates Mission Viejo and another at California Pilates Center in Oceanside—gave me a foundation for success. At the boutique studio in Oceanside, I shadowed a powerhouse instructor Anthea (now works as a Rep for Peak Pilates) who taught me something invaluable: the importance of valuing your knowledge and expertise, and pricing it accordingly. She also taught me that it's ok to do things out of the box. Just because everyone else is doing something one way, doesn't mean I have to.
As I was completing my last semester, I started a comprehensive certification through Club Pilates. Going from classical training to Contemporary and from teaching private sessions to teaching large-group classes was super challenging, but I’m glad I did both certifications. One, because I had the opportunity to learn to adapt to any teaching setting. I was super comfortable with both private sessions and large-group classes. I also gained so much experience working with a wide range of bodies, abilities, and learning styles, and that experience is priceless for a new instructor. I also got to see what it was like to work in these two different environments. I could see the pros and cons of both and start thinking about what MY future in the Pilates space might be like.
Fast forward to 2020. The world stopped. At this point I had been teaching full time at 4 different studios with barely anytime to dream about the future or where I really wanted to take myself and my career. One Tuesday morning in March of 2020, I opened an email saying that all the studios I worked at were closing because of Covid. My first thought? “I have to move—now.” I grabbed the equipment I had, jumped on YouTube to figure out the tech, and started piecing together a way forward.
At first, I froze. I filmed random videos, posted them, and hoped for the best. Then I began teaching live on Zoom. Within six months, I had clients tuning in from places I’d never been. More importantly, I was teaching in the way I had always envisioned—classes in Spanish, classes set to the music I grew up with, and even a short-lived YouTube channel called Latinx Pilates to highlight other Latina/o/x instructors. This felt like a full circle moment from my time in my small business class. Suddenly, it felt like the sky was the limit.
Then came another incredible opportunity. One of the Zoom classes I taught had a studio owner who reached out to me afterward and said I was a really great instructor and that she really appreciated my presence on camera. She encouraged me to apply for Club Pilates GO, Exponential Fitness’s new on-demand platform for Club Pilates Signature classes. Not only was I certified through CP, but I had been working non-stop for their studios for years, so again, the nervous voice in my head, I applied for the position, uploaded my audition tape, and got it!
For the next 8 months, through the thick of COVID, I taught professionally filmed classes for a major online platform, taught zoom classes live everyday under Marisol Pilates and Latinx Pilates all at the same time.
Eventually, running Latinx Pilates and Marisol Pilates separately felt scattered. I wanted something that reflected the whole picture—movement, culture, connection. That’s when Alma Pilates Center was born. “Alma” means “soul” in Spanish, and that’s exactly what I wanted this space to be—a place where movement meets soul, and where people feel truly seen.
That name change didn’t just unify my work—it gave me the courage to open my very first private Pilates studio while continuing to grow my online presence.
What started as a means of survival in uncertain times has blossomed into a movement and a home—a space built on culture, community, and care. This is Alma Pilates & Yoga. This is my heart.
