Meet Amy
Amy Havens
Owner/Founder
My Background
I am a problem-solver who is completely client-centered in my teaching. I love working with and inspiring creativity in fellow teachers for studio workshops, as well as teaching private sessions and group classes. Because of my rich Pilates background, my ability to combine traditional and contemporary philosophies and lineages creates the perfect combination of movement strategies. I am an expert in putting complex concepts into meaningful contexts and delivering them with insight and compassion. Through superb cuing, metaphors, and imagery, I inspire students to break things down and apply them in intelligent, comprehensive ways.
I am a founding teacher for Pilates Anytime, the industry’s most distinguished source for online classes and continuing education. In addition to creating over 330 classes of my own for the site, I was integral in the development of Pilates Anytime as a content contributor and director, hosting the industry’s top teachers and presenters for over 10 years.
Training
In my Pilates practice, I remain a forever student committed to learning from some of the industry’s most notable teachers. I have completed certifications and graduate-level study in a multitude of programs, including the following:
The Pilates Conservatory®/Pat Guyton
The Heritage Training/Cara Reeser
Movement Science Made Simple/Cara Reeser and Jeremy Laverdure
The PhysicalMind Institute®/Madeline Black and Jean Sullivan
Buff Bones®/Rebekah Rotstein
BASI® Pilates Master/Mentor Graduate, Rael Isacowitz
Gil Hedley Integral Anatomy Human Dissection
Therapeutic and Restorative Yoga/Arturo Peal and Cheri Clampett, Level 1 and 2, Yoga Therapist
Stretch to Win Institute/Ann and Chris Frederick, Level 1, Fascial Stretch Therapist, Life-stretch teacher and Member of the Fascial Stretch Therapy Association
“Whether in a private, in a class, or even on Zoom, Amy turns an always good Pilates session into a wonderful experience. She knows Pilates from the heart and the human body from years of dedicated experience. Putting the two together is an art, and Amy is an artist. I thank her from my soul. My body says: ‘Feeling Great!’”
— John S.
What People Are Saying: From Clients
“I started Pilates only a few months before I met Amy Havens. I’d studied with an excellent teacher who had just decided to give all her energy to starting an online platform and she recommended Amy. I was also newly diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder, so I was feeling pretty well lost and vulnerable. I’ve now been working with Amy, alone, in duets, and in groups for ten years. Amy teaches with a well grounded authority about the body but with the lightest touch. She is completely present while teaching. I always learn something new from her, and always feel much better, more centered, more comfortable in my body than when I started. Her teaching is the most intelligent I’ve seen, and the most personal and original to her. I count myself lucky to have been part of her wise and thoughtful work.”
— Nora G.
“Amy possesses a deep understanding of the relationship between our body's bone structure, soft tissue, and applying various precise movements and training in order to maximize athletic performance. Her ability to identify areas of weakness, bring them into balance, and ultimately create new sources of strength is simply remarkable. Our work together has translated into running and racing success as a national level master's athlete on the roads and on the track.”
— Chris Mc.
“Amy’s ability to devise verbal clues to help us correct/improve our workouts are uncanny. I often feel she has found just the cue I needed at the moment to help get more from any given exercise. ‘You have been a life saved!’”
— Gwen B
What People Are Saying: From Teachers or Teachers in Training
"As a Pilates student in teacher training, I spent a long time feeling frustrated about instructions that were unhelpful to me and thinking I would never be able to access certain exercises. Everything changed when I contacted Amy for some personal training and mentoring via Zoom. She has not only given me the tools to progress in ways I never thought I could; much more importantly, she has helped me change my mindset. I stopped thinking about my test-out and being able to "perform". Pilates has now become a true growth journey that brings me joy every day and Amy is the most patient, knowledgeable and empathetic guide and mentor I could have asked for.”
— Julia R.
“Some things that really captured me about Amy Havens are her knowledge, creativity and her clear direction in her teaching. As a Pilates instructor myself, I can't help that while I take a class for myself, I'm thinking about my own clients. There have been countless times that I have taken a class with Amy then turned around and put that knowledge back into my teaching and the results are priceless. There is nothing surface in Amy's instruction either. She is able to tell you exactly where the movement comes from, how it should feel and takes you a lot deeper in the exercises; again, as a teacher learning those tools helps me to help others, the domino effect is real. There is also a carefreeness about Amy's personality, her voice allows your body to settle into the class and or exercises and she starts building you from the bottom to the top. There is also a ‘just let it go’ element as well to her teaching, to accept how our own body moves, she is in the clear understanding not all bodies are the same and therefore, I feel good about where my body meets the movement. I have been taking lessons from Amy, through on-line for about 6 years and I can positively say I end each class centered, stronger, balanced and more knowledgeable than when I started and it makes me want to come back for more. Thank you, Amy, for your expertise!”
— Heidi G.
“For many weeks I’ve had the pleasure of taking Amy’s Reformer class for teachers. She understands innately that we need this time for ourselves but we also crave instruction, and the perfect mixture is present in every class. Amy is highly skilled at crafting a well-balanced class that often builds towards a specific goal exercise. It’s a great surprise that, with her progressions, I’m often able to do things that I have not done in awhile! Her keen eye can discern what muscle is overworking and what area could work harder, as well as slight imbalances in alignment—even in our virtual classes—yet she keeps the class flowing beautifully and I never feel bogged down in effort. She is consistently prepared, organized, and remains on track. Amy has a lovely demeanor—she is always encouraging, articulate, and positive.”
— Beth E. W