Meet the Team
Our team works to empower our clients with a new understanding and appreciation for how their body functions, while providing the tools necessary to optimise movement in the day to day.
Rachel Bood
Studio Director.
Certified STOTT Pilates Mat, Reformer, Total Barre, Zenga, Injury & Special Population designation | TRE® practitioner | Core Confidence Specialist | AIDT Advanced Associate Modern | AIDT Associate Tap
Rachel has been passionate about movement for as long as she can remember. Dancing at home, dancing in grocery stores, dancing on beaches and in forests, feeling the joy as her body moved through the world, becoming a dancer made absolute sense! It was her dream to dance professionally and own her own studio one day. Rachel started teaching in 1995 and loved the challenge of helping people big and small feel movement as she did.
In 1998 debilitating pain took over her joy of movement, and everything changed. Eventually diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylosis Rachel persevered completing her Advanced Associates with Association of International Dance Teachers in Modern and her Associates in Tap then delved deep into anatomy as she tried to understand what was happening to her body. Pain management and quality of life became the priority and a journey to empowerment and health.
In 2006 after moving to the Comox Valley, Rachel was introduced to Pilates from a rehab perspective by Lynn Brandon and Bodyworx Physiotherapy. The more she explored Pilates the more she began to find that joy of movement again. Combining her knowledge of anatomy and movement with Pilates ignited a new passion for sharing the benefits of this method and helping people find trust and safety in their own bodies.
Rachel became STOTT Pilates certified in mat and reformer in 2007 and has continued to add to her toolbox of knowledge with annual continuing education in stability chair and all small equipment as well as certifications in Injury and Special populations, Zenga, and Total Barre.
In 2018 Rachel became a TRE® Provider building on the idea of empowering herself and others with tools to balance their bodies and nervous system, get back to a healthy state and strengthen from the inside out.
Using vivid imagery, verbal cuing and hands-on feedback Rachel moves participants through organized and educational classes, with the goal to have people take what they learn in Pilates out into their world and feel better everyday!
Now her dream of owning a studio has come true in a different way than her childhood self imagined. Rachel is thrilled to have created a space of self care and community. A place where participants and teachers can come and explore movement in a safe, supportive and non judgmental way. She looks forward to moving with you!
Classes: Refine, Explore, Dynamic Flow, Morning Moves, Private Sessions
Chantal Frisch
Certified Pilates Unlimited 500 hrs Mat + Equipment Training, BarMethod trained
Chantal grew up on Hornby Island and has always had a natural attraction to movement through dance. She has followed in her mother’s footsteps by becoming a dance and fitness teacher.
Through dance, Chantal was introduced to Pilates and in 2005 decided to do Pilates Mat training in Vancouver. She went on to do her equipment training and completed her 500 hours for Pilates Apparatus with Monique Haziza at Pilates Unlimited. She continued to teach Pilates in Vancouver until 2011, when she moved back to the Comox Valley.
Chantal discovered Barre in 2012 and taught it at Inner Pursuit Fitness until 2018, with little breaks between having her two boys. Chantal decided to do her Barre training in 2018 with CJ Hendren, who was trained and worked with the BarMethod in Vancouver. Ever since then, Chantal has passionately taught Barre and it continues to be her main focus in fitness.
She has personally experienced empowerment through strength and flexibility and enjoys helping others find similar physical and emotional health.
Classes: On Break
Shane Korpan
Certified STOTT Pilates Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels and Injuries and Special Populations
Shane lives in the Comox Valley with her husband and two young boys. When she’s not practicing or teaching Pilates, Shane leads an active lifestyle of skiing, both Alpine and Nordic in the winters, and spends the summers either on two wheels biking, or in the ocean SUP surfing on the west coast. She also enjoys chasing the wind, kitesurfing around the island throughout the windy season.
Shane grew up dancing competitively in Tap, Jazz, and Ballet until a knee injury ended her dance ambition at the age of 14. Once her knee injury was rehabilitated, to keep physically active Shane started playing competitive basketball and rugby, while always running for fitness. After experiencing numerous sport related injuries, and feeling pain from muscle imbalances in her body, Shane was introduced to Pilates by a former dance colleague. She immediately found the appeal of Pilates for the health benefits, to increase particular muscle strength and tone of the core muscles of the body. This lead her on the path to becoming a Certified STOTT PILATES Instructor in Essential and Intermediate levels for Matwork, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair, Barrels and Injuries and Special Population course work in 2011.
Shane hopes to share from her experience and deeper understanding of the importance of the local stabiliser muscles in restoring balance and normalise biomechanics in her clients. As an educator of quality movement, Shane likes to teach the foundation of pilates, building from the core strength and focusing on proper alignment. Then to progress open minded clients to find creative ways to grow stronger, and challenge their bodies to move in new ways. Shane strives to take an integrative mind/body approach to Pilates, respecting individual goals and limitations to get you moving and functioning better in your everyday lives.
Classes: Explore, Cardio Core, Refine
Ryan Murphy
Practicing Kinesiologist, Mat/Reformer Pilates Teacher, Strength & Conditioning/Wellness Coach
My belief is that I can best help a client by asking questions. Understanding their desired outcomes, but also the deeper roots of who they want to be and how they want to feel. It helps me to tailor a program specifically to the whole of that person, but can also improve motivation through a sense of meaning and purpose.
I have worked as a Kinesiologist in physiotherapy clinics, gyms and pilates/yoga studios for over a decade. I have come to understand that my education had just begun when I graduated from university. I have learned so much from therapists, trainers and teachers from a wealth of disciplines as well as my clients themselves. This has led me to believe in the power of curiosity over judgement.
I see myself as a coach and a teacher whose calling is to find the practice to fit the person. I believe that to find transformation in our bodies we also need to be ready to transform our minds. For me one of the greatest feelings in the world is helping someone shift their perspective so they begin to see their challenges as opportunities for growth.
When you work with me I will help you discover how you can find more purpose in your practice and define your own version of health & wellness to fit your life.
Classes: Foundations, Refine, Dynamic Flow, Cardio Core, Pilates + Strength
Stephanie Leslie
Practising Acupuncturist, Certified Mat Pilates/ Reformer teacher, certified Yoga instructor, Pre & Post natal continuing education, Pelvic floor continuing education.
Stephanie’s teaching reflects her passion for mind-body connection, developing self-awareness, and providing safe and progressive options to build on health, connection to self, strength and flexibility.
“My clients leave my class feeling nourished, mobile, and centred, ready to embrace the challenges on the other side of the studio door with compassion and awareness.”
With over 6 years of teaching experience, personal practice, certification in Yoga & Pilates, as well as a Diploma in Acupuncture Stephanie has combined comprehensive knowledge and practical experience to incorporate new and old theories on health, body mechanics and self- care into all of her offerings. She believes that health and healing go hand in hand and that it is the role of the instructor/practitioner to support their clients on their own personal journeys.
“My clients hold the key to the success of their own personal goals, I am honoured to be able to hold space for them.”
Stephanie has also completed continuing education in Pre & Post Natal instruction as well as working with the pelvic floor. She has a passion for supporting women, families and communities.
Classes: Explore & Foundations
Tina Pringle
Stott Pilates Certified Reformer Instructor, Yoga Therapist, RYT500 & BCRPA certified group fitness instructor
Tina found her passion when she began teaching group fitness classes in 2014. This ‘hobby’ job a few mornings a week filled her soul. She loved using her creativity to design fun and challenging workouts and connecting with like minded participants in the community. With a thirst to learn and share more, she began studying yoga and became a Yogafit trained Registered Yoga Teacher in 2018. Immediately she knew she wanted to continue to grow so registered for Ajna Yoga College’s 1000 hour Yoga Therapy program, which she completed in 2022.
In 2022 she began experiencing life changing chronic low back pain. No stone was left unturned to find the cause and if rehabilitation was possible. She was eventually diagnosed with severe lumbar/sacral osteoarthritis, a condition that was exacerbated by long hours of sitting during her 30-year career as a Certified Professional Accountant. She was encouraged to begin practicing reformer Pilates by her physiotherapist. Tina credits her recovery to Pilates combined with her personal practice and knowledge of yoga therapy. She completed her Stott Pilates Reformer instructor training in 2023.
Tina is thrilled to join the amazing teaching team at Aligned Movement Studios and looks forward to meeting you soon!
Classes: Foundations, Explore, Refine, Private Sessions
Fae Raven
Certified Physical Mind Institute Pilates Mat, Standing Pilates, and Prenatal Pilates | BFA in Dance
Fae is a movement therapist who focuses on helping people release physical and emotional trauma from the body while building strength, stamina, and muscle tone.
As a certified pilates instructor with a BFA in Dance, she combines her formal training with a wide-ranging repertoire of functional movement modalities to curate classes that meet the specific needs of the participants in the room.
Emphasizing joy and body positivity, her goal is to encourage people to have an embodied experience - tuning in with their own ways of releasing tension and pain through uplifting movement experiences.
All ages and abilities are welcome!
Classes: Refine, Pre + Post Partum Pilates
Ashley de Montarnal
Technical Support, Social Media Manager & Business Admin
Before Ashley worked for Aligned Movement Studios she attended the studio as a client who loved Reformer Pilates Classes. Ashley loved Aligned Movement Studios and asked the owner if they had any need for her services. It turned out they were looking for tech/admin/and socials support & it was a match made in heaven!
Ashley hopes to complete her instructor training in 2024 so she can provide classes & privates for all the clientele she has grown to love in our small community!
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