Julie van der Meyden
Julie is a classically trained and TRX certified Pilates instructor who has almost 15 years of experience under her belt. She started teaching Pilates in 2006 and was classically certified by 2008 at Push Pilates in Memphis, Tennessee. She remained there for two years, training many individuals, including those who ended up becoming Pilates teachers themselves.
Julie and her family moved to the Seattle area in 2014, and she began working at Active Body Pilates in March of 2015. While at Active Body, she trained marathoners, triathletes, crossfitters and even a Seahawks player!
She worked at Active Body until this December, when the studio closed due to Covid-19. During this time, she would find she was great at helping those who were rehabbing from surgeries, those going through pregnancy (whether prenatal or postnatal), and those with scoliosis.
When Julie is not training, she loves to spend time with her family and friends! She is married and has three children, two grandchildren, two French bulldogs, and two cats. You may find her paddle boarding on the lakes in the summer! She is a hiker and, more recently, has fallen in love with snowshoeing!
Julie's main goal in life is to share her knowledge and love for the Pilates method with as many people as possible.
Amy Salomon
Amy is a fully certified STOTT Pilates instructor on all equipment, with training in injuries and special populations. She has completed Merrithew Fascial movement foundations coursework.
Amy started practicing Pilates in 2001 while recovering from a knee injury. She experienced the benefits of Pilates in improving her strength and agility, while regaining functional movement patterns and alignment in her body.
Amy enjoys teaching people of all ages and backgrounds, helping them to achieve a greater degree of athletic conditioning, strength and movement efficiency. Her goal is to create sessions that are challenging, fun and varied, with clients coming out feeling better than when they went in. Taking many workshops in therapeutic Pilates has helped her to work effectively with people struggling with injuries and physical challenges. Amy encourages her clients to use Pilates as a reliable cross training base and a foundation for maintaining overall health. Pilates serves as an effective pathway to injury prevention and injury rehabilitation.
Amy loves the rewards of practicing and teaching Pilates, helping others to move toward their athletic goals, finding balance and harmony in their bodies. When not in the studio she can often be found gardening, hiking trails in the Pacific Northwest or practicing Vinyasa power yoga. From yoga training she brings to her Pilates work a focus for detail, flow and joy in movement.
Looking forward to a great year working with wonderful people!
Shinobu Taylor
Shinobu is a STOTT PILATES® certified instructor (Mat and all apparatuses, including Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair, and Barrels) with advanced education in Injuries and Special Populations. She also holds certification in Total Barre®.
Learning the Pilates method increased her interest in rehabilitation, leading her to move from the corporate sector to focus on the field of rehabilitation. She earned Associate of Applied Science degree with Physical Therapist Assistant program in Whatcom Community College and became licensed physical therapist assistant in June 2022. She is currently working at occupational rehabilitation clinics in greater Seattle area.
Maple Chu
Maple started practicing Pilates in 2016. What originally started as just a new way to cross-train became the reason her posture and flexibility improved. In addition to noticing physical benefits, she also found herself consistently feeling more relaxed after each class. In 2021, she left her consulting career and decided to become a Pilates instructor to help people feel better in their bodies.