Fitness: Pilates Instructor Monica Schuller
After recovering from a major car accident using Pilates instead of back surgery, jewelry designer Monica Schuller became a Pilates instructor
By Tenaya Cleveland
Alternative medicine: jewelry designer Monica Schuller chose Pilates, not back surgery
HOLLYWOOD, CA (Gosh!TV) 7/30/2010 – “Live life to the fullest and do what you need to be healthy and fit,” says Pilates instructor Monica Schuller. “The most satisfying thing about teaching Pilates is seeing my students improve and feel a difference in the way they feel about themselves.” Schuller teaches Pilates at JK Zen Fitness at Boulevard Health Club on Robertson, at Yogaworks, and at The Sports Club L.A.
A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, Schuller is the force behind the jewelry line Roc Kandy, featured at Bloomingdales, Fred Segal, The Palms Hotel, and the Las Vegas Wynn Resort. Her one-of-a-kind contemporary pieces are made of sterling silver, gold-filled, vermeil (gold-plated silver) and Austrian crystals combined with vintage beads and semi-precious stones.
Schuller turned to Pilates after suffering a major car accident. Having been athletic all her life, Schuller refused back surgery and the long-term quality of life consequences such operations have. After months in a neck brace with little ability to walk without pain, Schuller declared to her doctor she was done with all the painkillers, that there had to be a better way. She was encouraged by her physical therapist to try Pilates.
Pilates was hard work for her at first, but Schuller felt encouraged as she began to see results. “I loved the exercises and kept improving. Soon, I was taking classes two times a week and on the way to recovery.” Her love for being active, keeping a positive outlook and her determination overcame what would otherwise have been a debilitating tragedy. Eventually, Schuller regained all of her mobility, something back surgery could not have done.
One day in Pilates class, Shuller was asked to demonstrate exercises. She did so well that she became the “permanent demonstrator”. Schuller credits her teacher Tresa Harrington for inspiring her to become an instructor. “I loved the way she taught her classes. She encouraged me to get certified and start teaching.”
“I teach a straightforward Pilates,” says Schuller who prefers the classic style. “I use all Pilates exercises and try not to divert from the original. I like to challenge students in my class, giving options for a more difficult position in a particular exercise, but never leaving out the beginner.”
Schuller’s love and enthusiasm for fitness and teaching have inspired her to continue her Pilates education. She’s currently training to teach on the Pilates Reformer. “The Reformer helps keep the user aligned properly and adds resistance to the workout,” says Schuller. The Reformer, created by Joseph Pilates, is a workout bench with a movable carriage, a pulley system and an adjustable foot bar.
Schuller says, “The most satisfying thing about teaching Pilates is seeing my students improve and feel a difference in the way they feel about themselves…whether it’s gaining more flexibility, doing an exercise correctly or doing all of the repetitions.”
Schuller teaches at JK Zen Fitness at Boulevard Health Club on Robertson, Yogaworks, and The Sports Club LA.