Pilates with Josie

Experienced and Caring Pilates Instruction in Portland, OR.

About Josie

Josie has been teaching Pilates since 2004 in California and Oregon. A lifelong student of dance and movement, she received a comprehensive certification on all mat and equipment exercises from Ellie Herman Studios in San Francisco in 2006, after two years of student teaching. She is currently teaching at Pearl Pilates in the Pearl District. Contact Josie by email to make an appointment.

Josie has a Bachelor's of Arts and Letters from Portland State University. After volunteering at women's shelters in Portland and Astoria, Josie received a Domestic/Sexual Assault Team certification from the State of Oregon. She is very passionate about advocating for survivors and community based interventions.

Experienced and professional Pilates instructor Josie Morgan in San Francisco, CA.



Josie believes that a strong foundation is essential for a safe Pilates practice and will make sure that you are exercising in a healthy way while staying motivated! Whether you are just beginning to exercise, trying something new, or recovering from an injury, Pilates will safely help you become stronger. Josie encourages practitioners to listen to their body and learn how to make safe and stable movements while at work and play.


"A few well-designed movements, properly performed in a balanced sequence, are worth hours of sloppy calisthenics or forced contortion."


"You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions."


"Physical fitness is the first requisite of happiness."

Joseph Pilates

The Pilates Method

Joseph Pilates created his system of strengthening and stretching exercises in the early twentieth century. Mr. Pilates called his method Contrology and was one of the first proponents of initiating movement from a strong core, which he called the "powerhouse". What has come to be called Pilates is a system of mat and equipment exercises that are known for strengthening your entire body, healing injuries, and relieving back pain. It's also fun and challenging!


There are over 500 exercises in the Pilates method so there is always something new to learn. At the same time, there are exercises that you will come to recognize as you will do them every time you practice your Pilates workout. Joseph Pilates first talked about the connection between the "mind body and spirit" in his book Return to Life Through Contrology written in 1945. A phrase that has now become synonymous with mindful and focused exercise modalities including yoga and dance. To find out more about the fascinating history of Joseph Pilates and his groundbreaking work, check out the Wikipedia article on his life and legacy.

The interior of Maiden Lane Pilates studio with equipment including a reformer and cadillac.

Teaching Philosophy

Josie has an inclusive approach to her teaching and believes that Pilates is for everyone. She strives to create an exercise program based on the progressions defined by Joseph Pilates, at the same time taking into consideration the individual’s goals, strengths, and weaknesses. She enjoys working with beginners as well as more advanced practitioners.

Josie believes that a strong foundation is essential for a safe Pilates practice and will make sure that you are exercising in a healthy way while staying motivated! Whether you are just beginning to exercise, trying something new, or recovering from an injury, Pilates will safely help you become stronger. Josie encourages practitioners to listen to their body and learn how to make safe and stable movements while at work and play.

Inside a sunny Pilates studio in downtown San Francisco.

Do you ever experience low back pain? Pilates is one of the number one programs recommended to help alleviate back troubles. Through a combination of stretching out the spine and strengthening the supporting abdominal muscles, many symptoms of back pain can be remedied. Not just a “core” workout, the Pilates Method is a holistic system that strengthens the entire body. Many people assume the entire mat class is a series of abdominal crunches, but in fact you will be working all the major muscle groups, as well as the smaller accessory muscles.

One of the things that Josie focuses on in group classes is flow of movement. Instead of seeing each exercise as a separate challenge, she will encourage you to start moving through the series without pausing. This enables the Pilates student to get their heart rate going and start to enjoy the wonderful choreography of the exercises as a whole. Don't worry if you are a beginner, she always offers layered options for the exercises, from beginning to more advanced levels.

Contact Josie here to make an appointment!

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