about us

Christine Waterman - NCPT, Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher
Christine’s first passion is her family. Her second is Pilates. When she first started practicing over 20 years ago, she never thought she’d still be at it, however, teaching Pilates is rewarding on a daily basis. The continued growth she sees in her students continually inspires her. Whether it is a student’s commitment to their practice, finding a new connection in their body or finding relief from a sore back, hip, or knee. Pilates is all about making connections in your body, but at The Pilates Tree, Christine is proud of the community she has built where connections are made within the studio. Watching students helping students, sharing laughter (sometimes tears), Pilates encompasses so much more for Christine than just a series of exercises. Don’t be fooled, her deep belief in teaching the classical (original) work of Joseph Pilates will make you work in a way you didn’t know you could and yes, you will sweat, but you will always feel better after a session at The Pilates Tree.
Christine began her personal Pilates journey as a student in 1998 while living in England. Originally training with the Body Control Pilates® Association in London, Christine received her first BCPA certification in 2001. She continued her education taking numerous workshops as continued education is key to growing as a teacher. In 2010 she embarked on a 935 hour classical Pilates training program under Noam Gagnon of Beyond Pilates, Vancouver receiving full certification of the classical Pilates method in 2011. In January 2018, Christine began yet another classical learning journey with Karen Frischmann (LA) and was one of Karen’s first graduates from her Classical Progressions program. Christine was selected to be Karen’s first teaching assistant and now continues to spread the classical work to teachers around the globe.
Christine continues her personal practice and education daily working with renowned teachers from Jay Grimes (LA), Karen Frischmann (LA), Noam Gagnon (Beyond Pilates, Vancouver) and Jacqueline Martin (Lineage Pilates, Vancouver Island), plus many other highly respected teachers from Las Vegas to Boulder, Chicago to New York. All of these teachers have helped Christine to keep growing as a student and as a teacher.
Christine opened her first studio in January 2006 (Body Control Pilates). In August of 2011, The Pilates Tree took root and is now a permanent addition to the downtown core of Kamloops in the Rex Theatre building. Christine believes in smaller group sizes to allow for more personalized experiences. This results in greater attention to detail enabling clients to work on raising body awareness and making fundamental changes in their movement patterns while being in a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Her goal is to teach clients to bring Pilates and efficient movement into their day to day routine so they can continue to do the activities they love, building strength from the inside out. STAND TALL.

Deborah Nicholas
Deborah comes to Pilates with first hand experience of her own personal journey in what practice and devotion can accomplish. Barely able to walk and in constant pain, in November 2001, Deborah joined The Pilates Tree as a client and committed herself to the work, attending both private and group classes consistently 3-4 times per week. Experiencing exciting positive changes in her body, during 2 years of personal practice at the Pilates Tree, inspired her to make the decision to begin a new phase of her commitment to Pilates, and she enrolled in the Beyond Pilates Teacher Training program with Noam Gagnon and Christine Waterman. During this year of intense training, there was a dramatic shift in her understanding of the work and her own body. Deborah has also had the privilege to take workshops with Karen Frischmann, Dana Santi and Jerome Weinberg.
Her goals as an instructor and practitioner, are to continue to educate herself about the body and to delve deeper into the Pilates world. Her goal for her clients is to help them achieve success with their own individual goals, as well as helping them to discover their own strength, a renewed energy and a return to healthy, pain free living. Through her knowledge and own personal discoveries, Deborah is well equipped to bring this body of work to others who are seeking change.