about us
Christine Waterman
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 is one of her first graduates from her Classical Progressions program. Classical Pilates practitioners aim to remain true to Joseph Pilates’ original work. Honouring this is very important to Christine and passing this work onto others is a true passion.
Continuing her education she has completed workshops, classes and personal training with trainers such as Jay Grimes, Karen Frischmann, Noam Gagnon (Beyond Pilates, Vancouver) and Jacqueline Martin (Lineage Pilates, Vancouver Island) graduates of Jay Grimes (Vintage Pilates, LA), Dana Santi (Chicago), Jerome Weinberg (New York), Victoria Torre-Capan (New York), Amy Alpers and Rachel Segel (Boulder, Co), Marie-Jose Blom-Lawrence (Long Beach, Ca), movement specialist Thomas Myers and more. All of these teachers have helped Christine to keep growing as an instructor.
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 a more personalized experience. This results in greater attention to detail enabling clients to work on raising body awareness and make 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.
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.