My name is Olena.

I love yoga for its beauty of movement and purity of thought. Body craves movement and soul loves to meditate. The moment you step on a yoga mat, your journey begins. It never repeats itself.

I love Pilates method for its functionality. It gets the job done and it delivers the results.

I do not compare the two. I consider yoga and Pilates to be complementary to each other. Thus, I recognize their value and teach both with equal passion. I am a professional Yoga and Pilates teacher offering private and public weekly classes in Loudoun County, VA.

I am also an avid practitioner. There is literally not a day goes by in my life without yoga or Pilates. I've had good fortunes to study with some of the best yoga teachers in the world. On my month long hejira to India, I had the honor of studying Ashtanga style of yoga with Sri Pattabhi Jois. During my trips back home, I was exposed to a still relatively unknown but very powerful Universal style of yoga created by Andrey Lappa. My yoga practice has been greatly influenced by other famous teachers including Doug Keller, a former Anusara yoga senior teacher, whose current work focuses on Yoga Therapy. My Pilates skill has been greatly enhanced by training with Mark Trudeau, a Pilates master teacher and owner of a successful, fully equipped Quantum Pilates studio in Washington D.C.

I encourage you to tour this website in the hope of instilling in you the appreciation for yoga and Pilates. Let your journey begin!

Certifications:
Pilates Mat, Quantum Pilates, Inc., Washington D.C. (03/2002)
PowerHouse Pilates Mat with Props, McLean, VA (04/2003)
Pilates Magic Circle & Props, McLean, VA (11/2003)
Anusara Yoga Teacher Training (200hr), HAYC, Herndon, VA (02/2004)
Ashtanga Yoga Intensive (1 month), Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute, Mysore, India (10-11/2004)
Pilates Machine Certification (700hr), Quantum Pilates, Inc., Washington D.C. (03/2007-finishing)

Visit Olena's Yoga and Pilates Photo Gallery.

Read Student Testimonials

"Hatha yoga is an individual practice aimed at steady, noncompetitive transformation through a process largely free from comparison and judgment... ."

"The work of yoga takes place inside."

Doug Keller

Question: Should I do yoga or Pilates?
Answer: Do both: yoga and Pilates are two complementary systems of exercise.

• Yoga is an ancient practice originating in India 5 to 7 thousand years ago. Joseph Pilates, a German native, developed Pilates in the early 20th century. It’s believed there are 84 thousand yoga asanas and over 500 Pilates exercises.
• There are many styles of Hatha yoga and all are done barefoot on a mat using body weight for resistance. Some styles use props like blocks, straps, bolsters, pillows, blankets and even chairs. Pilates is done on a mat with or without props, like a magic circle, ball, roller, or apparatus, such as Reformer, Trapeze Table, Wunda Chair, High Back Chair, Ladder Barrel, Half Barrel, Spine Corrector, Ped-O-Pul, Head Harness, Foot Corrector, Toe Corrector, Bean Bag and Pinwheel (all designed by Joseph Pilates himself).
• In general, Pilates is about dynamic movement and core strength, and yoga is about static movement and flexibility.
• Both the physical practice of yoga asanas and the practice of Pilates develop lean toned bodies that move gracefully and efficiently. Other benefits include: increased immunity, strength and endurance, musculoskeletal flexibility, improved coordination, posture and balance, better sleep, mood, memory and concentration, less anger, anxiety, fatigue, pain and discomfort.
• Both are considered to be process-oriented 'mind-body' disciplines with focus on body awareness and conscious breathing. Both offer limitless possibilities for self-study and growth.
  

  "You will feel better in 10 sessions, look better in 20 sessions, and have a completely new body in 30 sessions".

  Joseph H. Pilates

  
  

The Gayatri Mantra

Om
	    bhurbhuvah svah					
tat savitur varenyam
bhargo devasya dhimahi
dhiyo yo nah pracodayat
We contemplate that Ultimate reality
Which is in the earth, the sky, the heaven.
Let us meditate in the glory,
of the divine truth.
May truth inspire our reflection.