Evergreen Pilates

✨ MONDAY MEMBER SPOTLIGHT: MAKAYLA ✨

Meet Makayla! 🩵 A lifelong snowboarder, creative, outdoor enthusiast, and Pilates lover who has been practicing for the past four or five years.

Makayla’s Pilates journey actually began at home with YouTube videos and eventually led her to pursue Pilates instructor training. Around the end of her training, she lost her beloved dog at just nine years old. During that difficult time, she and her mom hopped on a flight to Japan, where they snowboarded, ate incredible food, and found a little healing through adventure. 🇯🇵🏂

Movement has always been a big part of Makayla’s life. Born in New Jersey and raised in Vermont, she started snowboarding young and eventually competed in the sport before moving to Colorado to finish high school and later attending CU Boulder.

Years of competitive snowboarding also came with injuries — which is part of what drew her to Pilates.

“I really enjoy the low-impact workout, and I feel like it works stabilizing muscles that you don’t normally get in a traditional workout. It strengthens my core, I always feel lighter afterward, and it’s such a well-rounded workout.”

For Makayla, Pilates feels like the perfect combination of rehabilitative movement and a really good workout — something that helps her stay strong for all the other things she loves doing.

And there are plenty! 🌲 She hikes, goes to the gym, practices yoga, wakeboards, wake surfs, and loves regular surfing whenever she gets near the ocean. She’s also a designer with a love for interior design, painting, and sketching. 🎨

And when we asked her favorite Pilates apparatus?

The Reformer. 🤍

We love having Makayla as part of our Evergreen Pilates community and getting to know the stories behind the wonderful people who practice with us.

✨ APPARATUS SPOTLIGHT: THE LADDER BARREL ✨

It may look simple, but the Ladder Barrel is one of the ingenious apparatuses developed by Joseph Pilates as part of his original method, Contrology.

The Ladder Barrel can be traced to Joseph Pilates’ New York studio as early as 1941, with several versions of the apparatus appearing throughout his lifetime.

So, what exactly is it? 🤎

The apparatus combines two beautifully simple elements: a curved, padded barrel and a wooden ladder with rungs. Together, they give the body both support and something to work against.

The curve of the barrel supports the spine as we explore:
✨ Extension and backbending
✨ Flexion
✨ Side bending
✨ Rotation
✨ Hip and hamstring mobility
✨ Strength, balance and control
✨ Opening through the chest and shoulders

Unlike the Reformer or Cadillac, there are no springs on the Ladder Barrel. Instead, we work with gravity, body weight, leverage and the shape of the apparatus itself.

The barrel provides feedback and support to the body while the ladder gives the hands and feet a place to anchor—allowing us to explore movement with greater length, control and awareness.

And that was part of the brilliance of Joseph Pilates’ apparatus: the equipment wasn’t designed to do the work for you. It was designed to teach your body how to move.

Nearly a century later, we’re still learning from his designs. 🤍

Have you worked on the Ladder Barrel yet?

🏔️ Pilates Beyond the Studio | Meet Lauri

For Lauri Ann Stricker, Pilates has never been just about what happens inside the studio.

Lauri is the owner of Evergreen Pilates and the author of Pilates for the Outdoor Athlete — a book inspired by the connection between Pilates and the strength, balance, mobility and body awareness needed to pursue the adventures we love.

And Lauri lives it. ❤️

From climbing and hiking to simply moving confidently through the mountains, her love of the outdoors has shaped the way she approaches Pilates: train the body so it can support the life you want to live.

Pilates for the Outdoor Athlete brings Pilates principles beyond the reformer, exploring how a strong, connected body can support outdoor pursuits and help athletes move with greater efficiency and control.

After 20 years of Evergreen Pilates, Lauri continues to remind us that Pilates isn’t necessarily the destination — sometimes it’s what allows us to keep doing all the things we love outside the studio. 🌲✨

And yes… that’s Lauri herself climbing on the cover. 💪🧗‍♀️

📚 Pilates for the Outdoor Athlete
✍️ Lauri Ann Stricker
🩵 Owner, Evergreen Pilates

✨ Grace in Motion ✨

Strength isn’t always loud. Sometimes it’s found in the quiet moments—the reach, the breath, the intention behind every movement. 🌿

Lauri reminds us that Pilates is about so much more than exercise. It’s about building strength from the inside out, moving with purpose, and creating a deeper connection between mind and body. 🩵

Whether you’re just beginning your Pilates journey or have been practicing for years, every class is an opportunity to feel stronger, more balanced, and more at home in your body. We’d love to move with you. 💙

✨ Honoring an Extraordinary Woman ✨

Some people leave a lasting impact not only through their accomplishments, but through the kindness, grace, and strength they bring into every room they enter. 🩵

Today, we’re honored to celebrate our incredible client, Marilyn Van Derbur Atler—Miss America 1958, renowned motivational speaker, advocate, and one of The Denver Post’s 150 Most Notable People in Colorado History.

Marilyn continues to inspire us with her resilience, elegance, and commitment to living a vibrant, healthy life. It’s been a true privilege to have both Marilyn and her daughter, Jenn, as part of the Evergreen Pilates family. Watching them prioritize movement, wellness, and time together is a beautiful reminder that strength is something we can nurture everyday. 🌿

Thank you, Marilyn, for inspiring generations with your courage and for inspiring us every time you walk through our doors. We are so grateful to be part of your wellness journey. 🩵

🩵Thursday Instructor Spotlight: Meet Taylor Rockoff! 🩵

This week we’re shining the spotlight on one of our amazing instructors, Taylor! ✨

💬 “I love Pilates because it makes me feel stronger, more flexible, and more connected to the present moment.”

For Taylor, Pilates is so much more than exercise—it’s about the connection between body and breath, building strength from the inside out, and always staying curious. 🌿 She loves that there’s always a new exercise (or a new way to challenge a familiar one), making every class an opportunity to learn and grow.

🤍 One of the things Taylor loves most is that Pilates truly meets you wherever you are in life. She practiced throughout pregnancy, found it invaluable for rebuilding core strength afterward, and loves knowing it’s something she’ll continue for years to come. She’s inspired every day by clients who make movement a lifelong practice. 💪

And perhaps most importantly… she believes movement should be fun! 😊 Taking time to care for your body should leave you feeling stronger, happier, and energized.

When she’s not teaching at Evergreen Pilates, Taylor is a full-time mom to two wonderful boys. 💙💙 You’ll usually find them outside exploring Colorado—hiking 🥾, biking 🚴, swimming 🌊, skiing ⛷️, or simply enjoying time together in nature.

We’re so grateful to have Taylor as part of the Evergreen Pilates family! If you’ve taken one of her classes, we’d love to hear what you enjoy most about learning from her. 👇🩵