Instructor Bios

Whether you are already practicing somatic awareness, yoga, mindful movement or have never done anything like it, I am delighted to invite you and yours to come to any class that interests you.

From 1996-2015, I created and ran A Perfect Knot Yoga on Madison’s east side. I closed this studio and am thrilled to be part of the goodness now happening at Jules Pilates and Supercharge Foods.

I added yoga instruction to my career as a Massage Therapist after graduating from Bikram Choudhury’s second formal 500 hr. teacher training in 1995. I have continued my studies through various teachers and self-study. Since 1996, I have taught 6-11 classes per week and have private yoga and massage clients.

You can expect me to always be kind and encouraging. We will utilize asana (poses) to increase the health of the joints, internal organs, bones, blood flow plus oxygenation and muscle contraction and release. Every practice, we will lower stress in the body and the mind. Self-witnessing and recognizing cultural conditioning (that may crush our vitality, originality, and natural contentment) and then steadfastly casting it away is my main practice toward the yogic goals of truth, non-harming, contentment and self-knowledge. This exploration is present and encouraged during asana practice if one wishes. Understanding habitual reactions/patterns of the mind and witnessing our attitudes and perspectives from a step back are ways to find our own center. This ability to be calm, centered and nonjudgmental amidst challenges allows clarity and kind intelligence to flow forth.

Also, I understand something about dealing with illness as I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in 1982, when I was 20 yrs. old, and wear an insulin pump. I also have personal ongoing experience with depression and antidepressant drugs.

If you are pregnant, poses can be adapted appropriately and numerous women have used this class pre- and postnatally.

Do not worry if it is your first class – I had one of those, too, 29 years ago!

I love somatics! The way it works feels a bit like voodoo–that is, if voodoo were based in common sense. It simply makes sense that muscle memory can get frozen into unnecessary tension. And it makes sense that, simply by bringing awareness to an unnecessary tension, you can retrain your muscle to let it go. It is subtle but crazy effective.

– Marcy Weiland

Melissa spent her youth participating in water sports, including the challenging art of synchronized swimming. Since then, she has enjoyed trying different forms of body movement – from yoga to flamenco and belly dancing.

In 2004, she enrolled in a Pilates mat class and was drawn to how it combines sports-like physical ability with artful movement. Over time, she’s realized the balance and meditative peace that it brings to her life and has taken great pleasure in sharing her love of Pilates as an instructor for more than 10 years.

Melissa has taken training from several Pilates masters, but owes most of her knowledge of the discipline to her mentor, Kathleen Conklin. She is currently working on certification through Balanced Body.

When not honing her Pilates skills, Melissa enjoys spending time with her husband and many pets. She holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Master of Arts from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Michael Stanek, originally from Spring Green, is a certified Pilates Instructor who spent that last 25 years working as a professional musical theatre performer and director/choreographer based in NYC. In 2007, he took a deep interest in Pilates after many years of combating chronic back pain from years of wear and tear working as a dancer/choreographer. Michael was able to get his back pain in check from his Pilates practice and is now pain free.

In 2010, Michael completed his Comprehensive Pilates certification through Core Pilates NYC. He has taught at various Pilates studios in NYC including Equinox, Uptown Pilates and Core Pilates NYC.