A Conversation with Nathalie Gonthier-Thomas

Nathalie has been working at Westwood Pilates since 2019. Her love and commitment to Pilates and her teaching, as well as her dedication to the studio, is so remarkable that in May last year she became the queen bee at our Mar Vista location. Read what he has to say about her Pilates journey and what she has learned throughout her many years of practice. If you haven’t seen her practice Pilates, click on the video below. You’ll be very impressed!

WP: What do you love most about Pilates? What frustrates you most?

NGT: Pilates keeps me healthy, comfortable in my aging body and pain free. Every time I practice and go through my routine of exercises, I am giving my body a fine tune up, lubricating every joint, stretching and strengthening every muscle and reconnecting with myself as my mind needs to stay focused on the movements and the breathing with every movement. With the years of practice, I appreciate just getting on the mat and starting to move. I also find it fascinating how Joseph Pilates created this system and year after year I am still in awe after each session that every step of it feels so right for my body and my mind. The beauty of Pilates is that it's a never-ending discovery of the system and of oneself. There are frustrations in the learning process but they are a part of the discovery.

WP: What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses as a Pilates student? How about as a Pilates instructor? 

NGT: I can't pick apart strength and weaknesses, they are intertwined. I love to teach what I've learned as a student. And I always learn from the Pilates system, my fellow Pilates teachers, and from my clients, because we are all different, with different bodies and different way it's affecting us, and how our mind responds to it. My feeling is that you need to stay a constant student to be a good teacher.

WP: If you were trying to convince someone who has never tried Pilates before to come to your class, what would you say to them?

NGT: Don't get in with a closed mind. Be patient, give it some time and let your body feel the system. I think Jay Grimes said something like "You cannot talk Pilates into someone". So, in the end a person needs to experience Pilates, feel and connect with their body and decide for themselves. The ones who understand the benefit of it will stick with it for a long time, a lifetime, because it is truly an amazing journey.

WP: Looking back on your Pilates career, what are you most proud of? What would you say is the best thing about being a Pilates instructor?

NGT: When I starting teaching Pilates I knew why I was getting into it. At first it was a very selfish decision to want to know more about Joseph Pilates system and what he created. The part that I wasn't sure about was the teaching part. It takes experience and confidence to understand how you can affect other people's life. To bring my clients wellness and share time with them focusing on their health is now the best part of my day.

WP: What would your advice be to prospective Pilates instructors?

NGT: Ask yourself what Pilates is, where it's coming from. Joseph Pilates was a person who spend his life developing a system of exercises to better people's health and life overall. So always ask yourself why you are doing something with a client, and in your own practice. Don't just repeat an exercise because you were taught that way. There are so many different types of "Pilates certifications" programs on the market, know why you are picking one over another, and think about what you want to bring to your clients.

WP: How did you get into Pilates?  And who are you certified through?  If you had a mentor, who was your mentor?

NGT: I started Pilates as a client, after having a child and losing motivation to go to a gym to exercise. I took a few private sessions and it was a revelation.  I decided to certify as a teacher to learn more about it because it was feeling so good on my body and my mind. I Certified with Jill Cassady and the "Pilates Technique'' program, which gave me a good base to start with Classical Pilates. But I truly understood and felt Pilates as a system when I started working under Jay Grimes and most of the teachers who worked under his guidance.

WP: How did Pilates change your life?

NGT: Pilates changed my life so much that I changed careers from the day I discovered the method. I went from a desk job, sitting for hours with pressure and deadlines, to becoming a Pilates teacher so I could make it a full part of my life. It also changed my life as I am aging feeling amazing and pain free, which I totally credit to the consistent practice of Pilates. And I discovered my love of teaching and sharing this experience with others.

WP: If you were stranded on a desert island and you could only have one piece of equipment with you, which one would you pick?

NGT: At home, traveling, or on a deserted island, the Mat sequence is all I need to know. It is the perfect "tool" to keep me healthy and happy.

WP: What’s your favorite inspirational quote?

NGT: Jay Grimes: "It's for the body. It's all about the body as a unit" or "How you do Pilates is how you do life" or "Pilates is a journey because it's a journey that doesn't have to end" or "If you're always comfortable nothing 's going to change". And everything Jay Grimes can say when talking Pilates.

WP: What’s your favorite thing about being a Pilates teacher?

NGT: I love to teach and share this system with other people and witness how they are getting better, stronger, healthier. I also love to see the smile on their faces at the end of their session. No matter how long most clients have been practicing Pilates there are always moments of discovery during a given session; I love to see that spark in their eyes when something suddenly clicks and they understand a movement, an exercise, a particular cue.

WP: What’s your favorite and least favorite Pilates exercise?

NGT: Pilates is a series of exercises but they are really meant to be a whole. So, I love them all because even the hardest one for me to execute are still good for my body, and mind.

WP: What do you like the most about Westwood Pilates? And do you have any funny/interesting/remarkable story about your time at the studio so far?

NGT: Westwood Pilates studio is the dream place for me when it comes to teaching and learning Classical Pilates. I love that all of the teachers at Westwood Pilates have a Classical background and training and that there is consistency in what is being taught to all clients. Thanks to Daniela Escobar's personality (owner) and Ken Krech sense of humor, this studio is serious about Classical Pilates but also a fun and warm place to be part of. There is a constant learning drive among the teachers. When they are not teaching clients, they are working out, teaching each other, and listening to each other to better understand the system. It's wonderful to see because it's reflecting on the clients; on what they learn from us and how they learn from us. It's highly motivating for everyone in the studio.

And of course, there's Jay Grimes. It's like having Mick Jagger at the studio, and that's priceless !!