Meet Nicole Bush

By Nicole Bush

Hi, my name is Nicole. You may have seen me around the studio the past month or so. I wanted to take a moment to tell you a little bit about myself, and why I am so passionate about teaching Pilates. I started practicing Pilates only a few years ago, as a way to relieve chronic lower back pain, and get moving after gaining 75 pounds from once undiagnosed hypothyroidism. I’ve always considered myself an athlete. I was on the Varsity Volleyball, Basketball, and Track and Field teams in high school, and I was on the heavy weight crew team my Freshman year at Georgetown University. Now, nearly ten years later I couldn’t have felt less athletic. I was a member at Equinox and tried to shed the weight through cardio and weightlifting, but these arduous workouts hurt my joints, and often left me feeling defeated. I had heard Equinox offered its members a complementary Pilates lesson, so I ventured in the Pilates studio and I met Alison Manheim, who many of you know because she is also an instructor at Westwood Pilates.

I began working with Alison 2 - 3 times a week during the holiday season. I am so grateful to have met Alison, and for her to have been my first Pilates instructor because of her depth of knowledge, compassion, and classical Pilates training. Only a few months later I enrolled in the Equinox Pilates teacher training program. I have to admit I did not expect the teacher training program to be so challenging both mentally and physically. But, it was worth it. I received my Pilates teacher training certification in June 2019. Since then, I have received my national Pilates teacher certification through the Pilates Method Alliance and have worked with esteemed instructors to whom I am committed to honoring their commitment to the work by sharing what they have taught me with my clients, and remaining true to the classical method.

I became a Pilates instructor because I love Pilates and wanted to know as much about the method as I could. The nature of the Pilates work has helped me manage chronic back pain, depression, and anxiety, and I am so grateful for it. I love the mind body connection of the work. I love that Pilates requires me to be present in the moment, but also in my body. In the future, I hope to teach Pilates, particularly to former athletes, like myself, and individuals from underserved communities. I am also a breathwork meditation coach, and I am currently applying to PhD programs in Communication. I hope to study the way individuals use social media to form online wellness communities which help individuals reclaim their health and vitality through participating in practices such as Pilates and mediation.

I am very excited to be here at Westwood Pilates, and I look forward to seeing you all around the studio soon!