About

Hi, I’m Morgan and welcome to Blue Star Pilates, my home-base dedicated to my teaching, study and personal practice of the Pilates method.

I was first drawn to Pilates after my son was born in 2007 as a way to get my core back in shape and find some “me” time.  I took my first class through our City’s recreation program, which ended up being taught by one of my former coworkers, Jen Micoleau.  Jen helped me grasp the basics of Pilates, but it wasn’t until I fully committed to a regular gym membership where I practiced with Tunde Schwartz, who was the first full-time Pilates teacher I had met.  Tunde’s teaching gave me a deeper understanding of the Pilates method, along with the introduction of props and more advanced mat work.  It was through Tunde’s passion, and that of another coworker and teacher, Mari Balow, that I decided to take my Pilates to the next level with a full Mat Certification.

After a few false starts in 2015, my Beginner and Intermediate mat certifications were completed in February, 2016, and my Advanced Mat training took place April, 2016.  My mat training was lead by Nora Gomez-Dears at her studio, Atelier Pilates and accredited by Classical Pilates Education.

I have been teaching mat classes around Portland ever since.  In the spring of 2017 I applied for a scholarship to advance my training through Power Pilates.  I was thrilled to be awarded a partial scholarship and began my Comprehensive Apparatus Training in March of 2018.  In February 2019 I was awarded my Certificate of Completion of the 600-hour comprehensive program.  As an Apprentice, under Tunde (Schwartz) Van Voorst at Pilates Center of Maine, I’m learning all the various apparatus in a traditional studio setting, as well as how to advance clients through the Pilates system, how to work with special cases and injuries, as well as digging deeper into the anatomy and physiology of movement.

I am very excited for what this adventure will continue to bring and for the privilege to pass on my ever increasing knowledge of the Pilates method, and see the benefits progress in others.

My goals as a teacher are to help each student/client understand how their body moves, increase the mind-body connection with focus and precision, strengthen their core, and improve their ability to function in their daily life.  Through my personal practice, Pilates has helped take the back pain out of playing PortSports volleyball, and even helped me quickly recover from a fractured wrist.

If you’re curious to learn more, please check out my friend Will Wohler’s interview with me regarding my Pilates philosophy and the accompanying photo shoot that we did in February 2016.  It was a lot of fun to shoot and to articulate my motivations to pursue Pilates.

I hope to introduce you to the many benefits of a Pilates practice of your own.  I want to laugh, I want to have fun, and I want you to as well!  Thank you for joining me on this journey, Star, you are worth it!

Morgan’s Pilates Education:

• Beginner Mat, Classical Pilates Education, Teacher Nora Gomez-Dears, February 2016
• Intermediate Mat, Classical Pilates Education, Teacher Nora Gomez-Dears, February 2016
• Advanced Mat, Classical Pilates Education, Teacher Nora Gomez-Dears, March 2016
• Core Mat II, Power Pilates, Teacher Kim Casto, November 2017
• 600-Hour Comprehensive Training, Power Pilates, Teacher Kim Casto, February 2019
• A Pilates Session ala Bob Liekens, Teacher Enja Schenck, November 2019
• The Art of Touch on the Mat, Teacher Enja Schenck, November 2019