What Our Clients Say
My experience of working with all the teachers at The Movement Center was nothing but truly inspiring. The progress that my mind and body would make in such a short time kept me feeling centered and healthy.
I’m not a morning person but Aimee and the teachers from The Movement Center could get me out of bed!
Having been involved in healing for the past 40 years I’ve experienced many different types of mind/body/spirit work. Very few compare with the work that I received at the Movement Center.
Working with a trainer, I discovered ways to lengthen and strengthen my core muscles. Working as a chiropractor, and playing professional disc golf can be a bit stressful on the body at times.
I have learned so much about proper movement, and core strengthening at this facility. Every instructor that I have met and worked with has been professional in their approach, yet seem to have very open hearts. I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking better health and core strength. Two thumbs up!
If you are looking for the most comprehensive and knowledgeable staff in Pilates this is the place for you. I have been going to the Movement Center for eight years and have learned so much from all the instructors.
They are friendly, smart and know the body inside and out.. I am a physical therapist and would not go anywhere else for my training. Check out a class and do a private lesson, you will love it.
The Movement Center is great; it is the next step up for anyone who likes yoga or pilates. I used to walk with my shoulders hunched over because my spine felt stuck that way.
They retrained my body to move properly and now I walk much straighter and look a lot more confident when I move. Try it, you’ll love it!
Your class has been wonderful, that it has made me aware of my body, that I have become stronger , and that I plan a lifetime commitment to Pilates because of Elaine.
I’ve spent years in pain. I’ve worked really hard to understand the pain and more importantly my body. I’ve had a lot of help along the way. I’ve worked and consulted with physical therapists, surgeons, massage therapists, Egosue instructor, and Alexander Technique teacher.
Some people and strategies have been more helpful than others, but I have learned a lot along the way. What I thought I was learning is that while I can do things to manage the pain, I cannot make the pain go away and I cannot change the underlining structural issues that cause the pain. I accepted that I would always be in pain, but not a victim of it.
Then you started to teach me. You help me make sense of my body. You help me be more aware of my body and the mind/body connection. You have taught me that I can make changes in the way my body moves and functions in daily life.
I have seen dramatic differences in not only my pain level, but also in re-patterning my body so it does not keep reverting back to the negative body patterns that I have been maintaining for years. I also enjoy the movement!
Pilates has been a life changing event for me. Because of this positive effect after just one year, it has improved my general overall health and become a passion.
When I first tried pilates, I didn’t think I could do it. I have congenital hip deformations with bursitis and tendonitis in my hips. Elaine worked with me, slow and steady, guiding me through exercises I could do on a limited level.
We worked together until now my hips are stronger than they have been for decades. I am constantly amazed at what I can do due to muscles that are
engaged and strengthened for the first time in my life.An improved posture when walking, standing, and presenting is another major improvement in my general, overall health. For the first time, when
trainers or therapists say engage your abs or tighten your abs, I can do it!My abdomen strength has also aided my overall balance and stamina. When I put on my spring/summer pants, oh my goodness, they were looser
with a much trimmer fit around my firmer and smaller thighs. Thank you pilates!My physical therapy sessions for my pesky frozen shoulder have ended. Not to worry, my pilates exercises will continue to strengthen my shoulder and
help to keep it loose. Another reason pilates supports my overall health. When I began my journey with Elaine, I wondered if pilates was for me. Now,
I can’t imagine my life without it!
I began practicing Gyrotonic® in New York in the 1980′s with Julio in his studio White Cloud. It has been a movement system that has stayed with me even when I was no longer taking classes.
Since leaving New York I have traveled a lot and not been able to find Gyrotonic® in all the cities I’ve live in. So it was wonderful when I visited Ann Arbour to find a Gyrotonic® Master trainer right here in the centre of town.
It is such a gift to have a Gyrotonic® studio close by but particularly to have it run by somebody who is one of only a few so highly trained in the system. Thank you Aimee for all your hard work.
I came to Aimee after my second pregnancy to work on rehabilitating my core and resolving issues caused by the physical demands of caring for young children.
Four years later, my regular practice at The Movement Center has given me strength, joy and an increased awareness of proper body mechanics. I wish I had begun to work with Aimee 20 years ago!
Pilates training with Elaine Economou has been life changing for me. I have always been fitness conscious, and about five years ago I discovered pilates. I felt really good after classes and felt reasonably fit for the amount of time spent.
Training with Elaine, however, opened up a whole new universe. After practicing pilates with Elaine, my body is changing, and I’m happier with it than I’ve ever been in my life. Bulges that I’d decided could only be impacted by liposuction have melted away.
I feel stronger and fitter than I ever have, and I have a new-found respect and, dare I say it, affection for my body – pretty remarkable for a 50 year old woman.
Elaine has coached me to a number of “Aha” moments, discovering muscles I never new existed. My whole body feels different – I have a body awareness and balance that is hard to describe. Elaine also has a special talent for connecting with her clients, making what could be work interesting, fun and informative. Her group classes are focused and challenging, but fun with good-natured banter between participants.
I did several years of teacher training with Aimee, while working towards my Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis® certifications. Aimee was a wonderful teacher; she is skilled, supportive, and easy to communicate with.
As an instructor, Aimee has just the right touch and her cues are always clear. She is a true source of inspiration, and I have seen, over and over again, how people transform with her guidance – stepping out of their shells and reaching new levels in there personal and professional development.
Although I now live in Sweden and have my own busy studio, I continue to work with Aimee shops.
Adapting to the limitations of an aging body and the recovery from injury or surgery is challenging and it would be easy to become discouraged from pursuing the objective of improved health, mobility and increased comfort that comes from appropriate physical conditioning.
In my case, I have never wanted to limit myself to the conventional expectations of the physical limits for woman of my years, especially after undergoing major surgery.
I am thankful that I have been able to use the expertise of instructors at the Movement Center to devise a training regimen that addresses the needs of my body at this stage of my life and after my surgery
They have been exemplary in directing me to the exercise method (pilates or Gyrotonic®) that best addressed the needs of my body at this time. What more can one wish for in a trainer? It’s like having a fairy godmother that tries to make you the most fabulous woman at whatever ball you attend.
How can you resist that?
I started working with Aimee McDonald-Anderson after I suffered a severe lumbar disc herniation. At the time I was a candidate for back surgery and had attempted to return to yoga but the twisting exercises inflamed my injury.
After three sessions with Aimee, my pain was significantly reduced as was the numbness in my foot. I was released from medical care after six months, no longer a candidate for surgery with an excellent prognosis for the future.
I believe that my therapeutic work with Aimee has been instrumental in not only relieving my pain, but increasing my healing and sense of wellness.
I highly recommend Aimee McDonald as a skilled, experienced Trainer. Aimee’s dynamic teaching, mentoring style… is clear, concise and refreshing. Her knowledge of the work she teaches is impressive and complete. She is a gifted Performance Kinesiologist.
I became a Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesisc® Instructor from her studio, since it is the one form of exercise that works the body with control & stability through every rotational plane at every joint. It’s base strength comes from core stability, which is crucial to stability elsewhere in the body.
I have had excellent results in combining the manual skills of physical therapy with the reinforcement of Gyrotonic® and Gyrokinesis®.
There is no other form of exercise combining resistance through these ranges. Try a private session with her, you will see the change in your body.
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