Bodies in Balance Team
Special Guest Instructor:
Diedra R. Manns, DPT, MS, COMT
Polestar Certified Pilates Instructor
Diedra received her Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Dance in from S.U.N.Y @ Stonybrook in 1994. She received her Master’s of Science and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from Marymount University in 2004 and 2008, respectively.
Diedra was first exposed to the Pilates Method while employed at the Harkness Center for Dance Medicine and Science in NYC. She completed her Pilates training through Polestar® Pilates, receiving a Rehabilitation Certification in 2005. She is a Maitland Certified Orthopedic Manual Therapist (COMT) and is experienced in a variety if manual therapy methods.
Ms. Manns combines her manual therapy skills with her Pilates training as a holistic approach to rehabilitation and fitness. Diedra has been an adjunct instructor at New York University; she lectures at Marymount University and currently presents her post graduate continuing education course “Integrating Pilates into Your Clinical Practice” to Physical Therapist in the greater Washington, DC area.
Diedra is visiting Bodies in Balance through the Fall.
Physical Therapy now available: Each 55 minute session offers one-on-one treatments that incorporate manually based therapies (as needed) with Pilates based therapeutic exercises. View Rates. Services may be reimbursable through health insurance. Contact the studio for more information.
Wendi Albro
Certified Pilates Instructor
Patient and dedicated, Wendi's inclusive approach to Pilates is infused with a love and understanding of movement as a critical component to health and well-being. She continually welcomes new ideas to expand her knowledge in how to address each individual's particularities and needs.
Wendi found Pilates in 1998 through her training in modern dance in Seattle, WA. She was amazed at its effectiveness in treating chronic back pain, something she had been dealing with on and off since her early days as a competitive gymnast. Not only that, it improved her dancing, giving her a greater sense of balance, strength, and proper alignment. Later, she would also use Pilates to rehabilitate a knee injury.
In 2004, Wendi moved to San Francisco where she began the Pilates Teacher Training course at Ellie Herman Studios. After becoming certified, she completed the Janda Method of Neuromuscular Reprogramming with Lizz Roman, a method that combines the principles of Pilates with posture analysis, gait assessment, and muscle testing. In San Francisco, Wendi had the pleasure of working closely with several amazing trainers, all of whom have studied with some of the best in the business.
Deborah Bayardino
PMA® Certified Pilates Instructor
“The body is always moving and communicating, your body is your Self.” The focus of Deborah's work is to develop the idea that the body which practices Pilates is the same one used for all other daily activities (working on the computer, driving a car or having lunch). This notion helps to prevent injuries, loss of movement, and lack of balance. By employing this concept, we can become more autonomous and awaken to our own potential.
Deborah holds a B.A. in Communication Studies from CEUB (1996) and a technical degree in Contemporary Dance at the Angel Vianna School of Movement and Arts in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (1999). She has over 10 years of experience as a Body Awareness and Organization teacher.
She started as a Pilates instructor in 2003 at Studio Pilates in Rio de Janeiro and, by then, she had already completed two years of Physical Therapy studies at the Insituto Brasileiro de Medicina e Reabilitacao (IBMR).
Deborah is currently enrolled at The Oregon Center for the Alexander Technique (OCAT) for their 3 year teacher-training course.
Learn about the connections between Pilates and the Alexander Technique.
April Elder
Certified Pilates Instructor,
Licensed Massage Therapist
April discovered Pilates as a result of dealing with personal health challenges. After slowly curing her own health problems through diet and exercise, she wanted to be able to help others dealing with the emotional and physical exhaustion that come with living with a chronic illness.
In 2002 she enrolled in the massage program at East West College of Massage. April has been in practice since 2004, offering her understanding of the body's mechanics and resilience to private clients as well as in spas and physical therapy settings.
April completed her Pilates certification with Shelly Stephenson at Bodies in Balance. Through a combination of Pilates and massage she is committed to helping others as they work towards their wellness goals. April will be teaching a special focus Pilates for Cyclists workshop, Saturday September 13.
Morgan Moore
Certified Pilates Instructor
Morgan was first introduced to Pilates as a dance student at Jefferson High School, and again while working on a BA at Portland State University (PSU) in Dance and Speech Communications. In the summer of 2000, Morgan enrolled in an intensive Pilates Method certification program at Body Balance LLT, in Chicago. In the summer of 2008, Morgan recertified with her teacher at Align Pilates in Minneapolis, Mn.
Along with over 15 years of teaching movement, the experience of teaching seminars all over the United States and South Africa, as well as training and experience with many other forms of body work (Feldenkrais, Alexander, Function Dynamics, Reiki, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Jiu Jitsu, dance, boxing), Morgan comes to class prepared for anything.
Currently, Morgan is working on her Master’s thesis in Conflict Resolution from PSU, her concentration has been on facilitated dialogues between victims and offenders of severe and violent crime. Her goal is to find a way to bring the physical work she does into the difficult world of emotional recovery for victims and offenders, in order to contribute to the growing field of Restorative Justice.
Morgan has a 12 year-old son, a husband, two dogs and a cat. She rides her bike quite a bit (but, could ride more!), loves to color her hair, plays the piano and indoor soccer, and recently, started taking ballet classes again. She is very focused on family and friendships and believes the world is a good place.
Shelly Stephenson
Training Director
Shelly began her study of Pilates in 1989 with Marie José Blom-Lawrence at Long Beach Dance Conditioning after completing her BFA in dance at California Institute of the Arts. She became a Certified Pilates Instructor through the PhysicalMind Institute in 1997, and is the Senior Pilates Instructor at Bodies in Balance.
Before opening Bodies in Balance in 1998, Shelly spent two years teaching Pilates-based rehabilitative exercises to patients at a physical therapy clinic. Her experience includes athletic conditioning and rehabilitation with post-operative and fibromyalgia patients, people with obesity, and osteo and rheumatoidarthritis. She has also worked with ballet and modern dancers, and was the Pilates teacher for the artists of Cirque du Soleil's Corteo in Portland.
In 2001 Shelly became Certified Teacher Trainer through the PhysicalMind Institute and has provided certification requirements to over fifty Pilates instructors in the Pacific Northwest. Shelly is certified by the Pilates Method Alliance and now offers teacher certification as a faculty member of Balanced Body University.
Shelly is also a KMI certified practitioner of Structural Integration, and an Anatomy in Clay instructor. Learn more about KMI.
Elizabeth Russell
Co-director
Elizabeth’s background is in community organizing, program coordination, and artistic direction. She holds degrees in Public Administration from the University of Nebraska and in Theater/Movement Studies from Naropa University in Boulder. She has received extensive training in a range of performance tools, movement forms, and mindfulness practices – including Mudra Space Awareness, Authentic Movement, Body-Mind Centering, and Contemplative Dance Practice. She has performed and directed countless works over the years, both site-specific and for the stage.
Elizabeth was the founding program director of the Mid-Missouri Center for Sustainable Living, an educational project of Mid-Missouri Peaceworks in Columbia, MO. While in Missouri she lived in intentional community for several years, creating skills & processes for a more sustainable, holistic, and compassionate lifestyle. She is a founding board member for VoiceCatcher, an annual anthology of Portland-area women writers.
Elizabeth’s current works focus on the role of embodied consciousness in cultural transformation and the development of loving kindness toward our bodies, the Earth, and each other. Elizabeth has managed and co-directed Bodies in Balance since 2002.
Megan H. Carver
Front Desk Temporary Hero
Megan visits Bodies in Balance periodically, blessing us with her enthusiasm and organizational talents. She is an exercise enthusiast, and uses Pilates to strengthen and prepare herself physically for her theatre endeavors. She is a professional actor in the Northwest, and has worked in Portland, Seattle, and Olympia, focusing mainly on musical theater.
Megan graduated from Portland State University with a BA in Theater Arts, emphasizing in acting and dance. She keeps fairly busy with her theater life, but loves to spend time at BIB, chatting with the lovely instructors and keeping her body strong!
"No one can be really esteemed accomplished who does not greatly surpass what is usually met with." -Jane Austen