Meet our teachers
Sophia Briegleb, owner and Certified Pilates teacher
Sophia fell in love with Pilates after using it to heal eight years of chronic hip and SI joint pain, when nothing else had helped. She has a B.S. in Sports Medicine, a M.S. in Neuroscience, was certified as a Strength and Conditioning Coach in 2003, and taught Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology at the Community College of Denver and Metropolitan State University of Denver. In 2016, she graduated from the 950-hour Advanced Teacher Training Program at The Pilates Center in Boulder and became a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher. She initially opened Kinesis Pilates in her home and moved the studio to The Stanley Marketplace in 2017.
In 2018, she completed the Kathy Grant Heritage Training, which equips her with tools to help all clients better understand the movement skills necessary to execute Pilates well. Sophia loves learning and seeks out a variety of continuing education experiences, including all seven Movement Science Made Simple as well as two NeuroPilates courses. She specializes in not just teaching the Pilates repertoire of exercises, but rather using them to teach you how to move better. She helps you learn how to efficiently and effectively move your whole body in your sessions, as well as how to transfer that into your daily life.
Sophia also loves creating workshops. In 2019, it was Anatomy for Pilates Teachers, which she continues to teach for Kinesis Pilates teachers as well as teachers outside the studio. In 2020, it was Face Pilates (the intro course is still available on demand) which she went on to teach in live classes for three years. In 2021, it was The Lymphatic System and Pilates, which she presented at the Pilates Method Alliance International Conference in 2022. In 2022, she launched Meditation and Movement.
Sophia is a Continuing Education Provider for the National Pilates Certification Program. Her Online Face Pilates Course is worth 6 CECs for Certified Pilates Teachers and her Lymphatic System and Pilates Workshop is worth 3 CECs.
Sophia teaches Monday through Thursday. She can be reached at sophia@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
Jennifer Clayton, Certified Pilates Teacher
Jennifer’s first Pilates session was more than two decades ago and was a private on the Cadillac. She left that lesson feeling like her body was fine tuned and that she could move joints she never thought were mobile. She started collecting anything she could get her hands on in order to learn more--books, videos, dvd's--and starting visiting all the local studios. She practiced every morning on her own for over ten years. The Pilates exercises were the only thing that eased and healed tendonitis in the wrists, and improved pain in the hip, knee, ankle, shoulder, and neck. They helped with headaches, anxiety, depression and confidence. They became a maintenance routine for her and helped challenge her beliefs about ability.
Jennifer went through a comprehensive pre-certification in classical Pilates at Pilates Aligned in Denver before completing the Advanced Teacher Training at The Pilates Center in Boulder in 2016. She is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher and has completed the Kathy Grant Heritage Training. She has also attended five Movement Science Made Simple Courses. To Jennifer, Pilates is about orchestrating the symphony of the body into one harmonious whole. The result is ability. She wants to share that with her clients, so they leave feeling like they can take on anything.
Jennifer teaches on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday. She is available to teach in Spanish and can be reached at jennifer@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
Yevett Karpel, Pilates Teacher
Yevett discovered Pilates after numerous other modalities failed to heal injuries she suffered in a car accident. The life-altering benefits she achieved through the Pilates Method made her a faithful convert. After 10 years as a client, Yevett decided to pursue a deeper understanding of Pilates both for herself and to share with others. She received her Advanced Teacher Training Diploma from The Pilates Center in Boulder, Colorado in 2010. She has been a Host Advisor for their training program since 2017.
Yevett enjoys teaching the classical Pilates Method to help others find strength, flexibility, balance, and a deeper understanding of their own bodies. She strives to create a nurturing, fun, and safe environment to empower others to achieve a greater sense of physical and mental well-being.
Yevett teaches on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. She can be reached at yevett@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
Michelle Press, Pilates Teacher
Michelle was raised in Richmond, Virginia, where she discovered Pilates as a way to help her manage the physical complications of congenital scoliosis. It wasn’t long before she realized the immense value of the Pilates method and was determined to make it an important part of her life. She has a B.S. in Pre-Physical Therapy studies, completed the 950-hour Advanced Teacher Training program at The Pilates Center in 2019, and is now also training to become a Physical Therapist at Regis University. Michelle’s goal is to help every client learn about their body so that they can feel more confident in their movement and therefore, more confident in their life.
Michelle teaches on Wednesday and Saturday. She can be reached at michelle@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
Katie Eliason, Pilates Teacher
Growing up as a competitive soccer and tennis player and having four active boys, Katie is a lover of all things sports and fitness. She's been fascinated with the psychological and physiological benefits of exercise her entire life. She's practiced Pilates for over 20 years and taught mat Pilates for 16 years. She graduated from the 600-hour Intermediate Plus Teacher Training Program at The Pilates Center in 2022. She's experienced the amazing benefits of Pilates from her own personal journey through chronic illness. It is her hope that she can help others find joy, hope and renewed health through movement.
Katie teaches on Monday and Friday. She can be reached at katieeliason@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
Jenny Jethnani, Certified Pilates Teacher
Jenny was first introduced to Pilates in 2016 in her home country of Indonesia by her mother and was instantly hooked. Her mother suffered from scoliosis and Jenny saw how much Pilates helped her. She graduated from the Intermediate Teacher Training program at The Pilates Center in 2018. During her pregnancy in 2019, she learned prenatal Pilates from her mentor and would love to help other women to reap the numerous benefits prenatal Pilates has to offer. Pilates has not only helped her stay healthy, it helped her during childbirth and the recovery after. She truly believes Pilates is an exercise for every person at every stage of their lives.
Jenny teaches on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. She can be reached at jenny@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
Stephanie Menuey, PILATES teacher
Stephanie has been doing Pilates since 2001. Growing up in Colorado, she was an avid skier and runner. She began practicing Pilates shortly after running a marathon where her hips weren't quite the same after completion. Her love for Pilates started immediately with her first session. She’s been a student at Kinesis Pilates since 2017 and in April 2023, completes the 600-hr Intermediate Plus Teacher Training Program at The Pilates Center.
She appreciates the intricacies of movement and awareness Pilates brings to the body, as well as the mindful execution of practicing the exercises. She's a true believer that Pilates brings your body, mind and spirit in positive alignment.
Stephanie teaches on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. She can be reached at stephanie@kinesispilatesdenver.com.
What is Pilates
The Pilates method is a unique form of movement designed specifically to reeducate your body as you go through the exercises. Through awareness and practice, you acquire more efficient and effective movement while improving alignment. You recruit and strengthen what is weak, you stretch what is tight, you move what is stagnant and neglected, you improve your mind-body connection. Circulation increases, pain subsides, strength, flexibility and stamina improve, posture is aligned, confidence is regained, and as Joseph Pilates said in the title of his 1945 book, you can “Return to Life.”
What Classical Pilates Can Give You
STRENGTH - Strengthen all your muscles, from your feet to your core to your neck. No other method gives your core and feet the attention they deserve.
FLEXIBILITY - Not only strengthen your muscles, but do it in a lengthened position, giving you flexibility and grace as you move while also preventing injury.
MINDFULNESS - Gain a deeper understanding of your tendencies and how to balance them, a stronger mind-body connection, improved mood, and greater confidence.
IMPROVED BIOMECHANICS AND POSTURE - Learn how to balance your muscle usage around each joint, improving biomechanics and posture while reducing aches, pain, and stiffness in the studio as well as throughout your day.
A HEALTHY SPINE - Take a rigid spine and gently coax it with good support from the core into not only flexion but also extension, rotation, and side bending. Over time, the spine becomes strong and flexible like that of a cat, able to produce a wide range of movements without pain, compression, or fear of injury.
BETTER BREATHING - Learn more potent breathing, which better oxygenates your blood that is then better pumped throughout your body by the exercises. In this way, Pilates promotes healing of chronically deprived tissues.