What moves you? Movement is an essential part of the human experience. At Movement U, we are dedicated to helping you identify what moves you and then optimizing your journey — what we call achieving the Nth degree — whatever your goal might be.

We work to achieve these performance and function milestones through a variety of methods. While our award-winning work in Pilates continues to be a mainstay, our faculty is also educated in many new methods and modalities. Some of these techniques include Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) and Z-Health as well as other research-based work. Try out one class and you might see runners who want to improve gait or a golfer working on better rotation for his swing. Observe another class and see a father learning how to lift his child pain-free or someone who wants to get out of their car with ease.

The “U” is both in reference to our ability to personalize programs for each individual (you), and to our faculty of movement specialists. If Pilates is already an important part of your program, you’ll find our teachers offer extensive knowledge and diverse educational backgrounds to both challenge and support your movement goals. If someone has told you you couldn’t do something, or you’re beginning to believe discomfort and pain “is part of the deal”, we would like to encourage you to safely (re)explore the joy of movement.

We are nestled within Body Kinetics, a welcoming, family-owned health and fitness facility, whose mission is to assist and educate those seeking high caliber movement practices. Our company offers an integrated model in which our Movement U faculty work collaboratively with each of our departments to help ensure your care is comprehensive and continues to help you find your Nth degree.

Our expert faculty offers a diverse educational background, all with rigorous training in a variety of disciplines, including Pilates, Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS) and Z-Health as well as other research-based work. Beyond the extensive education, we are proud that our faculty has the expertise, skill set and commitment to innovate and adapt the Pilates exercise system to best benefit your specific situation and needs.

While we are proud of our faculty’s mastery in Pilates and of all the times we’ve been named “Best of Marin”, but really, the way we prefer to grade ourselves is based on the number of Nth degrees our students achieve in a year. That’s what comes when we work together to meet–and perhaps exceed–your movement goals.

The Pilates Method was developed by Joseph Pilates (1880-1967) in efforts to provide vitality and wellness through mind-body movement and neuromuscular re-education. It is an exercise system that is based on quality of movement in which awareness, precision and control are stressed over quantity. The principles have evolved to prioritize postural patterning in which motor control, muscle performance and activation are emphasized–all similar concepts to those in most orthopedic rehabilitative and therapeutic settings as well as advanced performance enhancement systems.

Pilates training develops a high degree of abdominal and back strength, by activating the deep, core skeletal muscles and enhancing suppleness of the spine and limbs. Overall, this method strengthens by increasing neuro-muscular coordination.

By studying the Pilates Method you will gain a cognitive understanding of how the body and mind work together to generate movement of specific muscles, as well as reverse the detrimental effects of timeworn patterning. It is excellent for muscle conditioning, improving overall quality of life, rehabilitating and preventing injuries. Through Pilates you will expand your understanding of proper alignment, full body integration and what your mind and body can achieve when aligned.

Because movement is such an important and ever-changing aspect in our lives, function is always a work in progress; one we are committed to helping you maximize, regardless of your movement goals. For athletes, it’s when your club, racket or bat strikes the sweet spot so perfectly your stroke or swing feel effortless. For others, it might be the realization that you are able to lift your baby or that you can get up and down off of the floor while you play with your kids pain-free and without the “normal aches and pains.”