fbpx

Our bodies are designed to move. At Victoria Pilates we believe Pilates can improve lives by helping people actualize their fitness, health, and wellness goals. Our highly trained team will help you increase strength, improve mental acuity, and reach your full potential.

What is Pilates all about?

Pilates is a low-impact fitness system that promotes a mind-body connection. It was developed in the early 20th century by German-born Joseph Pilates, who believed that mental and physical health are interrelated.

Through precision movements, Pilates strengthens muscles while improving postural alignment and flexibility. Pilates emphasizes proper breathing to relieve stress, improve body awareness, and bring a natural rhythm to movement.

Pilates is highly adaptable. Different mat and equipment exercises can be combined and modified to create an exercise program suitable to anyone, from beginner to advanced. Intensity can be increase over time as the body conditions and adapts to the exercises. No muscle group is under or over trained.

Pilates Stretch

Who Can Benefit from Pilates?

Everyone can do Pilates, regardless of age, fitness level, or physical limitation. Our custom Pilates programs can be tailored to anyone, including people who:

  • are no longer content with the “gym scene”
  • are seeking a way to reduce mental and physical stress
  • are athletes wanting to improve performance
  • are pre- or post-natal
  • have a chronic health condition
  • are recovering from injuries and surgery
  • seeking effective physical rehabilitation
  • have never exercised before
Woman in Class
Strength Building

About Our Studio

For 20 years Victoria Pilates has been helping people reach their full potential. Our spacious studio is fully equipped with a mat room, Trapeze Tables (Cadillacs), Reformers, Springboards, a Ladder Barrel, Wunda and Split Chairs, a Ped-a-Pull, and more. We are fully accessible and have plenty of free parking.

Our studio and staff are proud to support the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). Formed in 2001, the PMA is a not-for-profit professional association about setting standards for the Pilates industry. As members of this organization, our team is guided by a code of ethics and is committed to continuing education.

Increased Mobility

Our Team

Susan VanCadsand

Owner | Program Director | Instructor
M.Sc. Human Kinetics, Ph.D. Education

Susan was introduced to Pilates while dancing with the New York City Ballet. She first studied Pilates under Carola Trier, a long-time student of Joseph Pilates and master teacher of his method. She has also worked with first-generation teachers Kathleen Stanford-Grant, Eve Gentry, Romana Kryzanowska, Robert Fitzgerald and Ron Fletcher, and second-generation teachers Dianne Miller and Michele Larsson. Susan brought her love of dance and movement to her university studies, where she completed a master’s degree in human kinetics and a Ph.D. in education. Susan is a fully qualified Pilates teacher, and has developed a safe and successful regime of her own by incorporating her knowledge as a kinesiologist inter her practice.

Jessica Vitrouk

Pilates Instructor

Jessica is originally from Boston, Massachusetts, but has lived most of her adult life overseas. She fell in love with Pilates in 1998 in Zurich, Switzerland. Since then, each time she and her family move to a new country, the first order of business (after housing and a favourite coffee shop is secured) is finding a Pilates studio. Jessica has been lucky to take classes from wonderful teachers in Switzerland, the UK, Russia, Luxembourg, and now Canada. Jessica started her Pilates instructor training in 2012 with Balanced Body in Brussels, Belgium. She completed her training in 2020.

Prior to moving to Victoria, she taught Pilates at studios in Russia and Luxembourg. Before becoming a Pilates instructor, Jessica earned B.A. in Russian studies from Middlebury College and worked until 2012 as a tax consultant at Ernst & Young.

Julia Bridger

Pilates Instructor

Julia was born in Toronto, trained at Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet School in their Professional Division, and has been dancing ballet professionally since 2014. She was first introduced to Pilates while recovering from a broken foot; when she came back from her injury stronger than before, she knew Pilates was something she wanted to pursue. Julia has been training with Stott Pilates Instructor Trainer Monique Lavoie and developing a Pilates barre program at Victoria Pilates with Susan VanCadsand. She looks forward to sharing her love of dance with students in her barre classes.

In her spare time, Julia enjoys reading, painting, crocheting, and baking!

 

Lesley Morrison

Pilates Instructor

Lesley has always been fascinated by movement.  She learned early on about the relationship between movement
patterns, athletic performance and injury as a track and field athlete. Lesley’s favorite coach regularly pointed out
that “it’s physics” when providing technical corrections, which is perhaps why she went on to pursue a degree in
Applied Science at Queen’s University.
Lesley was first introduced to the Pilates method in 1996 and began her journey to becoming a Pilates instructor in
2015. In 2023, she completed her training with Balanced Body Education.  Through challenges in her own body,
Lesley has learned that the ability to move with ease and comfort though life is truly a gift and she hopes to support
others in their own movement journeys.

Kaylie Conner

Pilates Instructor

Kaylie is from Vancouver BC where she began dancing. After graduating from Alberta Ballet school, Kaylie later moved to Victoria to dance professionally with Ballet Victoria in 2019. Kaylie then began working closely with Susan VanCadsand to further her personal dancing journey.  Quickly after, Kaylie became very interested in learning more about Pilates and has been training under the coaching of Susan to gain more knowledge and experience. Kaylie is very grateful for this opportunity and is excited to continue this journey.

Ready For your first class?

Book Now
Pilates Workshops

@VictoriaPilates