About Us
Our Philosophy
Rooted in the classical system, we honour where Pilates came from and teach it with integrity—so it continues to serve real bodies, real lives, and real needs.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve quality of life by helping people move better and feel better—by educating teachers who do the same.
What We Believe
Pilates is a system, not a collection of exercises.
Learning the work as it was originally intended—its structure, principles, and progression—grounds teaching in integrity.
Classical Pilates provides a shared language and structure.
When the system is understood, it offers a clear reference point and adaptation becomes intentional rather choreography.
There is room for many expressions of Pilates.
The work lives today in traditional studios, fitness-based environments, and clinical settings.
Teachers deserve to understand the system before they change it.
This understanding protects the work, serves the body in front of us, and allows Pilates to evolve without losing its essence.
Our Approach to Teaching
At Core Academy, how we teach matters as much as what we teach.
Pilates is a mind–body practice, and teaching it means working with the whole person. It requires observing the body in front of you, knowing how to layer and adapt the work, and making informed choices so clients can feel the work in their bodies.
Effective teaching is about clarity: knowing what to say, when to say it, when to cue, when to adjust, and when to let the work do its job—rather than simply delivering movement.
In today’s landscape, much exists under the name Pilates that no longer reflects the method or its principles. We believe teachers should understand the roots of the work—how exercises were originally taught, what they were meant to develop, and how the apparatus supports that process—before changing or expanding it.
We train teachers to use the apparatus safely and intelligently, whether teaching classical sessions or fitness-based group classes. This means understanding Pilates principles, alignment principles, and functional movement principles—and applying them with the shared goal of helping people move better and feel better.
The Method
Joseph Pilates designed his work as a system, with clear relationships between exercises, apparatus, and principles. Each piece of apparatus supports the work on another, allowing strength, coordination, and flexibility to develop over time.
When taught as a system, progression is intentional. The apparatus supports and challenges the body, the order provides structure, and the principles guide decisions.
At Core Academy, we teach the method in its full context—so teachers understand how the work functions as a whole.
From System to Teaching
Understanding the classical Pilates system gives teachers clarity and options. It allows them to make informed choices across classical, fitness-based, and contemporary formats—and when working in reformer-only studios, group fitness environments, or clinical settings.
Classical Pilates remains the reference point. How the work is taught depends on context, population, and purpose—but informed choice keeps the method coherent and intact.
Our Educational Streams
Core Academy is one academy with a clear foundation and multiple applications—each taught with purpose and integrity.
Classical Pilates
The method in its full context.
This stream focuses on the traditional repertoire, order, apparatus, and principles as a cohesive system—providing teachers with a shared language and deep structural understanding of the work.
Contemporary Approaches
Applied learning that builds on a classical foundation.
These workshops explore ways the work may evolve beyond the original order or apparatus—remaining informed by traditional Pilates while engaging with modern movement concepts, programming strategies, and creative tools. Contemporary education at Core Academy is offered in a workshop format to support thoughtful adaptation across different settings.
CoreFit
A fitness-based group class methodology.
CoreFit uses the Reformer as a functional fitness tool, prioritizing strength, conditioning, and athletic programming. While alignment- and Pilates-principle informed, CoreFit is not traditional Pilates—and it is not intended to be. This stream stands on its own, with clarity around its goals and application.
Clinical Education
An applied approach for rehabilitation and clinical settings.
Clinical education focuses on using movement principles within assessment-driven programming, injury management, and return-to-function contexts. Work often addresses specific areas of the body before reintegrating movement globally, reflecting the realities of clinical environments where precision, modification, and scope of practice are essential.
OUR TEAM
MEET OUR FOUNDER MONICA PLEWES
Hi, I'm Monica. REWRITE THIS
I’m the founder of Pilates Kollektive, Core Studio, and Core Pilates Academy. With over 25 years of teaching experience, I’ve trained in classical, contemporary, and rehabilitative methods, and spent seven years traveling internationally as a Teacher Trainer for Power Pilates. Through Core Pilates Academy, I educate safe, skilled instructors who carry forward the classical method while adapting it for today’s clients. Alongside teaching teachers, I continue to work with clients in private and small-group sessions—staying grounded in the method every day.
I love to travel and Short Spine Massage is my favourite Pilates exercise.
ABOUT US
WHY WE ARE DIFFERENT
At Core Academy, we don’t believe Pilates has to live in a single box. We honour the legacy of Joseph Pilates and the teachers who carried his work forward. We believe there is real value in learning the system as it was originally taught—understanding its structure, intention, and progression—so it doesn’t become diluted or disconnected from its roots. At the same time, we recognize that the world has changed—and so have the people we teach.
Our Story