Our Westcoast Pilates Conference Teachers
Noam Gagnon
Founder and Director of Beyond Pilates, Co-owner of The Pilates Collective
Noam is an internationally recognized classical Pilates teacher with over 40 years of experience in movement, teaching, and performance. A certified graduate of The Pilates Center of Boulder and the prestigious Vintage Pilates Master’s Program in Los Angeles, Noam studied under first-generation master teacher Jay Grimes, who trained directly with Joseph Pilates.
Known for his depth of knowledge and empathetic teaching style, Noam is a sought-after international educator who has offered workshops around the world. As lead Teacher of the Beyond Pilates Teacher Training Comprehensive and Bridge Programs, Noam guides and supports the next generation of Pilates educators. He is also a Level 3 Franklin Movement Educator and a member of the Franklin Method Faculty.
In addition to his Pilates work, Noam is an acclaimed choreographer and performer. He was Co-Director of the internationally celebrated dance company The Holy Body Tattoo and is currently the Artistic Director of Vision Impure and an Associate Dance Artist at Canada’s National Arts Centre.
Matilda Christensen
Matilda has been teaching Pilates, Movement Education and various workshops in BC for 20+ years. She has her Advanced Classical Teacher Training Certificate and Masters Certificate from TPC and is also PMA certified.
She co-owns a Pilates Studio in North Vancouver called Practice in Pilates and she also co-owns and is a co-Teacher Trainer for Pacific Coast Pilates Academy.
She's a Level 2 Franklin Method Educator and holds an Associate's Certificate in Osteopathy. Her approach to teaching the Pilates Method is quite unique due to the influence of her many teachers, the diversity of her education and the countless hours of self exploration and discovery.
Heather Low
Heather Low is a Pilates instructor with over 30 years of experience in the field. Her background in Dance (BFA York University, 1993) set an early baseline for reading movement, and through the years of teaching, with exposure and experience in various additional movement modalities (Developmental Movement, Somatics, fitness, yoga and QiGong), Heather has developed a strong reputation for work with all bodies and abilities. Her deep knowledge and self-practice enable her to work with people living with pain, injuries or movement limitations as well as people looking for performance gains through improved movement function.
As a Balanced Body Pilates Educator since 2011, Heather also teaches aspiring Pilates teachers, offering mentorship and apprenticeship opportunities. Shaping minds new to the process of teaching is a passion, and she is inspired by every person's unique journey in the vast movement practice of Pilates, and she strives to bring this energy to all who join her in the path of Pilates.
​
Mona Valdes MD
Mona Valdes is a seasoned Pilates instructor with over 20 years of experience in holistic healing practices, including Visceral Manipulation, Neurokinetic Therapy, Fascia Work, and Movement Therapies. Her approach integrates medical knowledge with somatic techniques, focusing on the healing potential of the fascia and nervous system to release physical and emotional trauma.
Passionate about the mind-body connection, Mona believes in the body's innate ability to self-heal, a philosophy that aligns with Pilates' emphasis on mindful movement and resilience. With a diverse background spanning Indonesia, the Philippines, and Canada, Mona brings a culturally rich perspective to her teaching, guiding students with her unique blend of medical insight and movement expertise.
Carolyn Woods
Carolyn has been an ELDOA Trainer and Senior Pilates Teacher at The Vancouver Pilates
Center since 2011. A dancer at heart, she spent 30 years exploring the body through movement and since 2004 enriched this experience with over 20 years gaining knowledge of the body mainly through Pilates, The Franklin Method, ELDOA and Kundalini yoga.
She is motivated and inspired to help others find harmony in their minds and bodies and to discover that well-being is possible through our own self-knowledge. (Originally certified in The ELDOA Method in 2003, and then upon the expansion of the Method, was certified again in 2019).
Certified ELDOA Trainer (Level 4) – 2019