Downeast Pilates in Southwest Harbor, Maine

Something to say...

Downeast Pilates is fortunate to have many satisified clients. Here is a sampling of some of the many nice comments we have received over the years.

Linda Homer is certified by Power Pilates [and PMA] at the highest level. To her extensive knowledge and understanding of the work of Joe Pilates she brings a warm and compassionate personality. She is generous with her knowledge and is confident in her presentation. I was delighted to find such an outstanding instructor during my vacation to Bar Harbor/Mount Desert Island. If you are new to Pilates, Linda will provide a wonderful first experience for you. If you are already experienced, she will be able to provide you with the workout you desire.

-- Angela Anthony, Niskayuna NY

As a competitive ballroom dancer in training, Linda is helping me achieve my goal. With Linda's professional Pilates training, positive attitude and passion about the benefits of Pilates, I have improved my strength and balance both a must for dancing; and for living a healthier, more fulfilling life. In my sessions, Linda is with me every step of the way -- guiding me through a total body workout and cueing my every move. We are blessed to have Linda Homer, Professional Certified Pilates Instructor, right here on MDI.

-- Sheri Kean, Bar Harbor

Linda had been a student of mine for [many] years. She came to me as she was starting her Pilates certification program. Shortly after working with her I knew she would be an incredible teacher and an asset to the Pilates community. As a student she was like a sponge wanting to know it all and more. She spent endless hours studying, traveling, working out all to better her knowledge and deepen her understanding of the Pilates principals. She knew this would be necessary to work with a variety of future clients.

Linda's hard work and desire to learn as a student has made her a wonderful teacher. Her teaching reflects her need to help others reach their fitness goals. She continues to keep up with her educational goals by attending continuing education and continued private Pilates classes from a variety of teachers.

I would confidently and happily refer any of you to Linda, you will be treated with patience, and great skill with attention to detail. She is an awesome woman and an incredible teacher.

-- Maurine Joy, Midcoast Pilates

The focus of Pilates on body-core strength and connectedness has made a significant difference in my life in three ways: it has made lifting heavy things much safer and more predictable, it has made driving long distances more comfortable, and it has made me more aware of postural issues that can have long-term consequences.

I've been working on Pilates under Linda's guidance for almost two years, mostly in her small-group mat classes. It is clear that Linda's extensive time spent in both certification and ongoing post-certification training for TEACHING -- not just doing -- Pilates has been well spent. It shows in many ways, during both her mat classes and her private sessions on equipment.

She is an excellent articulator of the fundamental purpose and methods of Pilates. And as a teacher, she:
    * understands the varying rates at which people progress,
    * is sensitive to her clients' "good" and "bad" days,
    * is a keen observer of everything each client is doing (sometimes it seems she has x-ray vision), and responds with
          - enthusiasm to small and large successes, and
          - kind and non-insistent cueing where improvement can be made.

Linda is adept at describing and cueing, without depending solely on demonstration. She uses a wide variety of interesting cues, and regularly comes up with new ones. Inevitably one of these cues will produce an "Aha!" moment for someone in the class who, up until that moment, hadn't quite "got it."

She's good -- very good. I couldn't recommend her more highly.

                            -- Dick Atlee, Southwest Harbor

When I started taking Pilates with Linda Homer, I was already pretty limited by longtime, early-onset arthritis. I had lost a lot of strength
and range of motion, was quite discouraged about my body – and feeling VERY old! I took up Pilates just as I was giving up hiking, biking and skiing. I knew Pilates couldn’t restore my cartilage, but it could help me find and strengthen my muscles.

It wasn’t until after I had my hip replacement that I understood the power of Linda’s classes. Linda is a great teacher – exacting, funny and compassionate, just what you want in someone who is pushing you hard – but what I discovered after my operation is that the constant prompts or advice she offers as to how to do each exercise right has an amazing cumulative effect. Once I could begin to move again, I realized I had a much deeper knowledge of my body, and especially of those essential core muscles (and how much more I can push them – not that I always do!), than I ever had before. My recuperation went swiftly and powerfully, because I understood what I had to do to regain not only my mobility and range of motion but the strength that the arthritis had sapped away over more than a decade.

-- Donna Gold, Stockton Springs

I've finally found a form of exercise that I truly enjoy and have stuck with for many years. I feel better and have more strength and endurance. Linda is very careful to modify any of the exercises that might cause discomfort or injury. She is a very knowledgable and professional instructor who really cares about her clients' well-being. I highly recommend her and encourage others to participate in her program.

-- Leza Colquhoun, Southwest Harbor

Linda at Downeast Pilates is, simply put, an amazing instructor. She makes sure you are doing the exercise correctly by talking you through it, showing by example, but most important of all, by finding just the right "cue" for you. Pilates has been a life changer for me as my back pains and muscle spasms have gone. My core strength is pretty darn good for a 74 year old and my balance is greatly improved. I truly look forward to my Pilates sessions with Linda and leave her studio feeling stronger, straighter and far more aware of my body. Thank you, Linda.

-- Meta

I've had the pleasure of working with Linda for the past five years. She is an excellent, attentive teacher who is attuned to the ability of each student in the class. She constantly adapts her teaching prompts to help her students get the best results. Each class is a unique Pilates workout. Linda gently guides and encourages us to perfect our techniques. We work hard, but, in fact, Linda works harder during the class than any of her students. I have never seen such energy and passion in a teacher. This is the ONLY exercise class I have attended faithfully in my entire life, and I've signed up for more classes than I care to remember. I will be doing Pilates with Linda when I am 80!

-- Jean

I always adore my summer weeks in Southwest Harbor but I love my Maine vacation even more now that I have met Linda Homer. She is an exceptionally talented teacher who has great ability to verbalize body movement and tailor her approach to each client's needs. I only see her a handful of times during my short stay in Maine, but my sessions with her have improved my work outs at my regular studio in Atlanta. I always go home with some new way of timing or sequencing or conceptualizing a move that expands my Pilates experience.
Her studio is beautiful and serene.

-- Leslee N. Paul, Atlanta GA

As a summer resident in Southwest Harbor I wanted a place where I could continue my Pilates training. Working with Linda was a complete joy – she is such fun to be with and is extremely knowledgeable about Pilates and the body. Linda has a very effective way of communicating how to use your body, and if you don’t “get it” she has another way to explain it – so great, especially starting up with someone new and wanting to get the most out of the sessions as possible. The studio is lovely and clean and I loved practicing there. Looking forward to next summer!

-- Eileen

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