NJ Yoga & Pilates - Our Instructors

Premier Pilates and Yoga is lucky to have truly amazing instructors, who are well-trained, fully-certified and who are able to bring in their years of experience into every session. Deborah Harris has a strong background in dance. Her insight into the mechanics of body movement tends to bring a unique perspective to a Pilates workout. She has selected instructors deeply committed to helping each client reach their fullest potential.

Pilates Instructors		Yoga Instructors
Deborah Harris	Sarah Silk	Mari Good
Kathy Metzler	Jen Murphy	Amy Dempsey
Jeanette Patriarco	Pat Dietz	Denise Hitch
		Toni Porrello

Deborah Harris - Studio Owner

Deborah grew up in Lancaster, PA and has a very strong background in dance. She was completing her BFA in Dance at Temple University when she had a dance injury and used Pilates to rehabilitate from it. She was fascinated by the technique's unique ability to concentrate its healing in the specific area of the injury. She was also drawn in by the focus of Pilates on complete physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

In 1999, Deborah was admitted into the highly competitive and intense New York City Authentic Pilates^TM Training Program. Over the next year and a half she was instructed, trained, tested and, ultimately, certified by Romana Kryzanowska, an internationally acknowledged Grande Dame of Pilates, who was a star pupil of Joseph Pilates in the 1940s.

Deborah was also taught by such Certified Teachers of Teachers as Sari Mejia-Santos, Bob Likens and June Hines. As a part of her training, Deborah completed over 600 hours of practical instruction in her certification program and clearly demonstrated an excellence in working on all different Pilates apparatuses, as well as an ability to work safely and effectively with women and men at all levels of physical fitness and ability, including those with musculoskeletal injuries.

Deborah is a licensed Pilates for Buff Bones Instructor® and uses Pilates to help clients with osteoporosis strengthen their bones and prevent injuries.

Deborah started to teach at the Pennsylvania Ballet Pilates Studio in 2001. She worked closely with Greg Taylor, a physical therapist. This relationship and proximity to the world of professional dance gave Deborah a chance to apply her training and perfect her approach to clients with such varying conditions as dance injuries, scoliosis, multiple sclerosis, hip surgery rehabilitation, chronic pain syndromes, fibromyalgia, and low back pain.

While at the Ballet, Deborah has worked with Prima Ballerinas, principles from Cirque Du Soleil, members of Broadway shows "Fosse" and "Contact." Deborah enjoys the challenge of the rehabilitation work and is constantly amazed by the quality and of improvement her clients experience with Pilates.

Kathy Metzler

Kathy is a wife and mother of two. She currently holds certifications through American Council on Exercise in personal training and group fitness instruction. Her experience in these fields range from training high school athletes to the senior population.

She was first drawn to Pilates when viewing a class at a corporate facility where she was a fitness associate. After much research, she soon realized the many benefits it held for the body, mind and spirit and began to pursue a certification in Pilates. During that process and the many hours of self-practice that are required she saw changes in her body that she was never able to achieve before. Kathy has become certified through Peak Pilates in the instruction of Classical Pilates and never looked back!

She feels very strongly about the positive impact that exercise, especially Pilates, has on our emotional health and physical well being. Her clients describe her as someone who truly knows her stuff and makes every person and every session feel wonderful and special.

Jeanette Patriarco

Jeanette came to Pilates curious because of all of the hype that she's heard about this mind-body system. She took a mat class at a gym - she was not impressed and thought to herself there must be more to Pilates.

Then, Jeanette found our studio and from her first lesson she was hooked. She continued to take classes, and do privates and fell in love with what Pilates was doing for her physically and mentally. She then decided that she wanted to learn even more about Pilates and wanted to help others feel the way that she did.

She devoted herself to the Classical Pilates which promotes teaching the system just as Joseph Pilates had intended it to. Jeanette pursued her certification through Peak Pilates, an amazingly rigorous program that included intensive on-site training, extensive observation, teaching, and personal practice hours. Lastly, she had to demonstrate her full command of the Method by passing a rigorous written and physical exam.

Suffice it to say, Jeanette passed these with flying colors and is now a Peak Pilates Professional Certified Instructor. Not one to rest on her laurels, Jeanette continues to take lessons and attend workshops to improve her own practice and to be able to pass on the benefits of the added knowledge to her students. She considers herself a Classical Instructor and a student of the Method for life. She has never felt so strong or so in tune with her body as she does now.

"Finding the right instructor was what I needed to get me to commit to and understand Pilates, and I hope to inspire the same in my clients."

Sarah Silk

Sarah has enjoyed body awareness and conditioning activities since the age of 8, when she first started taking lessons in acting, dance, and voice in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After college at the University of Chicago, she moved to NYC in 2005 where she began her intensive training in Pilates. She completed a comprehensive certification program at CorePilates and continues her training through attending lectures and workshops.

Sarah's love of theater and acting help to make her an engaging and expressive teacher. Sarah enjoys teaching and interacting with different people. She especially loves teaching Pilates because she loves seeing it help her students improve their posture, confidence, body-awareness, and overall lifestyle. She also loves seeing beginners and those struggling with the method learn new things and break past old barriers. Sarah has worked with students of all ages and backgrounds and welcomes all students alike. Currently, Sarah is getting her MFA in acting at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.

Jennifer Murphy

Jennifer graduated from Susquehanna University with a BA in elementary education. She went on to teach first and second grade. After having her children she graduated from school-teaching to being a full-time mom.

In 2005 Jen was turned onto Pilates while visiting a friend's studio in San Francisco. She began practicing Pilates at Premiere Pilates and Yoga as soon as she returned from her trip! She was absolutely amazed at the results that Pilates had on her body. Her body became more flexible and her occasional back pains disappeared. She noticed herself standing taller and becoming more aware of how she carried her body. Jennifer decided that she wanted to know more about Pilates and how it could help other people.

During her certification process Jennifer became aware of how life-changing the practice of Pilates could be for people. She thoroughly enjoys watching her clients' bodies become stronger and seeing them do things that they never thought they could do. Jennifer has extensive experience working with beginner clients as well as people with stiffness and muscle weakness. Her attention to detail serves her clients well, as does her dedication to Classical Pilates and to helping each client reach there ultimate goal.

Jennifer is an amazing instructor who challenges all who take her classes or do sessions with her. Her educational background enhances her Pilates teaching. It shows in the way she explains exercise and in the way she pays great attention to detail. Nothing gets by her and she always wants the best for her students. She is available for appointments and group classes.

Amy Dempsey

Amy Dempsey’s personal yoga practice has spanned over 15 years. After the birth of her second child, Amy recognized the need for classes that would better suit the needs of her family and others in the community. She received her 200 hour yoga certificate (RYT) from Yoga Sutra for Life. She then completed her children’s yoga teacher certification with Ha-tha Kids.

Amy also works with private clients providing yoga to children with special needs. In these small group settings Amy assists children on the sensory processing disorder, as well as the autism/asperger spectrum. This work enables children with challenges to improve their concentration, focus, build balance, social and motor skills while stimulating their imagination and learning relaxation techniques.

Amy cultivated her love of teaching while attending Brooklyn College. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education, with a concentration in Child Psychology.

Denise Hitch
Denise Hitch is a graduate of Smith College in Northampton, MA and first, began practicing yoga in New York City in 1998. She received her Hatha yoga teacher training certification program under the guidance of Cheryl Nogan of Transcendent Yoga. She has taught yoga for 3 years and is familiar teaching yoga to age levels ranging from teens to seniors.
Denise seeks to teach her students to feel comfortable with their yoga practice and encourage their growth. "I am inspired by the variety of asanas (yoga poses) and the seemingly endless possibilities for progress in each pose."

Toni Porrello
	Toni has her B.A. in English from Kean University and is currently in grad school at Fairleigh Dickinson University obtaining her M.F.A. in creative writing. Years ago, she was first introduced to yoga and Pilates by her sister, Carly. When Carly took her to her very first yoga class, she never thought it would become such a big part of her life. She left the class feeling invigorated, with a sense of peace and accomplishment. Right away, she began a regular yoga practice. Before she had started yoga, she could barely touch her knees when folding forward. After just three months, she was able to touch the ground.
That was just one of the many positive changes she began to notice throughout her body and mind. She knew yoga would be a life-long practice for her, and after years of deepening her practice she realized what a great opportunity it would be to share yoga with others through teaching. Working years for a chiropractor, she has a deep understanding of the body and of the importance of fitness and health. She studied yoga at Balance Yoga Center in NJ for her teacher training and plans on getting certified to teach Pilates mat in the new year. Toni is also a musician. She is a singer/songwriter and plays the piano. She sang on the Grammy award winning children’s album, “Songs From the Neighborhood”. You can listen to her original music at www.myspace.com/tonirosemusic. Toni believes that meditation is a very important part of yoga. Music is her favorite form of meditation. In her class, she hopes to help you to find your favorite form. She urges her students to remember, while yoga is a serious practice, most of all it is a time to get to know yourself and to enjoy all the benefits. Yoga should be fun!