Our Instructors
Margi Douglas
Co-owner and Certified Pilates/Alexander Instructor
Margi opened the Pilates Garage in 2002 after her certification and training with Alycea Ungaro at Tribeca Bodyworks (now Real Pilates) in Manhattan and went on to do continuing education at the Kane School with Michelle Cohen and Power Pilates’ Bob Liekens. She trained to teach Alexander Technique under master ATI (Alexander Technique International) teacher Chloe Wing in New York City. She holds an MFA in Acting and is now teaching the Alexander Technique in Columbia’s graduate acting program as well as Tom Todoroff acting conservatory in NYC. Her teaching at the studio blends her classic Pilates training with Pilates methodology and rehab work learned at the Kane School, and her understanding and use of the body from Alexander Technique. Currently she is studying with Master Teacher Jessica Wolf who has revolutionized the breath work within the Alexander field through what she terms “the Art of Breathing.” Her mission is to help performers and non-performers find strength, ease and presence in their whole selves.
Pilates Mat Saturdays at 9 am, Zoom & IN-Person
Alexander Tech Mondays at 6:30 pm
Jennifer Kjos
Certified Pilates Instructor
Jennifer Kjos began studying pilates as a young dancer in Miami, Florida and continues to utilize the technique herself to this day. A firm believer in pilates for its ideal balance of strength and flexibility, Jennifer has been teaching for more than 20 years and is consistently interested in the body and alignment. When Jennifer is not teaching she works in the field of dance and performance. Some other certifications include Gyrotonic and Reiki. Here for you to build a pleasurable relationship with your body, to relieve pain, and to reach any other personal goals for your ongoing well-being.
JoLynn Day
Certified Pilates Instructor
With over 15 years of personal experience as a dedicated Pilates practitioner, JoLynn, brings a profound understanding of the transformative power of Pilates to her clients. She has dealt with scoliosis and alignment issues that brought on chronic pain and has found that she was able to overcome that through consistent Pilates practice. JoLynn loves to stand-up paddle board, golf and garden and has found the benefits of Pilates enables her to engage in and improve in these activities. She is passionate about sharing the benefits of Pilates with others and empowering them to achieve their fitness and wellness goals.
JoLynn received her comprehensive certification through Core Pilates NYC. As a certified Pilates instructor, conducts sessions for clients of various levels, ranging from beginners to intermediate recreational athletes. She specializes in developing and implementing customized Pilates programs tailored to individual goals and health considerations including osteoporosis and knee issues.
Available Wednesdays & Thursdays 4pm-8pm
Hannah Lawrence
Certified Pilates Instructor
Hannah Lawrence is a California native who moved to Brooklyn after receiving her BFA in Musical Theatre (CCM). She fell in love with Pilates during her time in college and it has since become an integrated part of her life. Hannah received her Pilates Mat and equipment certifications through the Kane school and has gone on to become a teacher trainer. In addition to pilates, she has her certification in Vinyasa Yoga from Three Sister’s Yoga. She has a devotion for movement, breath, specificity, and warmth in her practice while focusing on healthy alignment and strength. Hannah believes in discovering through sessions the most effective and efficient ways your body can achieve your goals. With practice in working with pre/post natal and injury, Hannah can adapt to however you’re feeling on a day-to day basis. She has loved being a part of the garage team since 2017.
Availability varies Tuesday-Saturday
Judy Thurau
Certified Pilates Instructor
Judy has struggled with alignment issues and pain due to scoliosis her entire life. To stay in shape, she studied karate for years, ultimately receiving her brown belt. Unable to continue due to pain, she tried different treatment programs and exercise modalities. After breaking her ankle in 2006 and her alignment and pain worsened, a friend recommended Pilates. Pilates brought body awareness, mobility, and strength while being pain-free. Pilates has since become part of her daily life. Being so inspired and hopeful by her experience and benefits, her mission is to help others do the same. Judy strives to show others how to better organize their body through awareness, breath, and movement and live a life of wellness. She’s worked with clients that have presented with scoliosis, osteoporosis, knee, back, hip, and shoulder injuries, and pre-and post-natal care. Judy has received her anatomy, mat, and equipment certifications through Kane School of Core Integration and is thrilled to be part of the PG team.
Reach out for availability
Paige Drach
Certified Mat Pilates Instructor
Paige is originally from New Jersey, where she began training in ballet at the age of 5. For 12 years, she danced at the Academy of Ballet NJ in West Berlin, New Jersey, performing in full-length ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, and Coppélia. Paige also studied ballet at notable summer intensive programs with American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Academy of Dance Chicago, The Joffrey Ballet School in New York, and Ballet Chicago. Throughout her ballet training, Pilates conditioning classes were often incorporated into the curriculum to enhance dancer’s strength, mindfulness, and alignment. Fascinated by the body awareness that Pilates brought into her dancing, Paige was inspired to become a certified mat Pilates instructor through East River Pilates’ teacher training program. Paige also earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Women’s and Gender Studies with a minor in Arts and Entertainment Management and a minor in Spanish from Pace University. She is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Dance Education from NYU with a concentration in American Ballet Theatre ballet pedagogy.
Available for Private Mat Pilates Sundays 11am-4pm & Mondays 10am- 4pm
Available for private mat on Zoom
Community Mat Sundays at noon & Mondays at 1pm
Jessica Ree
Certified Pilates Instructor
Jessica Ree started taking Pilates at 14 after a dance-related back injury left her looking for more strength for her over-flexible body. She started in California with Rael Isacowitz. After years of taking Pilates, she decided to combine her love of Pilates with her love of teaching. She became certified through Body Tonic Pilates Gymnasium in Brooklyn, NY. Jessica has also taken courses on exercise during pregnancy. She enjoys introducing Pilates to new students.
Zoom Pilates Mat Sundays at 10 & 11 am
Satori Folkes-Stone
Certified Mat Pilates Instructor
Los Angeles born and raised Satori Folkes-Stone is an inaugural alumna of the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance. Just after graduation, she made her 2020 Broadway debut in Ivo Van Hove’s Westside Story. Pilates and other somatic practices played a major role in her dance training and injury rehabilitation. Satori finds Pilates to be a pleasant and intuitive path towards healing. In her teaching practice, Satori centers breath, self-love, and embodiment. She’s interested in how rigor and ease can be close friends and how we might whole-heartedly accept and support the body we bring to the mat every day. Satori is most excited by populations that need a gentle or unique approach to their practice to manage injuries or a changing body.
Available for Private Mat pilates Sundays 9-1pm.
Eva Solnick
Certified Mat Pilates Instructor
Eva is currently a Free-Lance Dance Artist in New York City. She has danced professionally with Ballet BC, Marla Phelan, and Helen Simoneau Danse, as well as working as creative assistant for new creations for the Alvin Ailey School, and Colombia Ballet Collaborative. She has pursued other creative endeavors with multidisciplinary artists in galleries and for New York Fashion Week.
Beginning as a ballet dancer before transitioning into other forms of dance, Pilates has always been a supportive ally for her body. It has been a safe place for her body to unwind amidst the changing currents of life and dance.
In hopes that she could share the benefits of Pilates with her community, Eva received her mat certification from the Kane School in New York City in 2022. Her class focuses on breath, alignment, sensation, coordination, visualization and flow. She creates a warm, supportive and generous environment for her clients, allowing them to learn how to trust their bodies in new and exploratory ways. She believes that every body can benefit greatly from moving in a supportive and attuned way.
Eva has also trained with somatic practitioner and bodyworker Kimberly Ann Johnson, to learn how to work with the body through the lens of healing trauma through the nervous system. She currently trains with movement specialist Anneke Hanson, and will complete an extensive training of her method in 2025.
Community Mat Wednesdays at 1pm
Zoom Mat Thursdays at 6pm
Theresa Squire
Co-owner & Certified Pilates Instructor
Theresa is a costume designer, pilates instructor and former dancer who loves dancing around with her little girl. Pilates helped her recover from multiple knee injuries (including ACL reconstruction) and has supported her through pregnancy and beyond. Her love of teaching and helping others lead to her certification at the Kane School of Core Integration in New York. She continues to further her education through workshops and master classes. Her clients have a wide variety of goals beyond just getting in shape. They range from addressing chronic issues and injury recovery to surf camp prep and getting in tune with their body. Whatever your interest, her sessions are tailored to your overall goals as well as the needs of any given day.
Availability varies Monday-Friday
Pilates Mat Tuesdays at 7pm, Zoom & IN-Person
Zoom Pilates Mat Mondays at 10am
Zoom Pilates Mat Fridays at 9am
Kay Ottinger
Certified Pilates Instructor
Kay has been dancing professionally in New York since 2010. She continues to be exposed to diverse movement practices that live and breath through her investigations as a mover and a teacher. Her desire for a deeper understanding of our structures mechanics led her to Pilates. She received her Pilates certification through the Kane School in 2015, and continued to study under her mentor Eleanor Hullihan and with Clarice Marshall. She has taught at Finetune, Julliard, Sarah Lawrence College, New York Pilates, Dynamic Bodies Pilates, and for the ABT summer intensive. Her clases have for a long time been open level as a way to teach who is in the room and offer various options for all levels. Kay has completed Pre and Postnatal trainings with Dianne Graci and hypermobility with Ashley Mathews and continuing education workshops with Irene Dowd and Stephen Williams. Kay was co-founder of 2nd Story Pilates + Yoga in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Available Sundays 10-4pm
Equipment Circuit Sundays at 3pm
Donnell Oakley
Certified Pilates Instructor
Donnell is Pilates certified through Polestar Pilates LLC and has been teaching private and group instructions around New York since 2003. Her interest in movement began as a young dancer and has continued through her dedicated study of anatomy, bio mechanics, and various dance styles. She places an emphasis on fluidity and seeing the body as a whole in which its constituent parts work to contribute to that whole. The goal is to transform our restrictive and possibly painful habits into an unbound and well-aligned moving body. Donnell has worked with clients challenged by scoliosis, plantar fasciitis, post-op prostatectomy pelvic floor dysfunction, spinal disc herniation, spinal stenosis, bursitis, various shoulder injuries and worked with prenatal and postpartum women. Donnell eagerly continues to broaden her understanding of the body in motion through various workshops at the Kane School of Core Integration/Kinected, Steele Pilates, The Pilates Garage, The Franklin Method, her employment at Corinthian Physical Therapy from 2009-2015 and as a professional contemporary teacher, dancer and choreographer. Most recently she attended Healthy Necks with Kelly Kane and Deepening Therapeutic Skills with Kelly Kane and Scott Lyons. She has loved considering The Pilates Garage to be one of her homes since 2005.
Available to teach on Zoom only