Testimonials - Fit Mind Body Brain

“Hallie Love helped me stretch my tight muscles and heal the parts of my body that were aching. As a yoga therapist she has a gift for personalizing one’s practice and empowering her students with tips and tools so they can make yoga a daily rather than an hourly habit.”

“I grew up being told by family members and dressmakers that one of my hips was higher than the other. Several years ago I was in chronic back, neck and shoulder pain, was diagnosed by a chiropractor as having scoliosis and was fitted with a lift for my left shoe. I continued to see the chiropractor, a physical therapist, and a massage therapist but never had any lasting relief. When I tried yoga in a large group class I injured myself. Then I found Hallie and began her restorative and reformer classes. In five short months of Pilates for Yoga I was free of back pain, and had greater flexibility in my entire body. I have 75% improved range of motion in my neck and my legs are of even length with no lift in my shoe. My posture is improved and my core muscles are strong. I sleep better and my clothes fit better. I am very thankful to Hallie for her personal interest in my health and for her encouragement to me as a very late bloomer in the physical fitness arena!” Santa Fe, NM

“Pilates for Yoga has taught me the importance of moving from core, and how that positively impacts all areas of my body. I have had lower back problems for 12 years, but by practicing Pilates for Yoga® I have gained strength and body awareness so I can now enjoy the following sports again - running, rock-climbing. skiing, hiking and bicycling.” Santa Fe, NM

“For over 2 years I had low back twinges and spasms when I tried to stretch, as well as tight shoulders and pain in my jaw and hips. After sitting I had to un-kink and limp before I could walk. After training in Pilates for Yoga, I’m able to move freely. I use my core and know how to stretch properly and relieve tightness in my hips and shoulders. I feel more energetic and radiant.”

Betsy Pierce, architect, mid-fifties, Santa Fe.

Dr. Smith teaches and does research in Health Psychology and Positive Psychology. Health Psychology examines the relationships between the mind and the body and how behavior and stress are related to health. Positive Psychology examines how psychology and science can enable people to become their best selves and live lives of meaning and fulfillment. He has published over 50 articles in peer-reviewed psychology and science journals and has trained at the National Institutes of Health in functioning neuroimaging.

Final_5x7_TIF “As a Doctor of Clinical Psychology and educator, I have witnessed the need for balance in our lives. Pilates for Yoga® is an excellent avenue toward this end, addressing physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being. The mind-body-connected core movement provides a safe, sound foundation for all movement activities, and it’s a terrific exercise form in and of itself. The mind-body practices have a calming effect, helping to alleviate stress and support increased confidence, centeredness, and inner balance. Pilates for Yoga® is a healthful choice for a fit body and a fit mind.” Santa Fe, NM

”I came to Hallie with issues of poor posture and back pain. With core strengthening and alignment I am now pain-free and strong and can keep lifting furniture for my clients. Hallie knows the bodies of her students, and helps each of us attain optimum health. The harmony and balance I find in Pilates for Yoga® classes benefits every aspect of my life.” Santa Fe, NM

“When I met Hallie I was in chronic pain due to a climbing accident where I broke my back when I was 17. Even falling asleep was difficult and I would often wake up in the middle of the night tossing and turning. Every time I had tried to exercise I would trigger a back spasm that would incapacitate me. Through the years I tried chiropractic care, therapeutic massage, and acupuncture, which helped with acute incidences, but did nothing to cure the root problem. I started working with Hallie in supported restorative yoga postures. After 3 weeks my chronic back pain ceased. I felt myself getting stronger and more limber and started working with Hallie on the Pilates reformer machine. The precision and variety of the movements combined with the inner mindfulness was enjoyable and energizing. My back felt stable. My abdominal core muscles felt solid. The chronic pain never returned. Aside from the delight of my body feeling great, there was an unexpected benefit - while doing Pilates and yoga in Hallie’s classes, I experienced an awareness of my internal energetic body which led to a spiritual awakening - it was as if the poses and movements and my focus on them acted as a portal for me. This experience has been every bit as profound as the physical benefits. I have become strong enough to take up running and weight training. I would say to anyone who wishes to feel better, stronger, more flexible more able to perform whatever kind of physical task you have in mind, Pilates for Yoga will get you there. Hallie is an astute teacher, used to working with people who have physical limitations.” Santa Fe, NM

“I get compliments all the time about my posture and how fit I am. To me, Pilates for Yoga® is like taking a vacation from stress.” Santa Fe, NM

"iRest® deepened my understanding of mind-body healing and helped me to reveal a bottomless resource of empowerment and innovation. I continue to find more balance in all aspects of my life and find strength to create more positive and productive experiences. The sessions facilitated a sense of openness and acceptance, leaving me better equipped to face challenges with a broader sense of inspired possibilities and solutions." Santa Fe, NM

“When I first walked into Hallie’s studio I had been in constant pain in my back and shoulders for over ten years. Even after the first one hour session the pain diminished and I felt myself unwinding from years of pain. As I progressed with several sessions I learned to keep myself pain-free!” Santa Fe, NM

Former World Champion Telemark Ski and mountain Bike Racer endorsed by Powerbar and Nike. Currently an International Computer Technology Professional.

"I had knee surgery for a skiing accident. I tried numerous rehab programs for years including yoga. Only through Pilates for Yoga® was I able to resume high level athletic activity."

Santa Fe, NM

David Goyer, Hollywood Screenwriter (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and many other Hollywood blockbusters), Director and Producer

After his Pilates for Yoga® therapy session, “I feel great!” Tesuque, NM

“I have had low back pain for years. After 3 personal training hours I now have no pain at all, and even feel like I could salsa dance! Pilates for Yoga® is giving me more energy at work and it takes away the stress." Santa Fe, NM

"I have been striving to do something I love to do for 46 years. My objective has been harmony. Prior to iRest® I was getting 20% of “self love harmonious time” - a pretty good percentage for an American. However, within 6 weeks of my first iRest® session the percentage of my harmonious time increased to 99%. I now realize it is always possible at any moment, and any day of the week or year, and anywhere I find myself, to experience calm and harmony.

“My knees are shot - arthritic, no cartilage, the ACL is torn, ligaments are shot. When I decided to run again, Hallie prescribed the CW-X pants. Because the pants supply support laterally at the knee, I have no stress on my knees. I also appreciate the core support and the support from vertical impact.” Santa Fe, NM

"I found myself in a mid-life crisis, with stress accelerating everything. I was "angry guy,"running on empty with no tools. When my young son told me he wanted to be a yelling daddy just like me, I realized I needed balance. In a one-hour session of iRest, I found a new path allowing me to be strong, kind and flexible. It's profound. I have a new sense of being calm, patient and peaceful, and I'm looking in the direction I want to go now." Santa Fe, NM

“This training has helped my back, my sciatic nerve - everything!” Santa Fe, NM

"I am a 64 year old metallurgical engineer and a Certified Level 3 Ski Instructor and 33 year member of PSIA (Professional Ski Instructors of America). The combination of training in engineering and ski instruction combined with experience in teaching people to ski has given me an appreciation for how the body must work to perform a sport efficiently.

Good ski technique must be performed from a stable core to develop optimal power, balance and refined performance. Hallie stresses alignment to actuate the core properly. Lights were turning on for me from the first class -- how to relax my facial, shoulder, and pelvic muscles, and how to align my joints to perform movements using the core.

"I have been fortunate to have spent quite a bit of time working with Hallie Love’s Pilates for Yoga®, and have achieved a great deal of improvement in my quality of life. She has developed a therapeutically unique system to achieve her goals of body optimization. Using her skills as a Pilates specialist and a certified yoga therapist, Hallie calls attention to the core, supporting the lower abdominals, hips, knees and ankles, as well as the upper body, neck, shoulders and arms. Her comprehension of body movement and alignment is unsurpassed." Santa Fe, NM

Level 3 Certified Professional Ski Instructors Association (PSIA) Instructor and Trainer. Formerly a scientist and inventor.

"At age 71, I thought I was doomed to deterirate. I have been involvd in sports all my life. As a result of Pilates for Yoga® I learned how to stretch in a way that permanently alleviates hip, knees and back pain and I have increased stability and flexibility. In my opinion the Pilates for Yoga® system should be part of the national PSIA training." Santa Fe, NM

"To be guided into such a relaxed and open state was easier than I anticipated, and the experience was akin to a mini vacation. The immediate feeling was that I had achieved more rest than some full nights of sleep. But even better, that feeling didn't end with the session. I found myself singing cheery songs to myself all day and feeling even more hopeful and productive than normal. During iRest I saw a warm, loving, inspiring light that I invited to fill my body. The sensation was so real, and I love that at any given time now I can be fully aware of that light. Sometimes I return to awareness of that light because I want to feel calm in a stressful situation, other times it is because I need a creative boost. As an artist, I see this experience as awakening even more curiosity - "What if....any time I felt less-than-inspired I could call upon this light and let it guide me to creative expressions that I never dared approach?" As a person, this experience can help me in endless ways; when I'm frustrated in traffic, the light can soothe me. When a friend is in need, the light can calm me and encourage the right words. When I'm overwhelmed with multitasking, the light can remind me that everything gets done in due time. " Santa Fe, NM

“With Pilates for Yoga® there’s no more hip pain!” Santa Fe, NM

“When I met Hallie at an intensive yoga therapy training program, my painful jaw joint continuously popped (TMJ disorder) , and I had lived for 15 years with shoulder, neck and S-I (sacrum) joint pain. Hallie surveyed my overall stance and alignment, and I gratefully agreed to become her “patient.” She began directing me in subtle yet specific ways of structural realignment and muscular shifts. She could see what I could not see for myself. This process felt good, first of all because of Hallie’s ability to make me feel like the most important person in the world to her at that moment, and also because it caused a deep feeling of relaxation and freedom through my whole being. Hallie worked with me over 5 days using guided relaxation and meditation, strengthening and realigning yoga asana, lifestyle modifications such as uncrossing legs and aligning hamstrings while seated, and releasing techniques centered around my jaw and head. Within 2 days the TMJ pain was gone, and I had almost full range of motion. By the 4th day I could open my mouth completely wide. I have continued her Yoga therapy prescription which includes stabilization postures for my pelvis, and stretching postures for the tight side of my back. Within 5 days my neck was pain-free and my S-I joints much improved. Hallie’s personal experience with TMJ along with her wealth of knowledge and experience as a Yoga Therapist uniquely qualifies her to bring relief and health to anyone with a TMJ disorder.” Scottsdale, Arizona

“I had serious back surgery and never expected to have mobility in my back again. Before I stated Pilates for Yoga I could not get up and down off the ground or lie on my back. Now I’m doing forward and backward bends safely and am pain free. It’s amazing!” Santa Fe, NM

“As a young girl I had scoliosis, but it was never diagnosed and went undetected until I was in my 30s. That's when serious back pain began in the form of spasms that would last as long as two weeks. Since I have been taking Hallie’s classes, I have stopped having those pains. The re-alignment of my body and the physical strength, the breathing techniques and yoga mental awareness I now have is the reason I am able to stay pain free. Not only do I feel in good physical shape, including lowering my blood pressure through the mind-body practices, but mentally, I know I am better able to deal with the ups and downs of life, such as my husband’s life-threatening medical diagnosis, thanks to Hallie’s pilates and yoga classes.”

Liz Trupin-Pulli, literary agent, Santa Fe, age 64.

A two-time member of the Canadian National Swim Team and an Olympic Trial qualifier, Lois also excelled in swimming at the University of Miami, Florida winning 13 All American awards. Her twenty-three year professional experience includes coaching at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia as the Head Coach of the Macedonian Olympic Swimming Team; Head Coach of the Chateauguay Aquatic Club, Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Head Coach and owner of Peak Performance Swim Camp in Orlando, Florida; and currently owner of DNA Performance Group in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

“Thanks to Hallie, no more hip pain!” Santa Fe, NM

Former World Champion Mountain Bike Racer, 1st place winner Alaska Iditabike. Currently, a fine artist.

"My back went out. I had severe neck pain, back pain, sciatica. No therapies worked until Pilates for Yoga®. It has taught me tools to stay pain-free for the rest of my life." Santa Fe, NM

I’m a woman well into the other half of her century. I spent many years hunched over a desk and computer as an engineer and educator while squeezing in running (later walking)/ hiking/skiing whenever possible. My husband and I also did a great deal of construction work for about ten years together and found I was able to do less and less over the last 20 years with increasingly debilitating back pain.

Four years ago I had a spinal fusion with complications that led to a second corrective surgery 2 years later. The last four years were extremely painful and I was firmly deciding to: never walk into a surgeon’s office again and do everything I could to get out of pain including walking, hiking and rounds of my physical therapy exercises. My neighbor, an MD, called me “the poster child for rehab.” But I still was in pain. Was I going to end up a hunched-up ol’ gal—even before I was an ol’ gal? Did I just have to accept I could not sit or stand without pain, just walk around to stay sort of comfortable, get up during the night to walk around and do a few exercises to bring the pain level down a bit?

Read more: Mary Ann Lewis, Retired

Pilates for Yoga®experience: "I can honestly say that I have never experienced so much relief after just one session than I have with any of the other dozens of modalities and practitioners I have been to. Using the Pilates machine and with Hallie to guide me, I was able to get into positions that brought so much alignment and deep feel-good stretching the only word is bliss. This technique that Hallie is teaching is revolutionary in that it is incredibly effective and the way she teaches is very safe. I can feel when I am out of alignment and now have techniques to bring myself back. She showed me so many things I can do at home!"

Nura lends her 40 years experience in leadership training, community development and holistic health. Nura currently travels all over the world, helping the underserved and conducting leadership trainings and healing retreats. She lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico and Calcutta, India.

"Hallie is a biomechanical genius. Through her teaching my body found its center of movement."

“ After a couple of private lessons with Hallie I was amazed I was able to enjoy my favorite activities - mountain biking and hiking - with no pain! Even after pedaling the mountain bike - a repetitive-motion activity that usually cripples me with knee pain for days after - I was feeling great. Pain free mountain biking and hiking! Imagine - I could not have done that without Pilates for Yoga®!" Durham, North Carolina

“I am a former Navy Captain, and with PilatesforYoga I turned from a Tin Man who couldn’t bend into a flexible Gumby practically overnight. PilatesforYoga is for real men. It’s the best core workout I ever had.”

Peter Murphy, Retirement and Estate Planning Advisor, Santa Fe.

“ Since coming to Pilates for Yoga® I have greatly improved my knee, and have learned how to untwist my pelvis which had been a source of much pain and injuries throughout my life. Seated meditation, once a source of discomfort and pain afterwards is now comfortable. I am now able to ski and hike again without pain. I highly recommend this training to anyone who has suffered from athletic injuries.” Espanola, NM

Rebecca_Goldstein Rebecca Newberger Goldstein, American novelist and professor of philosophy. Humanist of the Year; Fellow, Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study; Guggenheim Fellow; Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences; MacArthur Fellow; Graduated summa cum laude from Barnard College, receiving the Montague Prize for Excellence in Philosophy; while at Princeton University, she was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship; Whiting Foundation Fellowship.

“I am not a person who usually goes in for either yoga or meditation.

All my previous experiences in these domains had left me cold and skeptical. But I was visiting as a scholar at the Santa Fe Institute for three months, and someone I met praised Hallie Love to me so highly that I thought I’d suspend my disbelief and go see her, at least once.

Unknown "I live a high stress life. Non-stop business and travel over many time zones. The layers of stress had me so armored, hostile, frenetic, distracted and agitated I was looking at the world through dirty glasses or film or a window where life is filtered, where you are not getting the vibrant colors or feelings of life because you've got all this armor. After my iRest sessions I felt the world come alive visually and viscerally, like I was hitting on all 8 cylinders. Layers of stress and armor had lifted. My senses were greatly enhanced, my heart felt softer I had more empathy and tolerance and a new level of contentment that was self-soothing and internally fulfilling." Kauai Hawaii

“I never go out to exercise without the CW-X pants. I walk and I bike in them and experience less fatigue and no post exercise pain."

Steve Swart, Doctor of Oriental Medicine, Santa Fe.

"I've studied and practiced Buddhist meditation, yoga, visualization techniques and self hypnosis for 26 years. During my first one-hour iRest session I was able to achieve a deeper meditative state than I have ever reached before. It was a profound sense of peace and stillness, and the session felt like it was 5 minutes long or could have been a timeless eternity. The experience that was the most amazing to me was the feeling of total dissolution of my physical body so that I literally became one with everything. I was deeply moved and connected. The depth of Hallie's teaching, knowledge, patience, loving guidance, intuitiveness and connection is astounding. I strongly recommend anyone who wants to move more quickly and deeply into the world of mindfulness and meditation to work with Hallie." Corrales, N.M.

Dr. Sue Kimm received her MD and Masters in Public Health from Yale Medical School. She has over 40 years experience in research and teaching including work at Duke University Medical Center, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of new Mexico Medical Center.

"Before Pilates for Yoga I didn't want to move because everything would creak, crack and hurt. Now I move from my core and it's easy to move my body. Because I move I have more energy now and I feel happier and peppier. Pilates for Yoga has made a big difference in my daily life."

Dr. Seymour G., MD, MPH, SM, Dr.Ph, holds a degree in public health from Harvard Medical School, has over 40 years experience in research and teaching and currently works with the National Institutes of Health on various research projects.

"I'm getting stronger and more limber with Pilates for Yoga. It's so much easier to get out of my chair now that I use my core. I think of the core when I get out of bed, and I walk better because of the core awareness I've gained."

Ted serves as Gardner Carney Leadership Institute founder and executive director; a teacher of English, History and Math; and an educational consultant who has worked with independent schools, public school districts, and non-profit organizations internationally. He specializes in teacher leadership, literacy, and organizational change, and oversees philanthropic projects in education and medicine in India and Thailand.

"Hallie has an extraordinary capacity to unwind, rebalance and revitalize me. She taught me the pain I've experienced for decades is a pattern that I now know how to miraculously release. Though I've worked with extraordinary healers from all over the world, I have never experienced anything as powerful and all encompassing as what Hallie has taught my body and nervous system." Santa Fe, NM

Soulstice dance band lead singer and business manager

“Hallie’s Pilates for Yoga and Meditation classes were instrumental in my healing process. I gained so much from them in dealing with stress and physical pain. Many chronic pain problems with my back and sacrum were fixed by Hallie’s instruction and her keen eye for what was going on with me. I have been able to integrate what I learned into my daily life. Hallie is a super teacher.” Santa Fe, NM

iRest® experience: "Whenever there were difficult circumstances in my life, my way of dealing with them was to force forward with every fiber, get a grip on everything around me and seize control. My mind was always full of 100 ways I was going to solve all my problems and everyone else's if they'd only do what I told them to do. By living this way I was making myself sick with stress. I found the iRest training to be of immense value for myself and everyone around me. I felt much calmer and 200% physically better. No more migraines. I am now able to listen patiently to others instead of telling them what to do and trying to "fix" everything. I feel more positive, less burdened, and the hard things in my life go a whole lot easier. I sleep better too."