Mornings in “Heaven”

WAITSBURG - A hand­ful of Waitsburg residents spend a portion of each Thursday morning in "Heav­en," intently focusing on ev­ery movement of their body as Patti Jo Amerein gently adjusts and repositions them. "The Heaven Space" is what Claire Johnston and Jim German have dubbed the long, narrow room con­necting jimgermanbar and the AMO Gallery -- the space where Amerien, a former professional dancer, instructs the group in the practice of Pilates.

Amerein danced profes­sionally in Las Vegas for many years before meeting her husband, Chuck, and moving to Dayton where Chuck owned a CrossFit gym. Patti Jo taught dance classes at the gym and cho­reographed Touchet Valley Arts Council (TVAC) pro­ductions at the Liberty The­ater. She also gave lessons in dressage - sometimes referred to as "Horse Ballet."

Amerein said her careers in Pilates and dressage both stemmed from her profes­sional dance career. She first used Pilates to rehabilitate from a hamstring injury and went on to become certified through the Vasi Body Arts & Science Industry in 2006. When she retired from dance due to a knee injury and subsequent surgery, she took up dressage which she says is "kind of like dancing on a horse."

Two years ago, the couple moved to a small farm on McKay Alto Road, just out­side Waitsburg and Chuck expanded his business to in­clude a second CrossFit gym in Walla Walla. Amerein no longer teaches dance, but is using her skills to add a new dimension - Pilates -- to the already diverse and chal­lenging workouts at CrossFit Walla Walla.

"Integrating Pilates into a CrossFit program gives a much more rounded work­out," said Amerein. "Cross­Fit uses big movements that often have a lot of weight or inertia behind them - think of running or weightlifting. Pilates uses small move­ments which take a lot of concentration and muscle control. They teach you how to stabilize while mo­bilizing, which is handy for CrossFit exercises."

CrossFit programs are typically four days a week, with a day off for rest. Be­cause Pilates focuses on stretching and controlled movement, it's the perfect "rest day" exercise. Adding a Pilates class is a way for those involved in a CrossFit program to exercise five days a week.

Amerein said the Waits­burg class sprang up "out of the blue." "Several people in town expressed an interest and when Jim and Claire of­fered up the space, we went for it." What began with just a few people is now a group of six or seven regulars.

When asked the differ­ence between Pilates and Yoga, Amerein explained that Yoga is much more meditative and that poses are held for longer periods of time. Pilates is much more active, with less focus on meditation. "I'm very inter­active and hands-on with my clients. I'm also a real stick­ler on form," said Amerein. "I try to keep my class size to ten or less so that I can give everyone the attention they need. If someone has a strength or flexibility issue, I can provide a modification so that they can still get the benefit and do the exercise correctly."

Amerein says she is hap­py to add more classes if there is a demand. "It's been kind of challenging getting Pilates into smaller areas," she said. "Some people don't understand it and some are afraid of it. If people want to do it, I'll teach it!"

Amerein says she prefers to have one private ses­sion with newcomers to go through the moves so that she can focus completely on them and to learn if they may be dealing with limitations such as knee or hip replace­ments. "I can always modify so that anybody can do it, even if not to the highest intensity."

In addition to teaching Pilates at CrossFit Walla Walla and in Waitsburg, Amerein is choreograph­ing performances for the upcoming TVAC Spring Variety Show. She also gives private dressage lessons and plans to focus more on riding in the spring and sum­mer. Anyone interested in learning more about Pilates classes and dressage training may contact Patti Jo at (509) 337-6025.