MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS
Tonya
Tonya is a 200 hour certified yoga instructor that earned her hours from Monica Mathews at The Yoga Unit. She is also a certified barre instructor, 100 hr yin certified and ariel certified. She has been practicing yoga for over 15 years and has a love for all things fitness. Her love for fitness started at an early age and she thrives on activity that is fun and fulfilling. In addition to yoga, she also has a passion for weight training, hiking and any activity that will challenge her. When she is not in the studio, she is keeping her 3 energetic pups, Buster, Bree and Spike in shape with daily walks and hikes.
Mary
Mary is a certified Barre Intensity Instructor. Growing up dancing and tumbling, Mary has always loved the world of fitness. In 2017, she found Barre and immediately knew she found her perfect workout. In every class Mary combines attributes of Pilates, dance and functional fitness to create a powerful and intense workout. She loves to challenge her clients and motivate them to push beyond their comfort zone. Mary believes a positive attitude and a belief in oneself can make what seems to be impossible, possible.
When Mary is not at “the Barre” you can find her running around town with her three kids going from school to soccer to dance to baseball and more. Mary and her husband, Ray, always encourage their children to have an active, healthy and balanced lifestyle.
Fred
Fred has always enjoyed Boot Camps, P90X, Insanity, jogging and bike riding. due a back injury, Someone suggested for him to take Pilates class to stretch & strengthen the muscles.
He quickly started taking more Pilates classes which became his favorite form of exercise because of the intensity while being low impact.
Fred received his Comprehensive Pilates Certification thru Pilates Sports Center which includes Matwork, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair and Ladder. Barrel. Fred is also certified in TRX, PSM (Pilates Suspension method) and HIIT (Tabata GX).
Fred loves to teach challenging classes to get his students out of their comfort zone by combining all types of class formats into one.
A message from Fred.”I love to share my fitness passion with my clients. I share it by teaching Pilates classes using the correct form and proper breathing. My main goal is to keep the clients back and spine healthy by flexing, extending, bending and twisting while doing it safely and having fun.”
TONI
Toni has been an instructor of PiYo and TRX since October 2015. She feels fortunate to be able to teach 2 formats that she absolutely loves. While a novice instructor, she was given the opportunity to bring PiYo to the studio and share her love for this format.
In February 2017, she was able to add TRX to her certifications and has loved developing these classes for her students. In her words "I feel so lucky to be a fitness instructor, it’s my passion and I have a genuine love for teaching. I am fortunate that my teaching experience has been been surrounded by instructors that I respect and clients that have become friends. I don’t even consider teaching work, it’s doing what I love most and I am grateful that I can continue to bring fun and challenging fitness formats to the studio”
Toni is a wife and mother. She grew up in San Dimas and went to college in San Diego. She has a BA in English-Creative Writing. Toni has always enjoyed fitnesS, but it wasn’t until after her second child that she got serious about heath and nutrition too. ADDITIONALLY, Toni is a health coach.
Gina
Gina has been instructing group fitness for over a decade. She teaches a variety of formats, including Barre, Bodyworks, Pilates, and TRX. She promotes a positive environment while challenging students to reach their full potential. She understands the importance of teaching the individual, offering modifications and progressions whenever possible. Gina believes that anyone who desires to improve his or her physical and mental wellness can do so by becoming part of a fun and motivating fitness community.
Gina has been married to her firefighter hubby since 2003, and together they are raising four kids. She enjoys homeschooling her children, volunteers weekly at church, and enjoys taking karate classes. She has a bachelor of arts degree, loves to read and play the guitar, and says she “would never turn down a good cup of coffee!"
Alexis
Alexis grew up in Mexicali, Mexico until completing her studies in the US. She started dancing at the age of 8 and started as an assistant dance teacher at age 14. Since she can remember, she has always had a passion for dancing and exercise.
At age 16, she began to integrate kickboxing, spinning, and weightlifting into her dance routine. After high school, she moved to San Diego to study Nutrition and Health. After college, she decided to further her studies by going to dental school in San Francisco, CA. She also discovered her true passion for running by completing half & full marathons. Endurance has always been key to her life routine.
After dental school, she moved back to Los Angeles and discovered Barralates! The first time she took a class she knew it was her new favorite workout!! She loves it because she can combine her passions of dance and cardio to tone the body whily using body weight.
Liz
Liz left a corporate career to focus on building a balanced life (physical, mental, spiritual). Liz discovered new fitness options during this time of reinvention. Eventually, Liz started each day with 2 Barre and/or Pilates classes. As the days turned into months, she found it: the allusive mind body connection! She felt each muscle wake up as she connected each breath and intentional movement!
As she fell in love with herself again, she also fell in love with the Barre Element community! She was INSPIRED by the community and had a vision to grow Barre Element to serve even more people. Therefore, she went from taking Barre classes to helping at the front desk to owning the studio.
Since 2019, Liz is now TRX, Barralates, AND 200-HOUR YOGA certified. She is in progress to complete Club Pilates Teacher Training. additionally, liz is reiki 1 certified which begins her healing and spiritual.