ped·a·go·gy
ˈpe-də-ˌgō-jē
: the art, science, or profession of teaching
Pilates Pedagogy
October 14 - 17, 2027
Learning something new can be fun. Deepening your knowledge in an area about which you are passionate can be rewarding. Doing either of these things in a beautiful, comfortable and intimate setting with world-class instruction, hands-on guidance, likeminded friends, and nutrient-dense meals prepared with love can be a dream come true. It was, in fact, my dream to create such a program for the international Pilates community. I am so happy I now get to invite you to Heirloom Springs, a farm in rural Virginia where nature, movement, mentoring, and more come together. I hope you will join me for a long weekend where honing your Pilates skills is only the beginning.
Reinventing ourselves and continuing to define who we want to be as teachers is an ongoing journey. Whether you have two years of experience or 20, continuing to redefine what’s important, keeping up with your education journey, and staying grounded in your body is what will give you the longevity needed to teach in the Pilates world.
Join us for a weekend filled with exploration, education, redefining skills, and taking a deep inward look on where we may have neglected ourselves and importantly, how to fill that void. Each attendee will have the opportunity to book a personal assessment (during free time) with follow up notes about what they can be working on to improve their personal practice, and how that might benefit their teaching going forward.
This is a retreat not a conference, so we will enjoy a weekend filled with camaraderie, farm to table for the soul, soaking in the forest, and all Mother Nature has to offer, while taking a much needed digital detox.
2026 Pedagogy Retreat Schedule
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10am Arrival
10:30am Farm Tour + Nourishing Yourself with Rachael Lieck Bryce
11am Mat Class with Rachael Lieck Bryce & Valerie Ezzo Lopata
12pm Lunch
1:30pm Workshop - Look Again — Observation, Attention, and the Teacher's Eye with Rachael Lieck Bryce & Valerie Ezzo
3pm Workshop - See It, Say It, Teach It with Rachael Lieck Bryce & Valerie Ezzo
5pm Hike to Gazebo & Yoga with Grace Ranson
6:45pm Dinner and Drinks
9:00pm End of Day
Look Again — Observation, Attention, and the Teacher's Eye
We think we are watching. But are we really seeing? This workshop begins with a humbling question and from there we go deep into one of the most underrated skills in teaching: true observation. We will explore how attention works, where it goes without us noticing, and how to train your eye to find what your students are actually doing rather than what you expect them to be doing. Expect to be surprised, challenged, and sent outside on a little adventure. You will never watch a class or session the same way again.
See It, Say It, Teach It
You have sharpened your eye. Now it is time to use it. This hands-on teaching lab takes everything uncovered in Look Again and puts it directly into practice on the mat. You will teach and be taught, observe and be observed, and begin to close the gap between what you see in a student's body and the words that come out of your mouth. This is where the real work happens in the room, in real time, with real bodies in front of you. Come ready to get uncomfortable, get curious, and leave with a teaching eye you did not have when you walked in.
Subject to change. Private Mentoring sessions will be available for booking before the start of the day and during free time. -
8:30am Breakfast
9:30am Mat Class with Susan Moran Sheehy
10:30amWorkshop - Hello ME! Regulate, Elevate & Soothe! with Susan Moran Sheehy
12:00pm Lunch + Farm Time
1:30pmWorkshop - Part II with Susan Moran Sheehy
3:45pm Optional Hike with Grace Ranson (and our goats Reese, Oreo & Buttercup!)
5:30pm Yoga Class with Grace Ranson
7:00pm Dinner
9:00pm End of Day
Workshop Descriptions:
Hello ME! Regulate, Elevate & Soothe!
Stuck in fight or flight, can't turn your brain off, a multi-tasker to the max, coffee-dependent, sleep-disturbed, weird body issues, easily sick, run-down, and prone to long naps during the day. Welcome to your dis-regulated nervous system.
Solution: a tool kit designed to easily shift the chemicals in your brain from fight or flight to rest and digest.
We spend most of our days focusing on our clients' wellness journey.
Pause; it's time to Shine the "light" inward, learn some new tools, and see results that are easily attainable with your NTK (Nervous System Took Kit).
In this workshop I will share my journey from dis-regution to regulation.
Offer tools that I have discovered and now use daily, both on myself and my clients, with great success!
Show up for yourself and see how everything in your life shifts for the better! Come with an open heart, ready to reveal, allow, and accept. And remember, you are AMAZING!
Subject to change. Private Mentoring sessions will be available for booking before the start of the day and during free time.
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8:30am Breakfast
9:30am Mat Class with Kristen Davis & Karen Sanzo
10:30amWorkshop - From Observation to Action Part I with Kristen Davis & Karen Sanzo
12:00pm Lunch + Farm Time
1:30pmWorkshop -From Observation to Action Part II with Kristen Davis & Karen Sanzo
4pm Optional Hike
5:30pm Yoga Class with Grace Ranson
7:30pm Dinner
Fireside + Star Gazing
9:00pm End of Day
From Observation to Action Part I & II
Continuing this year’s Pedagogy retreat theme of observation, this workshop aspires to help teachers make better choices when working with live bodies. Not everybody fits into the system, and instructors often need to level exercises up or down in the same lesson. Seasoned instructors Karen Sanzo and Kristen Davis bring a combined contemporary and classical spin to the art of leveling your clients: seeing, noticing and acting when an exercise needs to be broken down and modified or when an exercise needs to be advanced or made more challenging. Participants will learn both traditional and creative approaches to Pilates problem-solving, as well as strategies for programming and advancing clients thoughtfully.
Subject to change. Private Mentoring sessions will be available for booking before the start of the day and during free time.
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8:30am Breakfast
9:30am Mat Class
10:30am Workshop - What We Carry Forward — A Village Conversation with all our 2026 presenters
12:00pm Lunch + Farm Time
1:00pm Depart
What We Carry Forward — A Village Conversation - The best learning does not always happen in a single session with a single teacher. It happens in the spaces between — in the hallway conversation, at the dinner table, in the moment someone says something that lands differently because of everything that came before it. This closing session brings every voice in the room to the table. Presenters and participants alike. Because in this village, everyone has something worth saying and everyone has something left to learn. We will reflect on the weekend, share what moved us, challenge what surprised us, and talk honestly about the work of teaching — where it has taken us, what it has asked of us, and what we are choosing to carry forward. Come ready to listen as much as you speak. Leave with more than you came with.
Subject to change. Private Mentoring sessions will be available for booking before the start of the day and during free time.
2026 Guest Presenters // Workshops Coming Soon!
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Grace Ranson
NCPT PILATES AND YOGA INSTRUCTOR, WILDERNESS GUIDE
Grace began her yoga journey in 2002 obtaining her 200-hour Integral Yoga certification at Yogaville Ashram in Virginia. Then in 2005, she traveled to Coimbatore, India, to receive her 500-hour Integral Yoga certification. Additionally, Grace is certified in prenatal, postnatal, and labor yoga. -
![Valerie Ezzo, Pilates Pedagogy]()
Valerie Ezzo
BODYWISE PURE PILATES FOUNDER AND LEAD TEACHER TRAINER, NCPT
With over 25 years of experience in the Pilates industry, Valerie is an exceptional educator and highly respected instructor known for her expertise, precision, and passion for the method. She trained under the legendary Romana Kryzanowska in the Pilates Method of Body Conditioning from 1998 to 2001 and in 2001, opened Bodywise Pure Pilates in Utica, NY. -
![Rachael Lieck Bryce]()
Rachael Lieck Bryce
HEIRLOOM SPRINGS FOUNDER + TEACHER TRAINER, NCPT + RETREAT GUIDE + ENTREPRENEUR
Rachael is an international educator in the Pilates community at large and has presented on topics ranging from pre and post-natal, athletes, business coaching, and a range of special conditions. As a teacher of teachers, she continues to teach for Alycea Ungaro’s Real Pilates, training the next generation of teachers. -
![Kristen Davis Pilates Pedagogy]()
Kristen Davis
THE PILATES LAB CO-FOUNDER, NCPT
Kristen has studied extensively in the lineages of three of Mr Pilates’s students: Eve Gentry through Core Dynamics Pilates and with second-generation instructor Debora Kolwey, Romana Kryzanowzka through Real Pilates Teacher Training and with second-generation instructor Alycea Ungaro, and Kathy Grant through Cara Reeser’s Kathy Grant Heritage Training and with second-generation instructor Blossom Leilani Crawford. Kristen is a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher.
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![Karen Sanzo Pilates Pedagogy]()
Karen Sanzo
PILATES UNLIMITED FOUNDER, MS, PT, NCPT AND TEACHER TRAINER
Karen Sanzo is a master Pilates teacher, physical therapist, and educator known for her deep knowledge of anatomy, movement, and mindful instruction. She runs a long-standing Pilates studio and physical therapy practice in Dallas, Texas, where she's worked with clients for over 30 years. She's also spent 20 years as a guest Pilates instructor at Rancho La Puerta, a world-renowned destination wellness retreat and spa.
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![Susan Moran Sheehy Pilates Pedagogy]()
Susan Moran Sheehy
FOUNDER SULUMOVES EDUCATION, LMT, NCPT PILATES AND YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Susan has been teaching Pilates for 37 years; is a licensed massage therapist and meditation practitioner; leads laughter yoga classes; and is a lover of movement. She began her Pilates journey as a student of Romana Kryzanowska (Joseph Pilates' protege) in 1983 at @S.U.N.Y. Purchase, where she received her B.F.A. in dance in 1987.
