 Jonathan Urla, MFA, LWMC, CPT, has been a leader and innovator in the world of fitness and dance for over 20 years. His athletic training began with gymnastics, diving and skiing and later progressed to classical and modern dance. After spending ten years as a professional dancer and choreographer, Jonathan returned to sports training competing in triathlons and becoming a certified personal trainer in 1988.
By 1995, his strong commitment to intelligent exercise led Mr. Urla to the teachings of Joe and Clara Pilates and to an in-depth study of hatha yoga. Becoming fully certified in Pilates, Jonathan is now recognized for his refined approach to Pilates technique. His desire for a unified methodology led him to create Yogilates in 1997 as an ideal pathway to optimal fitness and health. The popularity and effectiveness of his work has been noted in newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Newsweek, Shape, YogaJournal, FitYoga, Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Self, Fitness, Allure, as well as international publications. He has given interviews to ABC News, CBS, CNN, and both Lifetime Live and Discovery Health have produced segments about Yogilates. His book on Yogilates titled, Yogilates - Integrating Yoga and Pilates for Complete Fitness, Strength, and Flexibility, was published by Harper Collins in 2002. Since then, it has been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. He has also produced and starred in nine yoga and Pilates workout videos.
He teaches regularly for Sports Club/LA and Reebok Sports Club in New York, and is an avid presenter, teaching workshops and seminars all over the world. His philosophy is that everyone has an ideal body and can attain balanced health and happiness through mindful living. He believes we just have to discover our inherent potential and to create lasting lifestyle habits for healthier and happier living. He may be contacted for appointments, interviews and articles through his email info@yogilates.com.
Yogilates® was created in 1997 by certified Pilates instructor and personal trainer Jonathan Urla, who became originally inspired to blend his training from Pilates with his practice of hatha yoga after taking a yoga class right after a Pilates session. He found his practice got much easier and he felt better aligned and able to accomplish the poses with more effectiveness because his spine was already warmed up properly and he was connected to his center from the Pilates workout. He saw a need for more effective core strengthening in the discipline of yoga and believed that the Pilates method offered a refined technique that could be integrated into the practice of yoga for this reason. He also believed that yoga had a lot to offer all exercise enthusiasts, including Pilates devotees, because of its’ emphasis on the breath for support and relaxation, and its’ mental focus. He wanted to integrate the two in a fun, accessible, and effective training regimen that would be a complete training system with all the benefits of both Pilates and yoga. Over the years, Jonathan has used his knowledge of exercise science, proper
alignment, and sound bio-mechanics, to develop a detailed practice with over 300 exercises from beginner to advanced. His book and videos establish a progressive system of learning the functional skills of Yogilates which allows people of all abilities to use the technique to achieve better posture and improved performance in all activities, as well as achieve reduced stress and reduced the risk of injury. Today, Yogilates® is practiced by thousands who have purchased his videos/DVDs or his book, and he has certified other instructors who teach Yogilates group classes all over the country. Jonathan has taken his workshops around the country and his work is credited with helping to influence the evolution of yoga all over the world.
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