VASIE® Pilates Instructor Training
Become the teacher who can explain why. Four weekends in March 2027. 120 hours. Learn to see the body the way a Structural Integration practitioner sees it, then learn to teach Deep Core Toning on the mat and reformer.
Limited to 10 students. $1,900 through December 31 · $2,500 from January 1 · Pay in full, or $100 or $200 a month with no added fee
Learn the method from the people who built it, and who still teach it every day.
Studio One has trained its own instructors since 2002. Every teacher on our floor came through this training. Instructors who certified here now teach the VASIE® method in Washington, California, Utah, Montana, New York and North Carolina, as well as Alaska.
Our instructors teach full time, and they stay: five, ten, twenty years. We meet weekly to design new workouts together, and we hire from this course. Pilates 101 is a prerequisite for every class at the studio, so you will be learning to teach clients who have already been taught how to breathe and find neutral.
Over 100 Anchorage health care providers refer their patients to us. Since 2000 we have measured every client before and after their first two-week intensive: on hundreds of clients over 20 years, the average is over 3 inches off the low abdomen and three quarters of an inch of height. It is our studio record, not a clinical study, and it has held for twenty years.
They don't just tell what to do, they actually explain why and from there it just flows.
Cence, fitness instructor of 15 years, Studio One client
I returned to Alaska for my Pilates mat certification. Studio One is the best, with excellent teachers, training, hands-on and experience.
Krista Overly, Denver, Colorado
Anyone can memorize facts in a book, but to listen, to teach or to heal are skills which cannot be taught in any classroom, but only developed in an environment such as Studio One Pilates.
J.M., nursing student and Studio One instructor
Four Friday–Saturday weekends in March 2027
| Weekend | Friday · 11:00 am – 7:00 pm | Saturday · 1:00 pm |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 5 · Open Space | March 6 · 1:00 – 7:30 pm · Studio One |
| 2 | March 12 · Open Space | March 13 · 1:00 – 7:00 pm · Open Space |
| 3 | March 19 · Open Space | March 20 · 1:00 – 7:30 pm · Studio One |
| 4 | March 26 · Open Space | March 27 · 1:00 – 7:00 pm · Studio One |
Miss a day? Every session is recorded and available for make-up and review, and you are welcome to attend any session of a future course at no cost. Fridays are held at Open Space; Saturdays at Studio One (4007 Old Seward Hwy, Suite 900), except March 13 at Open Space.
How the hours break down
This is a complete certification, not a weekend workshop. Half the hours are live, with Paul, Ana or a Studio One instructor. The other half are practice: taking class, watching the online library, and self-study with the printed manual.
Testing is optional. If you want to certify, the written and practical test is 5 hours, with a $250 testing fee. Pass, and you are a Deep Core Toning Mat & Reformer VASIE® Pilates Certified Instructor.
Same training. You decide whether to test.
Become a certified instructor
- All 120 hours (attend live or make up from the recordings)
- 5-hour written and practical test ($250 testing fee)
- Certificate: Deep Core Toning Mat & Reformer VASIE® Pilates Certified Instructor
- Eligible for continuing education and the advanced trainings below
- Studio One hires from this course. Instructor pay starts at $50 an hour with paid training and a 401(k).
Learn it for your own body
- Same 60 live hours. Attend as many as you can; recordings cover the rest.
- Practice classes, online library and manual included
- No teaching hours, no test
- For the client who wants to understand what their instructor sees, and keep the results for life
In past cohorts, close to half of participants came for their own learning rather than to teach.
A system you can see, explain and teach
Most movement trainings give you exercises. This one gives you the structure underneath them, so you can look at a body, decide what matters first, and choose the exercise that changes it.
- Structural Integration principles. How Ida Rolf's model of the body in gravity and Joseph Pilates's method combine, and the six VASIE® differences.
- The pelvis as the foundation. Low-ab priority, lumbar stabilization, and why joint neutral is where the pull balances.
- BREATHlink and the Hook-Up. Kegel, breath, knees, toes: how breath reaches the involuntary stabilizers that "engage your core" cannot.
- Reading tone. Hypertonic and hypotonic muscle, fast and slow twitch, neuromuscular differentiation, sequential articulation, length.
- The Deep Core Toning mat repertoire. Imprint, head slides, ab prep, table top, posture prep, the small extension series, side bend, the Hundred, shoulder bridge, swimming, the barre basics and more.
- The DCT reformer repertoire. Footwork, posture prep, the mid-back series, feet in straps, swan dive prep, long box and short box.
- Hands-on correction and gait analysis. What spontaneous contralateral walking tells you about a session.
- The Integration Cycle. Why we work feet, then pelvis, then neck and shoulders, then spine, and how each month prepares the next.
- Teaching from a script. How Studio One keeps classes consistent, full and safe.
The course is limited to 10 students. A $200 refundable deposit holds your place and your early-bird price. Pay in full, or choose $100 or $200 a month with no added fee. Testing fee ($250) is separate and only if you choose to certify.
Questions first? Text or call (702) 708-2743, or email studioonepilatesak@gmail.com.
$859 in membership, online access and materials, included either way.
People who ask why
Our best trainees have one thing in common: they want to understand the body, not just move it. Many are current clients. Others are movement professionals, nurses, physical therapy aides, bodyworkers, dancers or yoga teachers who have tried the fast version of Pilates training elsewhere and want the depth.
- No Pilates certification or teaching experience required
- Comfortable giving and receiving hands-on correction
- Two to three hours a week for practice between weekends
- Pilates 101 before the course if you are new to the studio (it is free)
You do not have to want to teach. If you do, we would like to meet you: Studio One hires from this course, and our instructors stay for years.
Paul Van Alstine & Ana Kokaurova
Certified Advanced Rolfers®, STOTT Pilates fully certified, co-creators of VASIE®. Together they have over 50 years in Rolfing®, movement education and teaching teachers.
Paul Van Alstine
Owner of Studio One Pilates and creator of VASIE®, Van Alstine Structural Integration Exercise. B.S., Certified Advanced Rolfer®, STOTT Pilates fully certified, Pilates instructor since 1999, with more than 26 years in manual therapy. Paul built the method after chronic pain controlled much of his own life for almost twenty years.
Ana Kokaurova
Training director since 2002 and co-creator of VASIE®. Certified Advanced Rolfer® since 2005, STOTT Pilates fully certified, VASIE® Instructor Trainer and former professional dancer. Ana developed the VASIE® Teacher Training, VASIE® Ballet Barre, Healthy Back & Joint Basics, Pelvic Floor Power Up and the online program.
Some live hours are taught by senior Studio One instructors, all of whom trained in this program and teach the method full time.
Three teachers who came through this training
Where this leads
Certification is the first level. Certified instructors keep current with 10 hours of continuing education a year, online or in person, and can continue into the advanced trainings as they are offered.
- Integration, Strength & Flexibility, Mat & Reformer · 120 hours + testing
- VASIE® Ballet Barre · 15 hours
- Pilates Chair · 15 hours
- Private lessons · 15 hours
- Script writing · 10 hours
- Pilates 101 · 20 hours
Come ask us anything, 4:30 pm at the studio
One Saturday a month until the course begins. An hour with Paul and Ana: how the training runs, what the test looks like, what teaching at Studio One is like, and whether this is the right year for you. Free, and open to anyone considering the course.
To save a seat, text (702) 708-2743 with the date you want, or email studioonepilatesak@gmail.com. Studio One Pilates, 4007 Old Seward Hwy, Suite 900, Anchorage.
Before you reserve
Do I need Pilates experience or a certification to enroll?
No. We fully train the right applicant. If you are new to the studio, take the free Pilates 101 class before March so you know how we cue; it is the prerequisite for every class at Studio One.
Do I have to become an instructor?
No. The Personal Mastery track is the same training without the teaching hours or the test. In past cohorts, close to half of participants came for their own learning.
What if I miss a session?
Every session is recorded and available for make-up and review. You may also attend any session of a future course at no extra cost.
Is testing required? What does it cost?
Testing is optional. If you choose to certify, the written and practical test takes 5 hours and the testing fee is $250.
Where are the sessions held?
Fridays are at Open Space. Saturdays are at Studio One Pilates, 4007 Old Seward Hwy, Suite 900, Anchorage, except Saturday, March 13, which is at Open Space.
How many students, and how does the deposit work?
The course is limited to 10 students so everyone gets hands-on time. The $200 deposit is refundable and holds both your place and your price. Reserve before January 1, 2027 and tuition stays at $1,900 even if you pay the balance later.
Can I pay monthly?
Yes. Choose $100 or $200 a month. There is no added fee for the payment plan.
What will I be certified to teach?
Deep Core Toning on the mat and reformer, as a VASIE® Pilates Certified Instructor. Integration, Strength & Flexibility is the next 120-hour training.
Does Studio One hire from the course?
Yes. We have trained our own instructors since 2002, and we are hiring. Instructor pay starts at $50 an hour, with paid training, a consistent schedule and a 401(k).
