Tracy Stafford teaches Pilates because she’s seen its power firsthand. Before founding Integration Pilates Studio, she was a professional dancer in Toronto. One day, she suffered a chance injury that threatened to end her career. She turned to Pilates for rehabilitation and, soon after, she was back on her feet, literally, and dancing again. “Dancers and their injuries influenced Pilates (the man for whom the exercise is named) and many people use it for rehabilitation after an injury,” says Tracy. “When people start doing Pilates, they’ll often feel these old injuries again, but it’s a good thing. You’re actually strengthening muscles you didn’t even know you had.”
After learning the benefits of Pilates, Tracy moved to Edmonton and opened her own studio in 2000. Since then, her classes have helped Edmontonians stay active, work through injuries and have fun. “We offer all sorts of classes but they’re all very much related,” she says. “Our classes all try to be very mindful. We teach yoga and meditation, as well as Pilates, which can be done with or without equipment. Every class we have, from our stretch and meditation classes to our regular Pilates, is geared towards different people and their needs.”
