Expert Instruction

Our rockstar team is here to help you! We are passionate about good pilates! We dedicate our studio to your safety, form and progression and will give you the individualized attention you need to succeed! Every body is welcome and has a home in our calming studio, designed to bring you out of your day and into your health.

We are all comprehensively trained which means have over 800 hours in training to ensure the highest level of Pilates expertise and teach Pilates as a movement system to integrate your learning and progression. And honestly, we are good at it. Pilates is a perfect fitness system that uses your whole body and mind to create a stronger you! We progress and challenge you safely with the highest attention to detail and form. You are our focus! Come enjoy movement and have the best hour of your day with us!

Welcome! I’m Ashley, Founder of Great Falls Pilates.

I’m so glad you found us. I’m native to Great Falls, Virginia and have a background deeply rich in fitness. I grew up locally as a dancer and was first introduced to pilates as a ballerina. I went on to study pilates as an undergraduate at the University of Utah as a Ballet major. I was also struggling with chronic hip pain and eventually stopped dancing after needing major reconstructive hip surgeries during my college years.

I became a Physician Assistant at George Washington University in a dual degree with a Masters in Public Health. I worked at the prestigious Virginia Spine Institute seeing clinical patients and completed a spinal residency program. I enjoyed treating patients in a wonderful holistic center for advanced spine care. I worked with four of the nation’s top spine surgeons, pain management physicians, a physical therapy team and even a massage therapist – all to create the best spine care outcomes for our patients. I talked pilates daily. Seriously, I did. It’s one of the very best things to strengthen your core and PROTECT your back. I can help bring you out of back pain and get you back to your life.

After my first child, I decided to put my medical career on hold and had an opportunity to become a pilates instructor. I jumped right in! What could meld my interests and backgrounds more? Joseph Pilates founded his fitness on working on posture, core strength, flexibility and stability. These were all things my patients needed! My complex understanding of the spine, respect for holistic spine care, and my love for helping people all found each other in Pilates. I started my own studio and have loved sharing this journey with our amazing family at GFP.

In addition to being comprehensively trained, I am trained in Osteoporosis protocols for safety strengthening during Pilates. I am passionate about women’s health and back care. I am a Kathy Grant Heritage Program graduate - Kathy Grant was an Elder, trained directly from Joseph Pilates and her creative work has deeply impacted the way I teach. I am an ongoing student in Movement Science Made Simple - a graduate program that explores Pilates and proper biomechanics, motor learning and physiology team led with a Physical Therapist. I am a Post-Partum Corrective Specialist and can help men and women overcome pelvic floor issues and diastasis. I currently live in Middleburg, VA and enjoy my three children, dog, cat and 2 hens!

Our team is committed to helping you discover just how awesome pilates is for you.

Enjoy!

Ashley R. Gilchrist, MPH, PA-C

Owner, Great Falls Pilates
Physician Assistant, Previously Spine Specialized at Virginia Spine Institute
Peak Pilates® Comprehensive Certified Instructor
Kathy Grant Heritage Training Graduate
Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization: Level 1
Additional Speciality Training: Spine Care, Osteoporosis, Scoliosis, Pregnancy and Post-natal, Multiple Sclerosis

My Pilates journey began nearly ten years ago in a group mat class and has been a primary part of my wellness ever since. I’ve enjoyed the strength and flexibility it has brought to my body and love to challenge myself. I’m forever on the path to deepen my Pilates practice for myself, and my clients. Pilates has absolutely enabled me to be an active mom with my growing three children. Pilates brings my life joy and I look forward to sharing it with you in the studio. I work with many of our back care clients with and without Osteoporosis! I have limited in-studio hours, by appointment only. Hope to see you soon!

Angela

Peak Pilates® Comprehensive Certified Instructor
Additional Speciality Training: Osteoporosis

Hey, I’m Natalie

I’m a Comprehensive Peak Pilates Instructor. I love to share my joy of Pilates with my clients. I am a mother to three children and have used Pilates throughout my pregnancies and postpartum to be the best version of myself. I enjoy working with beginners and am known to give my advanced clients a killer workout. I love to teach dynamic group classes that challenge you with or without home equipment! I’m excited to get you into your best shape!

Natalie

Peak Pilates® Comprehensive Certified Instructor
Additional Speciality Training: Osteoporosis

Hi, I’m Karen!

Hi! I am so excited to meet you and help you thrive in your fitness goals at Great Falls Pilates.

My early career was working in a large technology consulting firm where my travel responsibilities and sitting for long hours negatively impacted my health and overall well-being. I knew something needed to change. I committed to changing my lifestyle, which included spending several years educating myself in multiple wellness modalities. I became a Certified Personal Trainer, a Certified Yoga Instructor, and a Certified Integrated Holistic Health Coach. Then, I found Pilates!

While I was working at a private women's wellness center, I began practicing Pilates on the mat and apparatus. I was amazed at how Pilates challenged me, improved my posture, and changed the way I moved. I was instantly hooked! I completed the BASI Comprehensive Mat and Apparatus Pilates Instructor Certification in 2008 and began to incorporate Pilates into my offerings.

I enjoyed teaching in the US for six years before I had the opportunity to move abroad with my husband and two daughters. I spent three years in Stockholm, Sweden teaching Pilates at the US Embassy and the Global Expat Center. I then spent five years in London, England refining my own practice and growing my skills working with clients from around the world. I recently moved back to Virginia and am fortunate to be here, sharing my passion for helping clients embrace Pilates as a life-changing approach to movement, posture, and overall well-being.

Karen

BASI Comprehensive Mat and Apparatus Instructor
Certified Personal Trainer, American College of Sports Medicine
Certified Health Coach, Institute for Integrative Nutrition
RYT500 Yoga Instructor

Welcome, I’m Jessica!

My love for Pilates started at a young age and I’ve never looked back! My first Pilates was with my mom at 16 and it just felt right. My body loved the healthy movement, constant challenges and the improvements I felt to my overall wellbeing. I was hooked! During college, I completed my first classical comprehensive certification and knew that teaching was my passion. Pilates has been my career for over a decade and I have also been a Master Instructor for 6 years, certifying and mentoring teachers to help them excel as Pilates Instructors. I truly believe that Pilates is for every body. I can, and will, meet you where you are in your journey and help you achieve your goals. I love working with prenatal clients and those recovering from injuries. Pilates is the best thing you can do for your joints and spine and allows you to do anything else in life, just better! My goal is to have you leave each session feeling better than when you walked in to start. I’m so excited to meet you and let Pilates transform your life! I currently only teach Sunday times at Great Falls Pilates.

Jessica

Peak Pilates® Master Instructor
Romana Comprehensive Certification
Additional Speciality Training: Osteoporosis, Pre-natal

I am so excited to be at Great Falls Pilates. I am comprehensively certified through both Power Pilates and Balanced Body and have a rich history in pilates and movement. I grew up as a dancer and my true calling was in Musical Theatre. I traveled across the country performing not only in Europe, South America, and the Mediterranean, but also went on to perform on Broadway! Thankfully, pilates was always part of my life keeping me healthy and injury free. I had no idea back then it would still be my passion many years later! I've now loved teaching for 14 years. I am a Master Instructor which means for the past 5 years I have been able to help others become Pilates Instructors themselves. I live locally and enjoy life with my husband and my two daughters, now 16 and 20 years old!

Brandi

Power Pilates Certified
Balanced Body Certified
NPCP Certified