Rehabilitation. Regeneration. Growth. Life.

Healing is a journey: through safe & correctly sourced movement, we can build new patterns of action & function - re-establishing a sense of trust in ourself and our body. Replacing fear with curiosity, expanding our ability to work with & support the challenges unique to our own body….

I am fascinated by the innate intelligence within our bodies: their amazing capacity for change, development, learning and healing.

To each session, I bring my lifetime of studying movement as a professional dance artist and a pilates instructor, my personal experience of healing from career changing injury, and my continuing studies into approaches to Trauma Healing.

  • REHABILITATION PILATES

    Pilates is an ideal foundation for each individual to source their best physical health: especially if you are recovering from injury, dealing with chronic pain, or working with a structural challenge (such as scoliosis, arthritis, herniated discs, etc).  The deep focus I bring to body awareness and structural integration, can have profound effects on an individual’s physical health, and their sense of self.  By breaking movement down to the fundamentals, patterns and imbalances are revealed that the individual was completely unaware of – resistance, doubt & fear can be released, and strong functional movement can be rebuilt….

    Pilates on Hornby Island

  • CHAIR EXERCISE

    Exercise using a chair allows for curiosity in movement & brings an unexpected diversity and freedom to exploring movement, balance, coordination & gentle strength building!

    Chair Exercise Class @ New Horizons

  • SAVOIR FERAL: VOICE & MOVEMENT

    A workshop series in development with the wildly talented Diana Bridget-Nielsen.

    These workshops share our knowledge of the joy and empowerment found through freedom of voice & freedom of movement.

    Bringing together our combined life-experiences in the performance & teaching of Dance, Theatre, Creative Movement and Voice Work - Diana & I lead the workshop through feminine archetypes, movement & character sourcing through animal imagery, group exploration, movement mirroring & moving to music, vocal expression & song play. Together, we create a safe space for attendees to face their fears, free their silliness, express anger & grief, and to share laughter & discovery!

    Savoir Feral Workshop Information & Registration

  • NORDIC WALKING

    Nordic Walking is an excellent way to regain strength, balance & return to cardiovascular fitness. Using the correct technique, walking with poles can be a full body work-out - providing so much more challenge, variation & fun than you imagine walking can be!

    Nordic Walking on Hornby Island

About Caroline

I took my first dance class at 4yrs of age and the practice of movement has been an integral part of my life ever since. As a professional contemporary dance artist from 1996 - 2010, I had the chance to explore yoga, tai chi, ballet, contact improvisation, acting fundamentals, jazz, tap dance, hip hop, cycling, hiking, and swimming as part of my training repertoire beyond the daily classes in diverse forms of contemporary dance technique.

I discovered Pilates near the end of my dance career (unfortunately!) looking for support & rehab to allay the demands of training, 8 hour rehearsal days, performing and touring - and coming back from the injuries that are inevitable at elite level performance.  In 2010, chronic lower back pain required a career transition - and opened the door for my ongoing journey as a Rehabilitation Pilates instructor. 

Upon completion of my first instructor certification through the PhysicalMind Institute of Canada, I immediately relocated to London, UK. There, I pursued a second Pilates certification with Master Instructor Alan Herdman, took advantage of several professional development & workshop opportunities , and was introduced to Nordic Walking while teaching at studios & clinics across London from 2010-2017.

I returned to the West Coast and Victoria in 2017 and had the fabulous experience of being the main pilates instructor on the phenomenal, multi-practitioner, rehabilitation team at Rise Healthcare - as well as teaching through other fantastic clinics & studios as a substitute or guest instructor. Reconnecting with the dance community in Victoria gave me the pleasure of returning to dance for pure joy & sharing pilates with the wonderful adult dance students of SEDA Dance Studio, as well as the young and passionate pre-professional students at the Victoria Academy of Ballet.

A new chapter suddenly opened for me on Hornby Island, BC in the Spring of 2025 & it is a dream come true to make this incredible island community home.

Having been through my own career changing - & identity challenging - injury and recovery process, I bring a wealth of experience, understanding, and positivity to each client’s physical rehabilitation – knowing that the human body is capable of greater change, recovery and performance than we sometimes believe is possible.

Certifications

~ Mat & Apparatus Instructor certification Alan Herdman Pilates  – London, UK

~ Nordic Walking UK Instructor Certification

~ Mat & Apparatus Instructor certification PhysicalMind Institute of Canada

~ Bachelor of Fine & Performing Arts - Simon Fraser University, Canada

Further Studies

~ Pilates for Breast Cancer/Breast Reconstruction Surgery Rehabilitation

~ Pilates for Amputees

~ Pilates for Hip Strengthening & Mobility – hip replacements & arthritis

~ Introduction to Myofascial Release Technique

~ Collective Trauma Healing: Fundamentals & Foundations - Thomas Hubl

Quotes & Testimonials

  • "You will feel better in ten sessions, look better in twenty sessions, and have a completely new body in thirty sessions."

    Joseph Pilates

  • "Pain limits our choices & it can break our heart. Movement can bring us back to life."

  • "There's pilates & then there's the Caroline version :) - which is cueing like I've never heard from any other class! A teacher that always works with me where I'm at in pain experience & always brings new information forward - little revelations that change so much!"

    J. Bells