Pilates Is A Practice With Ashley Parker From Bodyrok Atlanta
In this very fun episode of The Easewell Podcast, Dr. Jon sits down with Ashley Parker, studio manager at Bodyrok Atlanta, and former NFL cheerleader, to discuss the life-changing power of Pilates. With a background in dance, fitness, and personal training, Parker’s story is a true testament to reinventing yourself after a challenge. After experiencing corporate layoffs, she made the bold decision to pursue her passion for health and wellness full-time—leading one of Atlanta's most exciting Pilates studios.
Demystifying Pilates: What It Is—and Who It’s For
Pilates is more than just a fitness trend. As Parker explains, Pilates is a movement system designed to improve posture, balance, flexibility, and core strength by working the smaller stabilizing muscles that support the larger muscle groups. It’s rooted in rehabilitation and is adaptable for everyone, from professional athletes to those with limited mobility or conditions like osteoporosis and scoliosis.
No matter your fitness level, Pilates is accessible to all. With the right modifications, Pilates can safely support every body.
What Sets Bodyrok Atlanta Apart?
Bodyrok's approach to Pilates isn’t just about pushing your body to its limits. It’s about making every movement meaningful. Each 45-minute class at Bodyrok incorporates diverse movements—mixing cardio bursts, strength training, and precise Pilates flows. With custom reformers designed to support clients’ unique needs, Parker explains how Bodyrok’s personalized approach makes every class feel like a one-on-one experience. Plus, with their focus on hands-on instruction and modifications, even beginners can feel confident and engaged from day one.
The Mind-Body Connection: Pilates Beyond the Body
While the physical benefits of Pilates are undeniable—improved posture, flexibility, core strength—Parker emphasizes the mental perks that make Pilates a true wellness practice. Pilates requires deep concentration and breath control, making it a moving meditation. By focusing on alignment and breath, clients experience mindfulness that’s often missing from our fast-paced lives, leaving them feeling lighter and more energized after each class.
How Fast Can You See Results?
Pilates isn’t about instant gratification—it’s a practice that requires patience and consistency. While it’s true that improvements in posture, flexibility, and balance happen first, the aesthetic results follow with regular practice. Most clients see noticeable changes in their body after two sessions a week. The more you practice, the faster the results, not only physically but mentally and emotionally. As Parker shares, Pilates is about building confidence, and one client’s 31-day challenge is a testament to how transformative consistency can be.
Pilates as a Foundation for Life
Parker integrates Pilates into her broader wellness routine, complementing it with yoga, walking, and tai chi. Its versatility makes it the perfect foundation for any lifestyle, whether you're seeking strength, recovery, or a bit of both. Pilates offers the best of both worlds—intense, full-body engagement and gentle, restorative movement.
Ready to Start? Bodyrok Atlanta Welcomes You
Curious about trying Pilates? Bodyrok Atlanta offers a welcoming and personalized experience with your first class just $20. With classes available seven days a week at two locations, you’ll be able to find a time that works for you. Follow Bodyrok Atlanta on Instagram @bodyrockatlanta for daily updates and more inspiration.
In Parker's words: “Pilates is a practice. The more you come, the better you get—physically, mentally, and emotionally. Movement is something you can control; come move with us!”
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⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 Understanding Pilates Basics
03:24 "Pilates: Essential Fitness for All"
07:12 Pilates for Aging and Posture
10:50 "Flexing Illusion in Stretching"
13:56 Dynamic Fitness Class Experience
18:08 Pilates: Focused Breathing Benefits
22:23 "Reformer: Versatile Fitness Tool"
25:24 Pilates Benefits: Posture, Flexibility, Strength
26:35 Agility's Importance for All Ages
31:46 "Custom Fitness Routine at Body Rock"
34:06 "Pilates Session Wrap-Up & Info"
35:34 Join Us at Body Rock Atlanta
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Dr. Jon [00:00:00]:
Hey guys, this is Dr. Jon here. And welcome back for another episode of the Ease well podcast. Today we have Ashley Parker here. She is the studio manager of Bodyrok Atlanta, which is a new Pilates studio here in town. So. Yeah. Yeah. So tell us a little bit about yourself. I know you are a former NFL cheerleader, which is really cool. So yeah, just tell us a little bit more.
Ashley Parker [00:00:24]:
And it's so funny because I'm like, that was so long ago. Yeah, right. That was in my 20s.
Dr. Jon [00:00:28]:
Okay.
Ashley Parker [00:00:29]:
Clearly I'm not 20 anymore. But that was one of the coolest things I've ever done. And that is actually kind of what really propelled my career in health and wellness and fitness. But my name is Ashley Parker. I prefer Parker. Yeah, I'm a DC native. So I'm from the DMV, DC, MD, VA. And, and I've been in Atlanta for 13 years. Okay. I've always had 10 toes in health and wellness. I, my mom, I had a, have an older sister and I was seven years later, here I come. So they had to keep me very busy.
Dr. Jon [00:01:07]:
Sure.
Ashley Parker [00:01:08]:
And I was thrown into dance classes, dance tap, ballet, gymnastics, cheerleading teams, anything that I could do that was very active. And I fell in love with dancing. So I've been dancing since like my young adolescent years. And then high school, went into competitive cheerleading. And it's so funny. I tried out in college. I did not make the team in college, but I was like, that's okay, I'm gonna one up this. And then I cheered for the NFL for three years for the Baltimore Ravens.
Dr. Jon [00:01:37]:
Okay, very nice.
Ashley Parker [00:01:38]:
And now the Washington Commanders. Back then the Washington Redskins. And since then in Atlanta, I've started a dance fitness business. I've gotten into group fitness. So I've been a one on one personal trainer. And then just the journey of life. I was working at Microsoft as of recently and was was impacted by tech layoffs. And then I was like, you know what? As like as the most of America. Right. But that is kind of what gave me space to make the decision to pursue fitness and wellness full time. So here I am. I'm currently the manager for Bodyrok Atlanta.
Dr. Jon [00:02:15]:
Yeah.
Ashley Parker [00:02:16]:
So we are. Bodyrok is a market based franchise. Yep. I manage both the Colony Square and Emmett park location.
Dr. Jon [00:02:22]:
Yeah, I saw you guys have two locations too.
Ashley Parker [00:02:24]:
And stay tuned.
Dr. Jon [00:02:25]:
Yeah.
Ashley Parker [00:02:25]:
More to come.
Dr. Jon [00:02:26]:
I was gonna say 67. I think I read online nationwide.
Ashley Parker [00:02:29]:
Yeah. And, and there are, there are plans for Atlanta to expand under franchise owner Meredith, who is amazing. So yeah. So I'm, I'm there Seven days a week. And I just recently went through the coaching program as well. So I'll be able to coach, coach there soon.
Dr. Jon [00:02:45]:
Okay, so you'll be teaching classes, everything.
Ashley Parker [00:02:47]:
Yeah, okay, I will be teaching classes there.
Dr. Jon [00:02:50]:
Very nice, Very nice. All right. So I figured we'd start off just kind of talking about what actually is Pilates. I feel like people hear that term a lot, like, oh, I went to a Pilates class, but they don't really understand about it. And then also who can do Pilates? I feel like all my patients are, they're all taking Pilates classes left and right. So I feel like it's having its moment in the wellness space right now, sort of. So if you could just expand a little bit more on that.
Ashley Parker [00:03:13]:
It is. And I, you know, it's a, it's a great thing because I love that it's trending, but trends kind of, you know, they come up here, then they come down.
Dr. Jon [00:03:22]:
Especially nowadays with social media, things like that.
Ashley Parker [00:03:24]:
Right. Social demands, what's popular. But I really, my hope and expectation is that with so many professional athletes also leaning into Pilates that it just becomes something that is sustainable and like built into people's regimen, whether, whether they are a professional, you know, gold medalist skier or the 18 year old basketball player trying to go into the NBA. Like they understand the importance of it. So I'll backtrack. So what is Pilates? Pilates is. It's a lot of things, but if I had to say one line, one sentence, it is, it's exercise and movements that helps to improve your posture, alignment, your balance, your flexibility and kind of works. It works those small muscles that really support the large muscles. So are the large muscles are worked. But Pilates allows us to drill down into those little tiny muscles that support like the pec major and the quads. Right. These are the, those large muscles that we work every day with the different apparatuses. So Pilates also has multiple apparatuses to support it. So that's why you ask, who is it for? It's for everybody. Yeah, it's for the person who can't get out of bed. There are things you can do with your upper body strength. And if I don't want to go on a tangent, but if you go further back, please, please, please. I don't want to nerd out.
Dr. Jon [00:04:45]:
No, I'm a nerd. Go for it.
Ashley Parker [00:04:46]:
Okay. I love, I love Pilates and not just the history of it. So. Yeah, historically, like it was, it was, it was kind of, it was, it was made to Support, like to support soldiers and injured people within hospital beds. Joseph Poland, Pilates is the founder of Pilates. His last name. Yeah, he's right. So this is his thing. And it was created to support exactly that. So he was able to create all these different apparatuses that would also support a person if they couldn't move their lower body, if all they had was upper body strength for a person who had maybe has limited mobility. But the, the springs that he was created could help them have the resistance to pull it back in if they don't have that ability to, you know, the core strength to be able to pull something back into the, the, the midline of the body. Sure. So it's, it's made for everyone. It's there. It doesn't. And that's why I love. It's very inclusive. It's made for my mom, who has limited mobility and suffers from sciatica in her legs and her feet. So we do a lot of, like, matte things. And I also have, like, just simple things like helping her to, like, roll balls under her feet and that allows her to do some other, like, mat Pilates moves. Pilates also can be done on a mat with no equipment.
Dr. Jon [00:06:02]:
Oh, so you. I know you mentioned there's a bunch of different machines, things you can use, but you can also do it just with a mat.
Ashley Parker [00:06:08]:
You can just literally lay down a towel, a mat, or just get on the floor and get to work. And you can hit an ab curl and you can hit what we call the one hundreds. And that is a breathing exercise, but it also helps warm up the body, but it activates the core. It. It helps you with the lumbo pelvic stability. So it is done without equipment. It is done with apparatuses, and the apparatuses are there to assist it, to be inclusive of everyone, depending on no matter what their capability is.
Dr. Jon [00:06:39]:
So, yeah, I love that. Like you said, it can cater to anybody. I think about that with chiropractic. People always ask me, like, oh, is it just something that's on the scene now? A lot of younger people are doing it, they're incorporating. And I tell them, same same thing with young you with the history of Pilates. Chiropractic has been around for a very long time. And it's something that anybody can do, anyone. If you're bedridden, if you're a high school athlete, professional athlete. So ties in in that wellness space. It can be. I always say this, it's a compliment to a healthy lifestyle. So Pilates may not be the answer. For everything. But if you do the other things and include that, it's going to help you excel.
Ashley Parker [00:07:12]:
Exactly. And I. And that's probably why a lot of your clients are doing Pilates, because, you know, you know more than I do. As we age, like, our posture just gets compromised and bone density, and it's very high in women. So Pilates allows you to help the body kind of break down the fascia that keeps it tight and helps us to go from here to here. You know, it does those things. Of all the different things that we kind of incorporate into a flow we call our workouts.
Dr. Jon [00:07:38]:
It's a flow, and we'll dive more into that.
Ashley Parker [00:07:40]:
Okay. Yeah.
Dr. Jon [00:07:41]:
You guys are all going to be experts here in a bit. So. So we kind of talked about why someone should consider Pilates. You kind of touched on that a little bit. But is there maybe an instance where there's somebody who's like, I have this going on. I don't know if Pilates would work for me. So you touched on somebody who could be in bed, bedridden, essentially, still do stuff, but if there's somebody out there, like, I don't know, you touched on. It can be for everyone. But is there maybe a scenario or two where it's like, hey, this. This actually works very well where someone may not think it would work out for them?
Ashley Parker [00:08:11]:
Yeah. And we were trained as Pilates instructors to take heed to different body types, different body ailments or diagnosis. So I would say, you know, the most common is osteoporosis.
Dr. Jon [00:08:26]:
Sure.
Ashley Parker [00:08:27]:
Which you're going to be the expert on.
Dr. Jon [00:08:29]:
Yeah. And I know a little bit.
Ashley Parker [00:08:32]:
Yeah, yeah. But a lot of clients are concerned that they can't do it because they have osteoporosis or they have scoliosis or. But that just comes into one understanding. The instructor you're working with, the training, but also for us as instructors to understand your body and what your body can do.
Dr. Jon [00:08:48]:
Okay.
Ashley Parker [00:08:48]:
You are, as a. As a client or the person taking Pilates, you're in charge of your body, and we are in charge of knowing the information of how to educate you on what you can and cannot do.
Dr. Jon [00:08:59]:
Love that.
Ashley Parker [00:08:59]:
So the great thing, and one of the reasons why it's for everyone, because there are many modifications that someone can do. Right. Simple modifications. If you're uncomfortable laying supine on your back, just bring your feet up into, like a. Bring your knees up. Like, bend the knees.
Dr. Jon [00:09:16]:
Like, get some pressure off that.
Ashley Parker [00:09:17]:
Pressure off the lower back. And the hip flexors aren't so Extended out. Yeah, little things like that. So osteoporosis is the most common one in scoliosis. It's just different. Like I said, modification. So I don't want to get too nerdy, but like if you can't imprint your spine or if you can't. If someone can't press their spine into a flat mat, if they're doing mat, you can take a towel and roll it underneath. We have wedges, we have barrels to help create the curve of the spine. If you're unable to achieve that for someone who has osteoporosis, it may be, you know, flexion and extension of the spine is a thing. So understanding what they're able to do and not do, that's something that the instructor would know and guide them on. Um, another. Another thing is pregnancy. You know, you're hitting them all. This is good. This is great.
Dr. Jon [00:10:05]:
This is great.
Ashley Parker [00:10:06]:
You know, Is Pilates safe for pregnant women? It is. And there are modifications that we make and there are certain moves that we will not advise you to do. Come certain, you know, trimesters and things like that. And even there's a. There's a hormone within the body where that there. There's a hormone within the. Within women when they are pregnant that creates it. You lose. There's a. There's a stretch reflex that is built into us and it tells our body like, okay, stop stretching. Like you're going to stretch beyond your point of. Of mobility. Right.
Dr. Jon [00:10:41]:
Causing an injury. Possible.
Ashley Parker [00:10:42]:
Yeah. You can cause an injury, pull ligament, all those things. And there's a hormone. I cannot think of the name of it. Within pregnant women that comes when they.
Dr. Jon [00:10:49]:
Are at the tip of my tongue as well.
Ashley Parker [00:10:50]:
Yeah. Is it stretching? It's reflect flexing. It's something like that, but kind of like makes that go away so that they're not able to know that they're stretching beyond point and they're like, oh, I'm just so much flexible. But it's really. You've lost sense of that. So, you know, one of most common moves are feet and straps, which feels so good. You're laying on your back and your feet are in straps and you're just making circles with your legs. That could be something that's. Could be dam. Could be hurtful for pregnant women because they don't. They've lost that proprioception.
Dr. Jon [00:11:22]:
Sure. They don't realize they're going.
Ashley Parker [00:11:23]:
They're going a little wider. Right. And that's just so little things like that. But it is safe. So it's Just, you know, we're not going to have you lay on your stomach, but being on all fours probably feels really good.
Dr. Jon [00:11:33]:
Like you said.
Ashley Parker [00:11:34]:
Yes.
Dr. Jon [00:11:34]:
There's really no excuse, no excuse not to do politics. Anybody can do it. Yeah. Okay.
Ashley Parker [00:11:39]:
In short, truly goes back to the question. Anyone can do it with the right modifications.
Dr. Jon [00:11:44]:
Yeah. I love your examples too, because I feel like those are things, things that a lot of people are experiencing. Yeah, those are very common osteoporosis, obviously.
Ashley Parker [00:11:50]:
A lot of pregnant women, I suffer from kyphosis. Like kyphosis is when you need to come see me. I do.
Dr. Jon [00:11:57]:
How about that?
Ashley Parker [00:11:58]:
Your shoulders kind of roll forward, which could be tightness right here. And the pecs, the pec minor pulling and stuff like that. So I do a lot of chest openers, chest expansion. I do a lot of rotation from here for the glenohumeral, those kind of things. That's all Pilates.
Dr. Jon [00:12:14]:
Very nice.
Ashley Parker [00:12:14]:
So I just know the modifications that I need to make for my body type. Love that.
Dr. Jon [00:12:18]:
All right, well, great explanation. That was awesome. So let's talk about what makes body rock different. I was actually looking on your website and one of the things I read a couple times is we can do in 45 what often other classes studios do in 60 minutes. So could you kind of explain that?
Ashley Parker [00:12:34]:
Yes. So my shirt, body rock. I. So I have, I've worked at other reformer based studios in Atlanta and when I started working in December, I was new to body, newer to body rock, to the workout. And that is not a false tagline.
Dr. Jon [00:12:52]:
Yeah.
Ashley Parker [00:12:52]:
Yes.
Dr. Jon [00:12:53]:
All right.
Ashley Parker [00:12:54]:
And I see the clients coming out of class. I'm like, how is class? You know, we're always so upbeat, energy and they're just like, that was a workout. And that's what I love about it. So what is, what stands out about body rock is that we have a lot more movement and flow through our design flow workouts. And every day is different. We have maybe like six or seven class types. So we have one that's called buns and guns. Right. Cute names. Yeah, Buns and guns. So we're focusing on the lower body, the glutes, the ham, the quads, that kind of thing. Guns like bicep, triceps, and then we have six packages, packs and backs. So we're focusing on the core, the transverse rectus abdominis, the, you know, the lumber, all of those things. Like we, you, you get that as a workout. But it's not just, you know, staying here and holding this for three minutes. We're actually, we're doing this, but we're adding more movement to it, more of a flow. So that the clients, when they come and they take our classes and they've taken other classes, they're just like, I just moved a lot. So their body's able to work up a nice sweat. Their body's able to kind of get a little burst of cardio here and there. Because we're not just kind of static on the machine working one potty part. We're always trying to kind of combine it too, so that it's more than just this one move. Like maybe we add. We add like a amplification or variation so that it's not just here single. Yeah, yeah. But maybe we're going to squat with it and then come up with it. You know, different things like that. So it's a very fun workout. It's. It's a whole light show. So it just adds to the experience of it. Our instructors are very hands on. We, we, you know, we always check for any. If anyone, you know, has any injuries, previous injuries, or if someone is pregnant, we can check their profile so we know ahead of time. So we'll give them like, okay, we're doing this. Here's your modification, those kind of things. So we try to make it almost like it's a group fitness, but we want to make it almost like a one on one experience. Right?
Dr. Jon [00:14:58]:
Yeah. I love that.
Ashley Parker [00:14:59]:
You feel like Parker knows who I am, what my body can do, what I can't do. And she'll also probably challenge me in the class.
Dr. Jon [00:15:07]:
And that matters to people who come regularly. They want to feel like, hey, I know this instructor. They know what things I need modified.
Ashley Parker [00:15:14]:
Exactly.
Dr. Jon [00:15:14]:
They're going to watch for certain things with me. Like, they like to build that relationship.
Ashley Parker [00:15:17]:
So, yeah. Our secret sauce is like the last 30 seconds of each move. We throw in like a variation. And they gotta hold it. Whether it's an isometric hold or, you know, we're have. We're adding that pulse in there. We. We add a little. Kind of, little sugar and spice at the very end just to like keep them on their. Beef it up. Yeah, yeah.
Dr. Jon [00:15:36]:
And I love the variation. Like you said, you have certain days with certain focuses doing the same thing. It's like going to the gym every day and doing bicep curls every day.
Ashley Parker [00:15:44]:
Yeah.
Dr. Jon [00:15:44]:
People are going to get bored with that and not see results in other areas that they obviously needed at and.
Ashley Parker [00:15:48]:
They won't ever have the same flow. We have a corporate. We have a corporate team that writes our Flows for our studios to make them, to have them diverse and different and all body types can do them. We have the modifications that we can do. We have the variations and the amplifications that we can add. The amplifications are what makes it more challenging. So, you know, they are. All of our workouts are beginner friendly. We always coach that beginner friendly version. And then if I see, you know, clients are like, they got this, like, we're not, we're not a muscle failure. I. I'll go ahead and add. If you want to take this up to level two, you know, maybe drop the handles. So now you're really focusing on lower body and core to drag that carriage in or. All right, the last 30 seconds, let's hold this. Add your pulse for the last 15 seconds and you're next to them and just. And then we're going, yeah.
Dr. Jon [00:16:35]:
Pretty unique then. It definitely sounds like it's different than just your traditional Pilates. Like you said, from the lights to the personalized experience, the variations, you combining multiple moves, I feel like that's where you add your kind of, you know, you stand out a little bit.
Ashley Parker [00:16:49]:
Yeah. And I think people appreciate that for sure. If they have a classical background in Pilates, if they have more of a contemporary background in Pilates, they're still able to feel that connection that we bring with it. But we do have our, you know, specially designed reformer that is just designed for body rocks.
Dr. Jon [00:17:07]:
Don't go too much into that. I'm going to touch, touch on that a little bit. But no, we will touch on the reformer though, in a little bit.
Ashley Parker [00:17:12]:
Bit.
Dr. Jon [00:17:12]:
So before we get there though, we've dove in pretty well to the physical benefits. You can touch on those as well. But what about mental benefits? Could you touch on a couple of those? Because everyone's always so focused on physical, physical, physical and just puts mental to the wayside. And in my opinion, they should be running neck and neck most of the time for sure.
Ashley Parker [00:17:32]:
And that's my hope is that that's what starts to trend more are those workouts and those types of fitness workouts that make you bring in the mind and the body connection. I think for me, like that's overall wellness.
Dr. Jon [00:17:49]:
Sure.
Ashley Parker [00:17:49]:
Like, I can.
Dr. Jon [00:17:50]:
I couldn't agree more.
Ashley Parker [00:17:50]:
I can have a six pack but like, if I don't have an opportunity to like try to be present and to really hone in on what I'm doing, the workout, whether it's the workout or work or whatever, where our brains are always going 10,000 miles per hour.
Dr. Jon [00:18:04]:
Yep.
Ashley Parker [00:18:05]:
Not now, though. I'm, like, really present with you.
Dr. Jon [00:18:06]:
And this feels pretty chill now.
Ashley Parker [00:18:07]:
This feels really good. Yes.
Dr. Jon [00:18:08]:
Love it.
Ashley Parker [00:18:08]:
This feels so great because the day has been crazy, but that is what Pilates does. So you can't think about your grocery list and do Pilates because 1. You have to breathe. The. One of the main principles of Pilates is breath is breathing, concentration. So you have to bring breath into the body to do a lot of the moves where you may inhale. You know, inhale to rise up, exhale on the output. Right. Like, we're. We're constantly guiding our clients. When to inhale, when to exhale. And sometimes I'm just like, just breathe. Yeah, I don't even want you to get on the right.
Dr. Jon [00:18:42]:
You know, just make sure you breathe.
Ashley Parker [00:18:44]:
In and out because that's also what breaks down the fascia. Right. To breathe muscle and keeps your muscles nice and elongated. So it. It requires you to be very present of where you are. So you have to breathe or you're making it much, much difficult to do some of the moves, especially when we add those extra springs on the reformer. And then you also have to. So I said breathing. And then there was one more I wanted to point out. We'll hope they'll edit that part.
Dr. Jon [00:19:13]:
Okay, you're fine. You can think about it and just say edit.
Ashley Parker [00:19:15]:
There is. There was breath and. Yeah. So when you're in class, whether. When you're in class at Bodyrok, you have to listen to the instructions. We're. We're guiding you through the workout. You'll never just come in. And we're just like, do that workout. Like, we're coaching you through. We're telling you where to make modifications. We're talking. You need to be listening how to bring amplification. So you have to concentrate on what's happening on where your body. Yeah. What straps are you grabbing? Are you grabbing the black straps or the red straps? You know, do you want to. If you're not feeling tension, move down a little bit and yank it a little more. So you're really focused onto what you're doing. So that's the body and mind connection. It's kind of like tai chi. Like, you can't. You can't just do the moves. You have to really be present, be present in the moves. And that's the great thing about Pilates. Like, just. And it's. It's. It's the concentration. Where are you even putting the breath? Right. Like, am I when I'm in An ab curl. I can't just lift from my, my, my head and just breathe through there. I have to breathe through my diaphragm, pull my belly button down, start to rise up, lift my neck, start to curl from the sternum and then lift from the head. Like it's. Yeah, that was just a lot.
Dr. Jon [00:20:21]:
And if you're thinking that in your head doing that, your mind should be fully there.
Ashley Parker [00:20:24]:
And, and, and the more you. You bring all those together, the contraction you're going to get and the better the results because you're bringing it all. You're bringing the mind, the body, the concentration, you know, the breath and all those things.
Dr. Jon [00:20:37]:
Sure. I'm sure you see some clients walk in, maybe they're having a day, and they're probably at 180 by the time they leave.
Ashley Parker [00:20:43]:
Yes.
Dr. Jon [00:20:43]:
Stress relief. Just feeling better. Dopamine's flowing, so that turn is probably nice to see in people as well.
Ashley Parker [00:20:50]:
It feels so good to work here because, like, we're the happy place. We're like. Every time they come to the studio, you know, it's like, it's like a Bodyrok party. And we're all good vibes and everyone just feels good there, but you can tell. And I'm like, do you feel different after class? Like, I just feel so good.
Dr. Jon [00:21:05]:
That's awesome.
Ashley Parker [00:21:05]:
And it may just be the one hour people actually have time to do that.
Dr. Jon [00:21:09]:
Correct.
Ashley Parker [00:21:10]:
For their wellness. Yes.
Dr. Jon [00:21:11]:
Well, great. Great explanation. Love it.
Ashley Parker [00:21:13]:
Thank you.
Dr. Jon [00:21:13]:
All right, so now we can talk about the reformers a little bit. So what are they and how do they enhance a Pilates class? So you can go with it, tell us what they are and kind of.
Ashley Parker [00:21:24]:
So there. I would say our reformers at Bodyrok are made specifically for the Bodyrok client, for the flows that we design. And they are. You mean. You want me to describe, like, what it is or just kind of like how.
Dr. Jon [00:21:39]:
Yeah. Because I'm sure there's some people out there, like, don't even know what they're picturing in their head.
Ashley Parker [00:21:43]:
Yeah. And everyone is a little intimidated when they see the reformer.
Dr. Jon [00:21:47]:
I looked at it and I was like, what is that?
Ashley Parker [00:21:49]:
I know. And it's just like. It's like that. A torture contraction. And. Are you going to lock me up?
Dr. Jon [00:21:53]:
I mean, stretchy out on the.
Ashley Parker [00:21:55]:
Yeah, right. Yes, that's kind of what it looks like. But honestly, it's. It looks like that because it is there to support you. That is. That is your machine for that 45 minutes. That's the. The whole class has been on that machine. So you're on it, you're on top of it. You're laying on the side of it. You're laying on your stomach, on your back. You may use the handlebars and have one leg pushing the carriage out. Like that is your tool. Okay. So when you, when you're. I'm a Pilates client. My tools are the Reformer. We start there, but is there to support you. So we have straps to add. Like we have straps on both sides of the carriage. So there's a carriage and the carriage usually moves up and down. And in body Rock we have again, it's our specially designed for body clients for our company. We have two sides of the carriage of a front platform and a back platform. Platform.
Dr. Jon [00:22:46]:
Okay.
Ashley Parker [00:22:46]:
That can be for additional support for your knees if you need it. We could be standing on the platform. You come, come into a roll down, pushing the carriage out, pushing the carriage back in, arms going up. So that's kind of how we use it. But it's again, you see it's there for support. Yeah, right. It's. You can put your hands on the carriage on the platform. And we have things like straps that are Velcro to the Reformer. You can slide your hands underneath if you need more support.
Dr. Jon [00:23:11]:
So they're not sliding or.
Ashley Parker [00:23:12]:
Yeah, just little things like that. Also they're used we. Some of the things we use to make things a little bit more challenging during the workout. But it's kind of like your one stop shop for Pilates. And I mean the more you explore, you'll find like little things hidden under there. Like we have like a little bungee. A bungee you could put on your lower, on the bottom of your feet around the arch. And you can hit some hamstring curls, some fire hydrants.
Dr. Jon [00:23:37]:
That's really cool.
Ashley Parker [00:23:37]:
All kind of things for lower body. So it is specially designed, but it's. It's nothing that should be intimidating. But once you. As new clients, we always give our new clients a demo.
Dr. Jon [00:23:47]:
I was going to say based on what you just said, I would need a demo for sure. I would look at that thing like.
Ashley Parker [00:23:51]:
So new clients, they. They are directed to arrive to the studio between 15, 10 minutes early. And our instructors take them through a whole demo. You get introduced to the machine. You understand what parts of it are unstable which moves right. The carriage, which are the stable parts of it. We show you the difference between the straps. We have short straps and long straps. If the straps are too much again, we keep hand weights underneath of the Reformer and That's a modification if the straps weight is too heavy. So we have all those kind of things built in. Yeah, it's a. Yeah, that's.
Dr. Jon [00:24:26]:
That's really cool.
Ashley Parker [00:24:27]:
It's not complicated, but it's like well decorated. I'll say that. I love it.
Dr. Jon [00:24:30]:
Nice. Well, great explanation. Thank you for that. All right, let's see here. All right, sorry. I pause or edit that. How long would someone expect to see results with Pilates? So I. You can use a few examples if you want. But I love this question. I know if somebody's a little older or somebody's maybe overweight, it may change the circumstances. But just in general. Yeah. Like, because a lot of people want things now. Instant gratification is the world we live in. No one ever wants to put in the work. Yeah. So they just are like, hey, how can I do this in a third of the time? And it doesn't always work that way with health and wellness. So. Yes, again, it's a lifestyle. You touched on that earlier.
Ashley Parker [00:25:07]:
Thank you. Yeah. I am going to be the one to report Pilates is a practice. You get better the more you practice anything. So that is how I equate that your results will increase the more you practice Pilates.
Dr. Jon [00:25:22]:
Sure. Kind of like yoga. Yoga is the same way.
Ashley Parker [00:25:24]:
Exactly like yoga. You just start to feel different. Right. Mentally, but then you also feel that mobility and that agility starts to increase. So with Pilates, I always, like I said, you're going to see a difference in an. An increase in your posture, in your posture, alignment, in your flexibility, and then in your balance. And then from that, the thing that comes together, that brings all that together is like you're also toning. You're also strengthening those muscles that are going to help you age well. You're strengthening the muscles to support those large muscles. So you start to see more toning, more definition. But that is not the immediate result.
Dr. Jon [00:26:06]:
Got it.
Ashley Parker [00:26:06]:
Right.
Dr. Jon [00:26:07]:
Yeah.
Ashley Parker [00:26:07]:
Like if that's not, you know, strength training and there are people who have, I mean, I will say strength training is definitely going to hit those large muscles. You're going to see, you know, bulking up and everything. But I promise you, we have the most strongest men come in there, men and women, people in general. And they're just like, that's like nothing I've ever done before.
Dr. Jon [00:26:32]:
Like you said, the small muscles that often people do not hit.
Ashley Parker [00:26:35]:
Yes. And that's why it's such a good longevity and wellness workout for anyone at any age. I think it's great when it's like layered into like a fitness routine. Whether you're a walker, a runner, a dancer, professional athletes. Like, this is. I mean, I can't tell you the amount of tweets that people send me. Like, did you see this? Such and such from the, the Cincinnati Bangles and stuff like that. And yeah, it's just very, it's just so cool to see that they are understanding the, the importance of having the, the flexibility, the balance, the balance training, the agility, the mobility. Like they don't want to be 10 men's on the field. And then also like post career. Can you imagine how their bodies feel? So this is something that can go with them. Longevity. So I think it is a practice and I get that question a lot at the studio and I always recommend, let's start it two times a week and then if you can increase it, that would be great. If you can increase it, add something else in there. So to help supplement your workout. Right. Whether it's cardio or if you. Or strength training. But Pilates will definitely start to tighten you up. And especially the more you practice, you learn how to breathe better because there's diaphragm breathing that comes into Pilates, which is very different from belly breathing and just the diaphragmic breeding breathing. You're contracting your abs.
Dr. Jon [00:27:57]:
If you're going to show me how to do that, maybe not now, but.
Ashley Parker [00:28:00]:
I'm doing it now. Like it's a thing like just from breathing that the way that we instruct you to implies like you're, you're, you're activating your core so you're starting to like, chip away at that core line and how you want it to look. So again, it's just a practice. And the more you come, the better you are. We do offer one on ones. We do a lot of one on ones actually with existing clients to kind of like fine tune things. Yeah. And I think that's a great thing to do. That's when like, they're really investing in, you know, their body. Yeah.
Dr. Jon [00:28:30]:
Yeah. Well, the benefits seem amazing. I mean.
Ashley Parker [00:28:31]:
Yeah.
Dr. Jon [00:28:32]:
I mean, flexibility.
Ashley Parker [00:28:33]:
Yes.
Dr. Jon [00:28:34]:
Relief and back pain, better posture. I mean, toning. I mean, those are all things that people are interested in.
Ashley Parker [00:28:40]:
And you will shred, you will shred weight because you're, you're burning calories, you're sweating, you're releasing toxins. We've had people who've lost, she said, 120 pounds doing Pilates. Oh, gosh.
Dr. Jon [00:28:52]:
That actually leads me into my next thing. I was going to have you tell us, like, One or two maybe success stories at Bodyrok. Obviously you can give as many details as you'd like, but to somebody's journey, maybe how Pilates help change their life.
Ashley Parker [00:29:04]:
We've had. We've had so many clients, and a lot of our clients are very diverse, which I love. We have students, we have judges, we have very professional women and men that come into our studio and they're all there for different reasons. So I would say one that stands out to me was she. She ate right, but she was just not a work, as they say, a workout girly. She's like, I just don't want to sweat. I don't want to do anything. I don't want to lift weights.
Dr. Jon [00:29:32]:
Like, I just want the weight to fall off magically.
Ashley Parker [00:29:34]:
Yeah, just she. She had goals and she just wanted to. Yeah, exactly. But she found whatever that was missing at Bodyrok and she challenged herself to come every day for 31 days.
Dr. Jon [00:29:47]:
Wow.
Ashley Parker [00:29:48]:
That's every single day. And she did that. And then she just kept happening. And now we're. This was in December, now we're in May. And she has a routine now. She feels great. She brings people along with her journey, which is so, so beautiful. That is, She's. She's reaching her goals of like losing weight and starting to see tone and definition. But I think that for me, the biggest success was that she surprised herself that she thought for something that she didn't want to do. And then she made her own self decision, which you have to do every single day. Yeah, I think that was like a success and triumph of just like overcoming things that you think you can't do.
Dr. Jon [00:30:26]:
Yeah, that's amazing.
Ashley Parker [00:30:27]:
Yeah, so that's kind of one of my favorites. And she's just like one of our OG members and like, we give her all the respect and love, but it's just great to see her body physically change and it be what she wants it to look, but also like that mental thing that she overcame, like, I'm not a workout girly. Now you're here every day, girl, and you're bringing friends and family and stuff. So it's like this has become so much a part of her life.
Dr. Jon [00:30:51]:
That's great. I love it. That's a great story. And this kind of leads into a little bit I want to talk about next. So some people like to incorporate a variety of things. So they'll do yoga maybe once a week, hit the gym, go for a run.
Ashley Parker [00:31:01]:
I do the same.
Dr. Jon [00:31:01]:
And Pilates fits in very nice with that as well. You don't just have to be all in on Pilates. You can do a little bit of everything.
Ashley Parker [00:31:07]:
Yeah, yeah, you can. And the good thing is Pilates can, you know, it can be restorative, it can be more of a stretch, it can be more active, it can focus only on core. Pilates is challenging.
Dr. Jon [00:31:21]:
It takes care of everything.
Ashley Parker [00:31:22]:
Yes, it is. And I myself do the same thing. I incorporate it into. I go to the gym, I do yoga in the morning. Like it's just kind of like a very grounding practice for me. I'll go walking, I'll do any. I'm doing tai chi on Saturday. Like that's awesome. I try to stay active, but Pilates is my. What's the word? It's my staple.
Dr. Jon [00:31:45]:
There you go.
Ashley Parker [00:31:46]:
Everything else will kind of be built in around that because I can make it be exactly what I need it to be. If I know I've skipped maybe two days, I can go a little harder on the moves and do more advanced moves that activate my core deeper or that if I want to focus on toning upper body or my arms, you know, I can do more hug a trees or sword or different kind of things. So you can really fine tune it. And we offer that at Bodyrok. So we have on Thursdays and Sundays we offer a class called Stretch and Flow. So it's more of our restorative class. We offer it twice a week at our Colony Square location and as of now, one. One time a week on Sundays at Emman Park. And we do that so that they can see that also Pilates is a restorative practice. It doesn't have to be, oh, I'm sweating and I'm, you know, my body is shaking because the muscles are working. But it is a restorative practice. So we show them how to use a reformer in that way of being able to stretch the body. And like our clients, it's. Oh, I can't even ever take it because the clients book it out. It's always kind of our sold out class.
Dr. Jon [00:32:46]:
It's almost like a recovery in a way.
Ashley Parker [00:32:47]:
Yeah, it is. We want to. And we, we did that cause we wanted to make a recovery class for our clients who come every day or come multiple times a week. So you have Pilates offers you that range to be whatever it is. And then, you know, using the different apparatuses can really challenge your workout, can really increase the different options that you have of what you need it to be.
Dr. Jon [00:33:12]:
Yeah.
Ashley Parker [00:33:12]:
So it can be on the, on the spectrum. It can be extremely challenging. There are Things that I myself cannot do yet.
Dr. Jon [00:33:19]:
Yeah.
Ashley Parker [00:33:19]:
You know, candlestick, you can look it up later.
Dr. Jon [00:33:22]:
I'm not guaranteed. I can't do that.
Ashley Parker [00:33:24]:
It's. You're literally upside down on the Cadillac. So.
Dr. Jon [00:33:27]:
On the, on the Cadillac.
Ashley Parker [00:33:28]:
Yeah. So we call it. So have you seen the reformer that has. It's like a reformer, then it has two towers and then it also has one on top.
Dr. Jon [00:33:37]:
I have not. I only saw the.
Ashley Parker [00:33:38]:
Yeah, so you can go upside down. That is something I'm working on. That is extreme, extreme core.
Dr. Jon [00:33:44]:
I'll let you learn.
Ashley Parker [00:33:45]:
And I'm strong. I. I am strong. But like my friend who is a mother of three has been practicing Pilates for five plus years. She can do it like nothing. And it just shows you the different levels of strength in your body.
Dr. Jon [00:33:58]:
Sure.
Ashley Parker [00:33:59]:
I could probably lift the weight heavier than her overhead. I can claim it. Really, you know, Nice. All right, so.
Dr. Jon [00:34:06]:
But yeah, yeah, that was great explanation. That's awesome. All right, so ready to kind of wrap up here. We've covered a great bit. You've done wonderful job explaining Pilates, why people need to be doing it. But yeah, I just wanted to finish up with you telling people how they can check you guys out on social media and maybe something you have for first time clients. Somebody who watches this, listens to it and they're like, oh, I'm intrigued. How do I, how do I contact you? And what's. What am I going to have to pay? What's it like for the first visit?
Ashley Parker [00:34:33]:
We're super active on Instagram. Our social media account is at Bodyrok Atlanta. We're constantly posting on stories. Any new, new offers that we're offering or fun things are joining into this in the studio. You're welcome to learn about it and join there. As a first time client, we offer first class $20, which is great. It's like a Starbucks drink right at this point. First. First class is $20. You can sign up online, you can text us, email us. We're very, very responsive. And then when you do text or talk or email, you're talking to a real person. So we try to make sure we're very personal with our clients. We have two studio locations, Colony Square and Emman Park. You are invited to use your first single class pass the $20 at either studio locations. I just invite people to try it out. It's really fun. We offer classes seven days a week.
Dr. Jon [00:35:27]:
That's all.
Ashley Parker [00:35:28]:
As early as 5:30am if that is your jam. That's not my jam.
Dr. Jon [00:35:32]:
Same and.
Ashley Parker [00:35:34]:
But we there are sold out and we'll go until 7:30pm on the weekdays and weekends. We are on and popping our class to sell out really fast on the weekends. So it's a fun environment. I invite you to come check us out. Movement is medicine. It is the one thing that you can control on your health. You can move your body. And we encourage you to come and move with us at Bodyrok Atlanta. It's so much fun. And I'll be there and all the friends.
Dr. Jon [00:36:00]:
Awesome.
Ashley Parker [00:36:01]:
This is a really good time.
Dr. Jon [00:36:02]:
Yeah, that was great. And thank you so much for sitting down with me today. Of course.
Ashley Parker [00:36:06]:
It's my honor. Thank you.
Dr. Jon [00:36:07]:
Yeah, of course. I enjoyed it a lot. And now, now I need to get in there as well, so.
Ashley Parker [00:36:10]:
Yes, that's the plan.
Dr. Jon [00:36:12]:
All right, well, thanks again. All right.
Ashley Parker [00:36:14]:
Thank you.
Dr. Jon [00:36:14]:
Yeah.
