Pilates by Jennifer is located upstairs at Element Boxing, 928 West 7th Street, St. Paul, in the historic Jacob Schmidt Brewery.

Jennifer Hildebrandt Pilates

Schedule

Pilates Mat Classes

Matwork is the alpha and the omega of Pilates. It shows us where our body is today, and is the goal every piece of equipment in the Pilates system. There's no fancy equipment in mat, which makes it the most accessible, the most challenging and most revealing part of the method.

I honor Joseph Pilates' original order of mat exercises, informed by contemporary perspective, for a challenging whole-body workout suited to every body.

In this class, we set judgment aside and get curious. We have fun while increasing strength, flexibility and resilience in the whole body. Before you know it, you will be moving with less pain and discomfort, and more balance, confidence and ease.

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Pilates Reformer classes, reformer classes, reformer-tower, Pilates, Classical Pilates, Contemporary Pilates

Pilates Apparatus Classes

Apparatus (aka equipment) classes use the full Pilates system (Mat, Reformer, Tower, Cadillac, Chair, barrels and more) for a challenging, mindful, whole-body workout that stretches and strengthens all of your parts, especially the forgotten ones.

Joseph Pilates invented the equipment for students who struggled with his mat work (everyone!) and with life: stiff backs, tight hips, troublesome shoulders, aching feet, dance and sport injuries (sound familiar?). Spring tension both challenges and supports you, so your forgotten parts get stronger and give your overworked parts a break.

Every student must complete 3 private sessions before registering for classes, so I can introduce you to the equipment, discuss goals and concerns, and studio policies.

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Private Pilates, solo Pilates, individual Pilates, Pilates lessons, personal training, restorative exercise, restorative movement, natural movement,

Problem Solving Private Sessions

Problem Solving Privates (Solos and Duets) are for students who prefer individual instruction, are recovering from an illness or injury, or are returning to exercise after a long break.

We can work short term (on a specific exercise or goal, or to make sense of your physical therapy exercises) or long term, depending on your goals. Not local, or traveling? Zoom sessions keep your practice going wherever you are.

All new students must begin with an intro package of 3 private sessions before joining any classes.

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Workshops

I offer workshops on feet, pelvis, spine and other movement topics, plus writing workshops, public readings and events that support our local arts community.

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All new students must complete a 3 Pack Intro of privates before registering for any equipment-based classes. Purchase and register here.
Single sessions, 5 packs and 10 packs are available for all services.
10 packs are for students who practice at least twice a week. If that's not possible, please choose a 5 pack or single sessions.
All packages have firm expiration dates, extended only in an emergency:
- Intro packages: 2 weeks
- 5 packs: 2 months
- 10 packs: 2 months
Cancellation policy: please extend the courtesy of a 24-hour notice for private sessions and a 12-hour notice for group classes to avoid being charged.
No zippers, snaps, jewelry or dark nail polish. They can damage the equipment or cause injury.
Please arrive 5 to 10 minutes before your class or session.
Bring a mat for mat classes (I have a few spares if you forget) and water to stay hydrated.
Wear comfortable clothes that let you move freely and cover all the bits!
Bare feet or socks with grippy soles, please. No shoes unless we've discussed it.
Please silence your phone and smartwatches during class.
PLEASE stay home if you're sick, and I'll do the same!
I'm not a medical professional and cannot diagnose or treat any illness, injury or disease. If you have a health concern that may affect your time at the studio, you must obtain clearance for exercise from your medical provider before joining any classes.

Equitable Access

I'm dedicated to offering a space where every student feels welcomed and free to move, by removing as many barriers to my services as I can, while at the same time, honoring my time, knowledge and dedication to my work.

My restorative exercise training with Nutritious Movement and yoga certification with Accessible Yoga opened my eyes and heart to the endless obstacles people face when trying to access health and well. I'm always exploring new ways to make my classes as welcoming to as many people as I can, and am always open to discussing options..

Inclusive Engagement

I want every student in my studio to feel valued, seen and heard. Through active listening and open communication and welcoming feedback, I shape my classes around the needs of my student community.

Community Engagement

By partnering with Element Boxing, I have found a unique, vibrant, inclusive community-centered home where I can share my love of Pilates with a broader audience. I'm especially interested in reaching out to those who, for a variety of reasons, might find Pilates intimidating or inaccessible. The Pilates world is chaotic right now—everything is Pilates, which means, very little is actually Pilates. It's my mission to help clarify the muddy Pilates waters for both students and those who are interested in teaching Pilates,, by offering an approach that's rooted in tradition and at the same time, ever-evolving, expansive and inclusive.

Culturally Competent Care

In spite of what social media might suggest, Pilates is not a cookie-cutter experience; it was not meant to be taught as a group class, where everyone is doing the same thing as everyone else in the room. To teach as such disrespects the lived lived experience of every individual in the room, and disregards students' autonomy, authority and agency over their own body.

Traditionally, Pilates is a highly adaptive practice, customizable for every body, every person who comes to the studio. A well-trained Pilates teacher will know, intuitively it seems, how to guide each student, with care, respect and dignity, through movements that focus on the student's goals and cocnerns. A culturally competent teacher takes the time to learn about and understand the wide variety of life experiences that students bring to the session, and learns as much, if not more, from the student, as the student does from the teach. The relationship between a teacher and student is always collaborative, never authoritative.

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"Love this studio! Jen is amazing! She is very knowledgeable, and can adapt any exercise to any level, or alter them if it bothers any preexisting condition you might have. Very fun and relaxing class that provides just the right amount of challenge. Highly recommend!"

-AV, Mankato, MN

"Working with Jennifer twice a week has helped eliminate the pain and discomfort in my knees; Jennifer’s understanding of what a body needs is remarkable; I’ve found the sustained focus of this movement practice to be grounding and empowering. "

-AP, Minneapolis, MN

"I can safely say that my last year studying with Jennifer has been life changing. I've had chronic pain since 2001, resulting in surgery in 2021. With Jennifer's help, I've learned to control my abs and spine in a way no physical therapist ever was able to teach me. I'm pain free, and I'm dancing again!"

-JF, Saint Peter, MN

"In just a few short sessions with Jennifer, I've seen improvement in strength and flexibility, both of which continue to grow. I wish I could start each day with a restorative movement session with Jennifer! "

-KS, Petaluma, CA

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Minnesota, Mankato, Pilates teacher, author, writer, restorative movement

Pilates, like the rest of the world, is chaos. But within the chaos is order, if you know where to look.

When I started doing Pilates a million and twenty years ago, I didn't know there was a man behind the name, Joseph H. Pilates. I didn't know he called his method Contrology, or that he devoted his life to the healing power of movement. Frankly, I didn't know shit about Pilates.

I'd been a hairdresser and salon owner until my husband, Bob, got sick with cancer. I closed my salon to become his full-time caregiver until he died in 2011. Afterward, I lost everything: my best friend, my business, our home, our dog, most of my friends, a lot of my hair and all of my mind.

My healing journey began with kettlebells. My dear friend Lisa, who had lost her beloved son, Sam, shortly before Bob died, talked me into going to a kettlebell class with her. “You'll still think about Bob,” she said, “and you'll probably cry, but you'll also think about not dropping a 35 lb. cannonball on your head. Trust me, it's good therapy.” She was right. For an hour or two a week, I felt like a badass warrior queen, swinging, sweating, crying and getting stronger. I loved it so much, I got certified to teach Kettlebells. However, I learned quickly that when students came in with a messed up shoulder, knee or back, all I could say was, “If it bothers you, don't do it!” I wanted to offer better solutions, and the studio owner convinced me that a Pilates certification was the way to go.

To be frank, I had no business being in a Pilates teacher training program. I knew very little about Pilates—I didn't practice Pilates (unless you count flopping on my living room floor to Mari Winsor VHS tapes back in the 90s).

Along the way, what I learned is that Pilates builds strength and flexibility from the ground up, and I did now a thing or two about rebuilding from the ground up. Restorative movement and Pilates (one and the same, to me) can help so many bodies, but I see too many folks getting lost in the chaos. If you're only doing “reformer pilates," which is all the rage currently, you're missing the whole of Pilates. There is actually a powerful method to the madness.

In my small corner of the world, it's my holy obligation to help preserve Joseph Pilates' original, restorative work, while at the same time, layering in contemporary movement science to his work. I teach his exercises in their original order on the mat and reformer, supplementing with Cadillac, chair, arcs, barrels and other tools, and I adapt all of it to the body in front of me. No two bodies are alike, and even our own body is never the same two days in a row. My work with students is collaborative, creative and respectful.

I'm an incurably curious lifelong student, forever amazed by the resilience of the human body and spirit. I learn far more from my students than they'll ever learn from me, and I'm humbled by and grateful for everyone who trusts me to guide them through the chaos, back to calm.

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