Lesley A. Powell – Master Teacher and Balanced Body Faculty
Lesley A. Powell brings together her unique career as a dancer, choreographer, world acclaimed Pilates instructor, movement educator and artist.
Lesley Powell’s Movements Afoot, 1993-2014, was founded with the philosophy of teaching people the basic concepts of movement theory: proper movement initiation, integrating breath with movement and spinal integrity, by equipping people with the necessary tools for a lifetime of fitness and wellness. Besides being a Pilates studio, Lesley incorporated the best education in the somatics field: Bartenieff Fundamentals, BodyMind Centering, Franklin Method, Feldenkrais and yoga. Lesley Powell has appeared in many articles about Mind Body Fitness including Elle, Newsday, the Village Voice, Shape Magazine, etc.
Lesley Powell has been a private fitness trainer since 1986. She received her CMA/Certification as a Movement Analyst from the Laban/Bartenieff Institute, and shares her knowledge and wisdom in movement therapy with physical therapists, medical practitioners and sports training institutes as an adjunct modality for re-educating patients approach to fitness. She has been a trainer at Sports Training Institute, Doral Fitness, Plus One, Dr. Bacharach’s Osteopathic Center for Sports and Dance Medicine. Since she knew how to work with injured clients, Lesley was invited by JRW, a physical therapy practice to learn Pilates for rehabilitation.
Lesley was on the faculty of Drew University from 1991-2001, teaching classes in modern dance, dance history and choreography. She also received a certificate in the Franklin Method March 2007. From 1988 – , Irene Dowd has been her teacher for anatomy and neuromuscular retraining.
Lesley is a leader in educating teachers about the body, improving function and ease of motion. She has been part of Pilates teacher programs since 2000 first with PhysicalMind Institute and now faculty for Balanced Body. She has assisted in developing programs for PhysicalMind and now herself of teaching professional teachers deeper levels of understanding about the body, neuromuscular retraining and post rehabilitation.
A decade ago, Lesley started writing and creating educational materials about the body. She travels internationally presenting workshops to Pilates teachers to take their teaching to the next level. She is working with FusionFitness online in creating teaching videos about the body and how to use the Pilates repertory to facilitate change.
Since she stopped dancing and choreographing as well, she also started back to art, a passion from high school. Originally her intention was to learn how to do anatomical drawing. Her teacher, Niki Orbach, inspired her to get back to her roots of creativity. Painting is Lesley’s new passion.
The decision to close the studio, was to allow Lesley to have more freedom to develop, write and create work about her love of the body: its potential and creativity. Now Lesley is able to concentrate on teaching, doing research for new projects for workshops, wellness programs and teaching videos. In New York City, she teaches privately,classes and workshops online and in New York City at Space Pilates and Westside Dance Physical Therapy.
" So much information but excellent way to understand how neck and other personal adjustments influence the whole head tail connection. "
Cynthia B (Kissable Available Neck)
" Loved it!! "
Kelly H (Kissable Available Neck)
" Once again Lesley, you provide such precise and at the same time including material. As a former dancer, I particularly appreciate the richness of your ressources and imagery (BMC, Feldenkrais, Eric Franklyn, Bertenieff...). Also I don\'t think I have complimented you for your anatomy paintings which to me are more like dancing portraits. I find them really beautiful and alive. There is so much poetry in your deep understanding of the body. Thank you for sharing it. "
Caroline B (Scapula Revolution )
" You always think of the neck as an attachment to the head. This helped me with the spinal connection with the ribs and the neck "
Judi D (Kissable Available Neck)
" I got back into teaching Pilates after a hiatus of many years. This courses was enjoyable and insightful and gave me some ideas for helping older adults or those with joint replacements. "
Alfred A (Spinefull and Hippiness )
" Thank you for this workshop. I appreciated learning some nuances and tactile cueing, like the block in between the legs for footwork. Learned some new stretches too, like the lean against the wall. So yummy! "
Cassidy M (Spinefull and Hippiness )
" Enjoyed it very much; thank you! "
Alexandra W (Spinefull and Hippiness )
" Thank you Lesley, You have shared some great information that helps connects the dots in understanding how to achieve better posture and functional movement patterns, especially in standing. As we get old that is more important. "
Paula K (Spinefull and Hippiness )
" I found the cueing of the movement of the bones vs muscles to be tremendously helpful and easy to grasp. Can\'t wait to implement on common PAs. "
Linda von WErnitz v (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" Leslie is fast becoming one of my favorite instructor. In this work she is able bring so many different disciplines into her teaching... As a movement professional for more than 30 years, as well as a Myoskeletal Alignment Therapist for 17 of those years I find it very refreshing to have someone who is able to convey the concepts of movement, structure, interdependence of systems, how "
Gerolyn W (Don't Be DeFEETed)
" Great indepth visualisation cues to assist with imbalances "
Candace A (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" Excellent workshop! As always, Lesley Powell is a master of anatomy and her cueing/tips unique. I highly recommend this workshop. "
Eileen M (Scapula Revolution )
" Wonderful workshop! I had no idea what Biotensegrity was - but now feel like it has changed how i look at movement. "
Kris B (Biotensegrity: New Models of Anatomy)
" Wonderful! I have taken many trainings for strengthening the posterior chain, but this on really gets to how the brain can alter the signals and send spasm into the weak links... thanks! "
Gerolyn W (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Wonderful video! Leslie takes a very complicated issue and helps explain in detail how and why the knee can get disorganized I it’s function in clear and simple terms. The analogies and imagery used in this video make is accessible to instructor and the client. Thanks so very much! Gerolyn Whittemore, Scolio-Pilates Practitioner "
Gerolyn W (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" Eye-opening info on how the scapula moves around the ribcage! "
Jenny G (Scapula Revolution )
" This may be one of the most important workshops I have ever taken. My dream would be to sit in Lesley\'s studio and watch her teach day in and day out. "
Kris B (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" excellent! After watching Lesley\'s presentation, I will be teaching my clients in a completely different way. Some of my cues have been hindering my clients in their ability to find proper scapular humeral rhythm and proper posture... "
Kris B (Scapula Revolution )
" Another amazing Lesley Poweel workshop. She packed so much valuable information into this workshop - as she always does. I will be using several of the exercises with my clients immediately "
Kris B (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" I am learning so much from Lesley Powell...Another excellent workshop with very detailed, helpful information to add to the exercises. "
nancy m (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Loved this workshop. Great pacing, great visuals (bones and tape), great variety of cueing. "
Deborah S (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" Great use of multiple sources - skeleton, drawings, live models, pilates equipment, yoga props, etc - to help bring it all together for teaching. "
Shelley ( Intro to Anatomy and Applications to Pilates )
" I was very familiar with the hip and femur accessory motions, but this video helped me immensely with how to correct and manage a dysfunctional tibia. Having danced and been an equestrian, I realize the implications of turing out from the foot/shin instead of the hip creates challenges to manage later in life. I already notice a difference in how my foot organizes just with the focus to medial hamstring. I will use this on myself and on many of my patients with similar issues. Thank you. "
Daniella T (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" This was great! The imagery and ability to watch a body in motion really helped. There were lots of useful variations to get the same effect. I also like seeing two different bodies doing the same exercises and watching where the weaknesses were for each person. "
Teresa G (Scapula Revolution )
" I practice Pilates-based PT. This has been an invaluable class for me. The hands on cueing, the verbal cues, taking the ordinary - what I\'ve been using for years - and showing me a much deeper inherent value available. I appreciate the deep dive into what is a very important topic. I will come back for more. Thank you! "
Daniella T (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Thank you Leslie. Your work sheds more light on the proper biomechanics and movement anatomy we all aspire to in ourselves and for our clients. "
Theresa W (Don't Be DeFEETed)
" I loved this course, having drawings and visual aids helped so much. I liked that the course used all the senses and it was so helpful! "
Jenny S ( Intro to Anatomy and Applications to Pilates )
" Great visuals and cues. Loved diving deeper into the shoulder! "
Karin N (Scapula Revolution )
" It was useful to see the concepts being taught with a live client. Also the use of the bone \"props\" was helpful to really visualize what is going on in the body. "
Erin E (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" Very informative. Already thinking about how to apply information in my sessions "
Lorraine K (Don't Be DeFEETed)
" Loved this insight from the ground up! "
Tracy M (Don't Be DeFEETed)
" Lesley Powell is my spirit animal "
tiffany r (Don't Be DeFEETed)
" I loved this workshop. Makes me think differently about the importance of strength of the legs for myself and my clients! I will need to watch it over and over again. "
Cheryl G (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" I wrote 5 pages of notes, which is great as it was packed with information. It was great to help to fill some gaps and very helpful. Thank you. "
Vanessa C (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" The class was very informative and easy to follow. "
Donna H ( Intro to Anatomy and Applications to Pilates )
" Wonderful workshop! Clear, didactic and very useful! "
Roberta B (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Wonderful information. Great cuing and helpful tips. Love the open chain leg extension when she was seated on the chair. I question some of the rotation cuing in relation to meniscus tears post surgery and will message you about that. Thank you for this video. "
Brenda A (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" What I loved most about the workshop was the interaction between the skeleton, the diagrams and the live models! It gave me a cohesive understanding of how everything integrates. I will be taking more of these workshops. Lesley Powell is a wonderful teacher! "
Marie S ( Intro to Anatomy and Applications to Pilates )
" A wealth of information! "
CHRISTINA J ( Intro to Anatomy and Applications to Pilates )
" Great information on hip muscles as postural muscles. I appreciate the comparisons between efficient movement (good) and inefficient (bad) movement. Lots of great, client accessible exercises to bring to my clients. "
Linda Z (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Loved this! So helpful to see one concept taken through multiple different exercises. "
Jennifer B (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" I enjoyed the various cues and imagery to help the client connect deeper to the pelvic floor. "
MICHELE R (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" I found this workshop very informative and clear. The demonstrations using imagery were very helpful "
Lindsey C (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" Great information on the knee "
NAOMI F (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" Very good workshop! "
Marcus S (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Great workshop! "
Marcus S (Scapula Revolution )
" Great information that i will use in all my classes and privates... "
Darlene K (Scapula Revolution )
" Great workshop. Very informative. Looking forward to practicing the moves and using them for my client. I have a hip replacement and the lateral and posterior hip are weak areas of the leg. "
LeVonne W (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Very useful explanations and applications to classic equipment repertoire "
Maria C (Scapula Revolution )
" A lot of information packed into an hour - very useful and informative personally, as well as for many of my clients! "
michele W (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" It was interesting to examine the relationship between the ASIS, sitz bones and sacrum in movement. "
Christina B (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" The course presentation and content were a perfect blend of technical and example. "
Audrey P (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" This workshop was very informative. I like how Lesley breaks down the mechanics of the shoulder girdle and provides exercises to isolate each muscle. I had to watch it more than once to absorb everything. Lesley is very detailed and specific in her cuing and corrections, and it has given me a lot to think about in working with my own clients. I am looking forward to putting this workshop to good use with clients experiencing shoulder dysfunction. "
Parker S (Scapula Revolution )
" Great workshop and helpful targeted tips. I look forward to incorporating them into my own practice and with clients. "
amy l (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" A great video to learn the placement of the shoulder blades - the material Lesley covered , the use of her language, and anatomy references are excellent . "
Amy S (Scapula Revolution )
" As always, Lesley, a lot of great information. Thank you so much for your wisdom! "
Phyllis G M (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" Very clear insights into compensatory movements of the low back and hip flexors. Thank you. "
Holly K (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" Very informative workshop. I am also a physical therapist assistant and work in outpatient rehab clinics; therefore, this information will assist me with my patients as well as my pilates clients. "
Erica P (Posterior Lateral Hip Workshop )
" A ton of interesting details! "
Malgorzata P (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )
" Very interesting workshop. I love how Lesley showed us how the mechanics of the knee works and how to improve some patterns. "
cherhine s (The Knee: A Reflection of the Hip and Ankle )
" Wonderful workshop. Great ideas to engage and strengthen the serratus! "
valerie p (Scapula Revolution )
" Good workshop. The video really allows us to see the movement that is happening. Thank you. "
Jessica R (Pelvic Floor: Foundation for Support )