Amy Krazizky

I am a holistic horse veterinarian and have done so many dentals, adjustments, lameness exams and acupuncture treatments over the last 25 years that I wore out 2 of my rotator cuff ligaments in my right shoulder. It had been bothering me for 6 years but I continued to push through it until finally last spring 2018 it hurt so much I couldn’t sleep. I had an ultrasound and got the definitive diagnosis. At first I resisted surgery and thought I could just put the things I like to do on hold, like showjumping, tennis, yoga....and I cut way back on my Veterinary practice. I investigated PRP, increased my laser and microcurrent treatments and I started Pilates with Amy at Cores and Effect. I quickly became aware that I might have been able to prevent this injury had I started Pilates years ago. I realized that I was not using my intrinsic core musculature as well as I could have doing all that work with my arms above my head. I also have to admit that in the beginning, while we were re-training my body it seemed slow and I was hoping for more of a work out. The first two months were bitter sweet, I didn’t really sweat, but I’d leave feeling a deep inner buzz and strength, thankfully I kept going with Pilates. Amy was willing to see if we could balance my body and strengthen my shoulder while I contemplated avoiding surgery. Mid summer I saw a surgeon in Sun Valley Idaho and with further diagnostics she explained that these were full ligament tears and would not heal no matter how much therapy I did to them. So we scheduled surgery for the end of October. In the studio we started pre-hab work. Deeper awareness of my core, mobility in my spine and strengthening my back connection and functional movements to bring my shoulder blades back to my back, and to teach them to glide in movement rather than sit winged out.

Just for fun, I took my jumper to a show mid July and we rocked it! I didn’t hurt my shoulder because I had such core strength and more stamina than usual. I have a big horse with a big jump and I walked out of the ring breathing easily thinking. “ that was seamless”. I remember sending the video to Amy to thank her for the work and my new body awareness. We worked diligently right up to my surgery, Amy gave me mat exercises to do even post surgery as I stayed at my ranch in Idaho for a month afterward. I did work with a phenomenal PT in Idaho whose philosophy was aligned with Amy’s. I continue to do my mat work when I am not able to work with Amy directly and my body is continually on a renewal program. Now ? I am enjoying my work and riding immensely.

Dr Heather Mack

, Holistic Horse Veterinarian

I have a friend who was telling me about sessions that she was taking with Amy. We laughed as she told me she is not sure how it works but it does, and the difference that she has found in her own body is incredible. I decided to give it a try as Cores and Effect was offering a Took Kit class. At the first class I was amazed, as I left there sweating and in my opinion did not do a usual workout. After the first session I was hooked and wanted more as I could not believe that something so simple as moving your body a certain way could actually make you feel better. I have always been under the impression that I need to push my body to extremes to get it to do what I want. I had never ever stopped to notice how my body was feeling prior to taking the Tool Kit and, if I had noticed anything, I know that I would have ignored it and pushed through. Working on certain releases brought up emotional feelings that I had buried into my body and ignored. Amy allowed me to accept this and work through it as she encouraged me to sit with it, which I have not had the courage to do in the past. This whole experience has helped me on a physical, mental and emotional level more than anything I have ever done. I notice my body now and pay attention to it. I allow the emotions to flow through me when required and I feel so much better due to it. It is amazing as to how we are never taught to use our body properly and how rewarding that can be when we are shown. I would highly recommend Pilates as it has enhanced my life more than I ever could have dreamt possible.

Lori-Lyn Siroishk

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I attended a 4-hour Equestrian Workshop at Cores & Effect Pilates yesterday and was amazed at the detail and results we all achieved in such a relatively short amount of time! Amy explained everything in great detail and with a sense of humour. It was a great introduction, and I am excited to try some of the exercises on a regular basis to help with postural alignment and improved riding. Thank you, Amy!!

Susan Hewton-Waters

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After just one session with Amy evaluating and teaching I left with a much better awareness of my body and how with Pilates I can change and improve my body alignment, core strength and whole well being - I know this will absolutely help me as a rider and improve my ability to be more effective in the sport of dressage! My low back and hip pain decreased immensely after the exercises she demonstrated. What a relief after being in pain for a month! I cant wait to return for more sessions!!! Amy is extremely knowledgeable, professional and engaging.

Angela Chupik

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The Tool Kit Class is an excellent introduction to Pilates, and for someone like myself a great review. Combined with the Tool Kit book the classes are a strong foundation for home practice.

Darlene Quaife

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Amy has an excellent body awareness and knowledge/understanding of body biomechanics. She can accommodate for individual differences within a class setting and tailor the movements to assist each participant in the class. She uses excellent verbal cueing paired with hands on guidance to facilitate the appropriate movement she wants you to achieve. I've enjoyed the sessions thus far. Have targeted some extremely tight muscle areas to get a release so that I have better mobility and range of motion. Classes have been paced so we each understand the movements required and can achieve them.

Cheryl Oga

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I am finally recovering quickly from injuries that have plagued me for the past year. I am regaining my strength and flexibility and my performance in the saddle is greatly improved. Amy’s ability to target the root of my pain and the fact that I leave every session feeling incredible improvement. I also love her sense of humour and the fact that she makes every session fun. I also really love the equipment! Time flies too quickly!!

Chantal M

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Having started Pilates with Amy is one of the best things I’ve done. Being a rider, it has helped in so many areas. Beginning to learn how to use my core correctly, starting to be aware of my feet are only a few of the benefits. I’m slowly noticing that I’m able to sit more deeply in the saddle, and by learning to engage my back, I’m able to relax my shoulders and arms and offer my horses a more soft and feeling contact with the bit. Figuring out where my crookednesses and compensations are, I’m noticing some of the problems in my horses straightnesses. It’s amazing how old injuries are effecting how I use my body, and getting them erased is making a huge difference. Pilates has not just started to improve my abilities in the saddle, but my overall health and outlook on life is better. It’s amazing how uplifting it is. I can arrive at a session feeling tired and stressed, and by the time I’m done, I feel invigorated. I’m very excited about my future in Pilates! Thank you Amy!!

Ulla N. Allan

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Over the course of the past two years I tried numerous diet programs that failed. Nothing was working. I was on a constant weight yo-yo. Seeing my weight go up and down left me feeling hopeless. Then I found Amy from Cores and Effect and decided to give Pilates a try. I told Amy about my journey and my struggles and she designed a program to help me. After a very short period of time I noticed a huge change in my body with Pilates. I feel stronger and I have more balance in my body. Pilates has worked muscles that have never worked before. I started to see my body begin to shrink. I have an extremely busy life balancing my career and family. It is easy to make excuses to say I don’t have the time to do all this… and that is exactly what they are … excuses. You have to make the time and commit. I committed and put this program into my busy schedule. I woke up earlier than usual. I made choices in the evening that would find the time for ME for the program. I am on a new and exciting path. I know I will do it! I am finding my way back.

Tina Patton

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I’m a life-long avid XC skier and cyclist. I first heard about the benefits of Pilates on athletic performance from a Masters ski coach of mine. That got me thinking! A bit later, I developed some knee soreness that I was pretty sure was the result of muscle imbalance. That led me to Cores & Effects and Amy. She quickly identified the cause of my knee pain and we set about restoring balance and building flexibility and strength to get back to proper alignment. The improvement was noticeable very quickly and it wasn’t long before the issue was completely resolved! I also noticed that my performance on the bike was improving as I was learning to recruit more muscles properly and that my awareness of proper form was much more acute. I’m very interested to see how this translates to the skis as well. Amy is a very skilled teacher who understands athletics and I truly enjoy the challenges she presents me with each session. I believe that what I am learning from Amy will enable me to keep my level of physical activity high for many years to come!

Don Thomas - 61

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Amy has always exhibited a keen mind for Pilates- ever since she first came to me as a client and later as a student. She has passion and understanding but most importantly, a thirst for knowledge regarding the dynamics of the human body. The system of the authentic Pilates method and all the apparatus is not easy to learn, but Amy has devoted herself wholly since the beginning. This is the sign of a truly great instructor- someone who cares about their clients enough to sacrifice all their free time to this method! I’m so proud of her for developing a studio space, and for her vision for overall health and wellness for so many people!

Tanis Fleming, Pilates Teacher Trainer

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Amy is an outstanding instructor who has a wealth of knowledge to share. This studio, Amy, and the equipment are rockin !

Mel Pollock

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I have known about Pilates for a while and was thrilled that a studio opened in Bragg Creek. I am very pleased to work with Amy because she is knowledgeable and committed to you reaching your goals. IF I PRACTICED PILATES A LONG TIME AGO, I WOULD HAVE AVOIDED MANY INJURIES FROM COMPETING IN CROSS COUNTRY SKI RACING, BIKE RACING, TRIATHLONS, AND RUNNING MARATHONS!!! And I wouldn’t have suffered through the times of injury as long as it took before. Pilates would have helped my shoulders with rock climbing, kayaking, and cross country skiing. It would have given me a stronger core for all sports, helped with hip problems from running, and given me better balance. Not only that, I can see how it helps with gardening, working with a job that makes demands on you physically, and just be able to enjoy the regular day to day living demands more easily. What I love about Pilates is the ability to isolate and target a muscle group without distractions from the rest of your body because you are supported with specific Pilates equipment. You can focus on what needs to be worked on for any reason and a person develops a beautiful sense of body awareness. “Pedal to the Metal“ is fine, but WAY BETTER if it is done with complete awareness.

Vivian Luoma

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Without Amy at Cores & Effect Pilates I would still be in extreme pain. Unexplained neck pain-had an MRi, cat scan, top specialist in various fields and no explanation. Amy started working with me and the pain I had for over 5 years started to ease off and is gone. Thank goodness I couldn’t take it anymore! I had an ulcer from pain meds and it was making me feel exhausted all the time. THANK YOU AMY! (She works me hard but so happy to be pain free. I have been able to get back to walking (my solace with nature)

Carla Murray

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I ❤️my experience that I am having with Amy. Her teaching is very in tune with my individual needs of dealing with a severe trauma in my family, hysterectomy with delayed healing and yeahbeing diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Some days I feel like I have been hit by a truck and I still limp in and somehow Amy gets me through it.☺️ With a long history of yoga, dance and 100%percent dedication I already had to my health ,it has been a severe emotional and physical blow to navigate bringing myself back into alignment, learning how to listen to my body and rejoicing for what I have on all levels. Amy is helping me strengthen myself in ways I did not previously in any of my practices, physically and emotionally. I am making changes in my body that are so nice to achieve even though this was a new area of physical activity for me. Amy is genuinely caring, smart, funny and knows her stuff when it comes to teaching pilates. The space is beautiful and welcoming. My daughter has joined her in a group class of a few young ladies, and all I can say is that I am so thankful my daughter gets to learn these fundamentals of pilates to carry her through to leading a long and healthy life. So worth giving it a shot, so glad I did.

Janel Butler

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I have almost completed the 6 week introduction to Pilates with Amy. I’ve been doing yoga for about 5 years, but this was the first time I’d done any pilates other than a following a home video a few times. What a difference Amy has made! This simple introduction is great for anyone to follow – the awareness that Amy gives us to our body, how it performs (or not), and how a problem in one area can have knock on effects in other locations. I would definitely recommend this class to newcomers to Pilates, and anybody wanting to get off the couch to begin an exercise routine. I will now be able to continue to improve my fitness level with an awareness of what good posture should feel like, and the importance of core strength (hopefully one day I will have it). I can also see the benefit of Pilates to other athletes of any discipline whether it may be for helping to recover from injury or to correct or diagnose an imbalance. Amy is very professional, but very friendly too, and has a lovely ability to put clients at ease, and she has created a studio space which is calming and full of natural light.

Tracy Mills

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I have been taking Pilates with Amy for about 6 months now and absolutely love it.  My job gives me a lot of neck and back pain and I find great relief doing Pilates. In this short time I have found huge improvements to my posture and overall strength.  Amy is very knowledgeable and makes every class fun and interesting at the same time. Her approach is very clear and she adapts certain exercises to suit me individually. I would highly recommend Amy, she is an amazing Pilates instructor.

Sarah

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Although I thought I was well versed in fitness & rehab options, when my physiotherapist recommended I try Pilates one-on-one sessions to help with my chronic spinal pain, I didn’t know what to expect. The gentle but challenging re-training of the body’s patterns of movement (often guarded and ineffectual after chronic injury) under Amy’s astute supervision has already proved to be more effective than anything else I’ve tried. Her specialized equipment and individualized programming is designed to protect and support the body while gradually rebuilding its strength. Amy has been an ideal guide for discovering Pilates. Experienced through her own journey, she is empathetic, passionate and resourceful. Her home studio is comfortable and well equipped. I highly recommend Cores & Effects Pilates; we’re fortunate to have Amy in our Bragg Creek community.

J.D

, Private Sessions

Prior to learning Pilates with Amy I suffered from a chronic back injury as a result of a car accident. After years of injections, surgery and other varied treatments I am finally able to manage my body without the need for medication and do yard work and exercise without the fear of a sore back. Thank you Amy 🙂

Alex

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I have been doing Pilates with Amy Krazizky for a couple of months and am amazed that it has taken me 69 years to find out about Pilates. We all tend to take our bodies for granted and don't listen to them when they complain about the things we make them do. With Amy I am learning about the interconnections throughout the body and recognizing what works and what stresses my body. I am certainly not leaping around like a 20 year old (yet) but find the progress that I am making and the difference in energy, posture and strength very encouraging. And it is a lot of fun - look forward to the classes and even happily do my homework!

Hazel

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