Welcome!
We are a cozy, neighbourhood studio offering semi-private machine sessions, small group mat classes, ELDOA™ & myofascial stretching technique, personal training and more.
We work with the body in front of us and use the pilates method along with other modalities to help people reach their goals and/or rehabilitate. We are open to all bodies, genders, ages and abilities from athlete to beginner.
How can we help you?
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Pre/Postnatal Pilates
About
The Base Pilates is an intimate studio dedicated to personal training and wellness. We create individualised pilates programs for a healthy body and focused mind. I want the hour you've dedicated to training to get you moving and make you feel your best. We see clients as individuals and focus on achieving goals- whether those are strengthening, mobility gains, pain-management or aesthetic.
All trainers at the studio are certified but the studio does not embrace a strictly contemporary or classical label. We draw on our experience, knowledge of other modalities and continue questioning best-practices in order to provide optimal instruction for the client in front of us.
Located in a former bunker in the quiet courtyard of a historic Altbau in Mitte, The Base Pilates is equipped with two professional reformers, two chairs, a tower and all the balls, magic circles, bands and weights needed to make the most out of your session.
I offer morning, lunchtime and evening classes. Personal sessions can also be arranged by appointment.
Why Pilates?
Developed nearly a century ago, Pilates' innovative method is more relevant today than ever before in neutralising sedentary habits and stressful lifestyles. Exercises are inspired by the original Pilates principles of concentration, breath, control, precision, center and flow.
Described by Joseph Pilates as "the complete coordination of body, mind and spirit", Pilates activates your mental focus and utilises breath awareness to engage the muscles of the spine, diaphragm, abdominals and pelvic floor. The goal of a pilates practice is to increase overall strength, ease of movement and mobility.
Pilates exercises can be modified and adapted making them well-suited for all ages and fitness abilities.
Muscle Tone
Greater Mobility
Coordination
More Flexibility
Strength
Body Awareness
Stress Relief
Trainer & Owner
I first discovered Pilates in 1996 while training to be a professional ballet dancer in Los Angeles. Back then, the exercises complemented the hours of strenuous training I put my body through day after day.
15 years later in Berlin, I reincorporated the practice into my life to counteract the stress of working motherhood and to restore strength and movement following a neck injury. After years without regular, intensive training, my ballet body had become weaker and less stable. To address my own physical issues, I began exploring the Pilates method and incorporating my own exercises to form my signature Pilates Wakeshop workout; I eventually began holding private classes and training.
In 2015 I began my teacher certification with BASI Pilates® (Body Arts and Sciences International) and completed my 600-hour comprehensive training program to become certified in mat and all apparatus of the Pilates Method. In 2022 I also became a certified ELDOA practicioner.
My goal as a teacher and owner of The Base Pilates is to help my clients feel stronger, more supple and more comfortable in their bodies in a focused, connected and non-judgemental practice space. I believe the ability to move freely in your body is key to good health and well-being.
Looking forward to working with you!
— Daena Brandt
Instructors
Katerina Liana
A big mover since the womb, Katerina's journey led her to become a professional contemporary dancer, pilates & Gyrokinesis® instructor, massage therapist, designer and mother. Born in Thessaloniki, Greece, she graduated from the official School of Dance of the Municipality and began dancing and collaborating with different groups and festivals in Greece and abroad. She received her Pilates certificate in mat and equipment in 2002 and later established the Pilates program at the YMCA. She has also worked as a massage therapist in a physical therapy setting.
She writes on her teaching:
“As we sit, we lift weights, we breathe, and the way we handle our hands, are key points during the lesson. The purpose is to understand how to manage daily burden and be aware of the proper body placement”.
Expect a class that is soothing and nurturing inviting you to discover the back-story to the pilates exercises and find more fluidity in your movements in a way that extends into daily life.
Ariel Cohen
Ariel R. Cohen is a certified Pilates instructor, movement practicioner, and dancer. Her experience includes 22 years as a professional dancer, teaching Pilates across the US and Germany since completing her certification through Ellie Herman in 2004, and 5 years as a movement therapist in a chiropractor’s office in the U.S.. She worked as an adjunct professor of dance and anatomy/kinesiology at Smith College, Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College and Keene State College in the U.S and has taught movement to actors and dancers at State Theaters throughout Germany.
As a teacher she is interested in refining alignment in the body and discovering the small muscles that support larger movement. Her lessons are safe for all bodies, of all ages, at all times in life.
Expect a class that is grounding, full of humour, and informative with spot-on cues leaving you feeling refreshed and fascinated with your body.
Sarah Fregeau
Sarah is a certified instructor of Pilates, ELDOA level 3, Myofascial Stretching, and contemporary dance.
She discovered Pilates, ELDOA, and MFS in 2007, while completing her professional training at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre, and later went on to complete her teacher training in all three modalities in Toronto, Canada. She trained in Dianne Miller’s lineage of mat and reformer, including
anatomy, Franklin Method bone rhythms, and variations / modifications for special populations. Sarah has completed workshops on arthritis, brain & pilates, performance and vintage pilates fundamentals.
In her teaching, Sarah seeks to create a supportive environment in which to help students deepen their awareness of their bodies, while also challenging them to go further.
Ariel Hayoun
Ariel is a contemporary dancer and a certified BASI Pilates teacher. She graduated from SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) Salzburg, Austria with a dance diploma, and has been teaching Pilates since receiving her teaching certificate in 2016. For Ariel, movement is a source of empowerment and energy, a space of exploration and reflection, a practice that brings us back to our central axis.
In 2020 Ariel co-founded the nein9 kollektiv, a Berlin-based performance and movement community. Ariel's instruction maintains the connection to movement as dialogue and shared physical experience.
Expect a class that is inquisitive, joyful, and playful while, challenging your limits and helping you master new pilates skills.
Garance Staehli
Garance is a professional contemporary dancer and Pilates teacher. She earned a BA from the Northern School of Contemporary Dance (UK) and has danced in NYC, Israel, Switzerland and Germany. She received her Pilates certification from the Kane School of Core Integration in New York City, a program with emphasis on anatomy, biomechanics and touch therapy. She is well-equipped to work with diverse populations; from professional dancers & athletes to those in need of rehabilitation or with disabilities. She has been teaching in the internationally since 2015.
Practiced in Gyrotonic®️ and the Feldenkrais technique, Garance continues to deepen her knowledge and draw inspiration from other movement modalities such as Axis Syllabus System and Fighting Monkey. She also has completed a course in functional anatomy for movements and injuries at Mount Sinai hospital in New York City and is PMA certified (Pilates Method Alliance).
Expect a class that is wonderfully focused, intuitive and enriching, relaxed but deceivingly difficult.
Get in Touch!
C O N T A C T
The Base Pilates
Chausseestr. 36
10115 Berlin, Germany
+49 176 88105323
We are located across from the BND (Bundesnachrichtendienst) at the Gallery and event space Chaussee 36. You’ll find my studio through metal gates; the entrance is a glass door on the right side of the courtyard. Please note the gate code to get into the courtyard: 36142 + unlock button
Public Transportation
U6: Naturkundemuseum (2 minute walk)
S1: Nordbahnhof (8 minute walk)