Our History

Turning Point Studios was founded in January of 2000 by Nora St. John, Naomi Leiserson and Susan Gray in order to provide high quality Pilates instruction and instructor training to Contra Costa county and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Each of our senior instructors has over 10 years experience teaching Pilates for rehabilitation, athletic enhancement and injury prevention. We received our initial training and experience in Pilates at the Saint Francis Memorial Hospital Center for Sports Medicine's Dancemedicine division; one of the first hospitals in the country to integrate Pilates into a Sports Medicine clinic. We continue to integrate the latest advances in kinesiology, biomechanics and injury prevention into our programs.

Our studio contains a full compliment of Pilates equipment including reformers, cadillacs, chairs, a ladder barrel and a spine corrector . We also incorporate contemporary tools such as foam rollers, physioballs, resistance bands and small balls into our sessions.

About Our Name

Where does the name "Turning Point Studios" come from?


above K'UN THE RECEPTIVE, EARTH
below CHEN THE AROUSING, THUNDER

The name 'Turning Point Studios' comes from the I Ching, which is an ancient book of Chinese wisdom. The I Ching is a collection of 64 hexagrams each with a specific meaning and association.

The hexagram for 'Turning Point' or Return is composed of one solid line on the bottom and 5 broken lines above it. It is associated with the winter solstice when the light first begins to return after the darkness of winter. This is also the time when movement and creativity begin to stir again after a time of darkness and hibernation.

Many of our clients come to us looking for a change, a turning point where they can discover or rediscover the pleasures of moving in a smoothly functioning body. We are here to help you create this transformation.