Dana originally gained her BA Hons in Business Economics with European Economy and Language and after a year of working in the corporate world she realised that health and changing people’s lives was more fulfilling. With a background as a highly recognised and certified personal trainer and gym Instructor she has now started to direct her focus on Pilates. Her clients have benefited immensely with terrific results.

Dana has always been passionate in teaching both adults and kids and has been involved in Youth Sports Development Programmes in Scotland. She also has International teaching experience in both Paris and the Czech Republic.  She has now completed five full International Marathons to date including the Dubai Marathon and has a keen interest in Martial Arts including the importance of self-defence for both men and women.   

“Pilates helps me to be creative, confident, focused, energised and calm.” Generally, people who train using Pilates feel healthy, strong mentally and also confident all round. Empowering men and women is not about just changing your figure but doing something that will have a positive impact on your perception of your body. Helping people to achieve a healthy body through eating the right way and training correctly can be beneficial to achieving a more rewarding life. 

At REAL PILATES, Dana is a full-time instructor and teaches a variety of group classes as well as private and semi-private sessions to clients keen on achieving more focused results, faster and deeper.

Dora studied dance and theater at the Hungarian Dance Academy in variety of genres ranging from ballet, jazz, contemporary, tap and acrobatics.

Born and raised in British Columbia, Canada, Manny has taken a strong interest in fitness from a young age. This interest later grew into a passion that has lead her to be involved in various areas of professional fitness for over 15 years.

A love for track and field inspired Manny to compete in a number of natural fitness competitions in the US, such as Galaxy and Eliminator. During her tenure as a fitness competitor, she worked as a personal trainer in Los Angeles, focusing on boot camps, aerobics, and specialized plyometric training. She enjoys personal training as it allows her to help her clients understand how to adjust their diet and routine, and assist them in breaking through and improving.

After running track for a number of years while maintaining a maximum of 7% body fat and competing, she felt that she had reached a plateau in terms of training, which lead her to take an interest in Pilates.

“After taking my first class I was instantly enamored with Pilates. I immediately understood how it was able to make my body feel better and restore it to a more harmonious, healthy state.”

Soon after, Manny moved to Milan, Italy, and dedicated herself to the study of Pilates. Upon completing her initial studies, she returned to Canada and earned certification from the STOTT PILATES head office in Toronto in Matwork and Reformer.

In addition to dedicating her life to understanding fitness, diet and wellbeing, Manny also has a strong interest in travel and fashion. She has lived in cities throughout North America, Europe and Asia and graduated in Fashion Design from the International Academy of Design in Montreal, Quebec.

Olivia is from Sweden and prior to coming to Dubai, taught Pilates in London, UK. Although a dancer by background, health and fitness has always been Olivia’s passion. Pilates has long been the driver for this passion after the technique helped her become a better dancer as well as recover from a serious injury. That serious injury stopped her from dancing, but through the adversity she found a career that is truly her vocation. She feels lucky to teach what she loves and help others make the most of themselves through Pilates. She believes she can make a difference; helping anybody in any situation by teaching the technique with care, passion and great attention to detail. As a qualified STOTT PILATES Instructor and Personal Trainer with great breadth of experience, she can really make a difference in people’s lives. She believes that it is more than just working out to look good, it’s about feeling great and finding happiness through Pilates. 

It was while studying journalism that Elisha found Pilates; spending her daily college breaks taking multiple classes until her habit became an obsession. Her love lead to her change her career plans, and study to become a Fully Certified STOTT PILATES Instructor and Cert IV personal trainer (and for someone that wanted to be the editor of Cosmo since the age 12, that was a big deal!). Elisha has taught in Sydney, Australia for six years. A love of all things competitive and a need to stay mentally and physically stimulated has seen her compete at a national level in swimming, run a half marathon and try her hand at yoga, kettlebells and weight training. Elisha takes this same approach in her teaching; striving to stay interesting, entertaining and never teaching the same class twice.

In 2012, Elisha travelled was accepted into the STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer program at the headquarters in Toronto enabling her to now train and certify those who wish to become Pilates instructors. 

At REAL PILATES, Elisha teaches a variety of group, private and semi-private workouts on the mat, on the reformer and every other Pilates machine available. As a certified Instructor Trainer Elisha teaches STOTT PILATES Intensive Mat and Reformer Courses as well as a variety of specialised workshops to Health & Fitness and Pilates professionals.   

Liz has a Bachelor of Science with honours in Exercise Science and Biokinetics (exercise rehabilitation) from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She focused her honours thesis on core stabilisation and its effect on lower back pain, and has been involved in the Pilates industry ever since. Liz has completed her STOTT PILATES Full Certification as well as the highly sought after Rehab Courses (Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair & Barrels).

Liz has a creative approach to teaching with a high attention to detail, aiming to keep her clients interested and promoting maximum benefit out of each Pilates session. She has a special interest in orthopaedic rehabilitation and focuses greatly on correcting muscle imbalances as well as general fitness training.

Liz 's desire to explore different Pilates trends around the world, and their effects on different cultures, has led her to work in South Africa, Asia, Europe and now the Middle East. 

During her free time Liz enjoys long distance running, hiking, gymnastics and maintaining general fitness through exploring different fitness disciplines like yoga, swimming, skiing and snowboarding.

At REAL PILATES, Liz is a full-time instructor and helps us everyday do what we do best: Enriching People's Lives.

Paul joins us from Manchester in the UK. He has been involved in the fitness industry for over 25 years. Through his martial arts and military training he has developed a Real passion for doing it right. His teaching style reflects his personality: clinical, precise but with a huge slice of humour. He loves how he's seen STOTT PILATES change people’s lives before his very eyes, so whether it’s for fitness or a need to rehabilitate he looks forward to sharing his knowledge with everyone.

Eight years ago an opportunity arose for him to have a career change which he grabbed with both hands. Since then he has been gaining the knowledge and experience that has allowed him to offer the very best treatment solutions for his clientele, from the general public to elite sporting clients.

Paul is a certified STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer but also an Advanced Neuromuscular Therapist, after receiving his training from Leon Chaitow ND DO of the University of Westminster and Judith Delaney, Director of American Neuromuscular Therapy Florida.

These skills have given him a real advantage over the more traditional methods of treating chronic and acute pain whether occupational or sports related, particularly in the injury prevention portion of his treatments where he brings a real passion for educating his clientele on how to avoid progressive poor posture and incorrect bio-mechanical movement patterns in order to prevent painful symptoms arising in the first instance as well addressing the rehabilitation phase of their treatment.

In his own words, remember: There’s no such thing as "I Can’t”, you just need to be shown ”How!”

Since his childhood back in Manipur (India), Robin has been interested in fitness. So it was no surprise when he decided to pursue a formal education in the field. Robin completed his Masters Degree in Physical Education, Health Education and Sports from the University of Manipur, followed by a Diploma in Yoga Education from Kaivalyadhama. Through the years, Robin has participated in various Yoga competitions winning several awards.

Since arriving in Dubai in 2003, Robin has enriched many people's lives through his skills as a Yoga teacher. He has also conducted several workshops as well as written papers for international conferences. Whenever Robin returns to India, he visits various Yoga schools to widen his learning of different styles of Yoga.

Today, Robin teaches Hatha Yoga, Power Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, Therapeutic Yoga, as well as Pre-natal & Post-natal Yoga.

At REAL PILATES, Robin teaches primarily Hatha Yoga. 

As Robin always says: "practice Yoga, experience the changes in you!"

Che-Che joined REAL PILATES in 2009 when the first branch opened in Palm Strip Mall. She hails from the Philippines and a graduate of Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering.

Within the REAL PILATES team she is our frontline, as our Receptionist and Admin Assistant. She is friendly, personable and is always available to assist our clients and team. Che loves sports. Her favorite is volleyball and she used to be a member of the NCAA Women’s Division team back in the Philippines. Che also likes swimming and running. In her spare time, she also enjoys catching up with friends, playing table tennis and billiards. 

Giselle is the newest addition to the REAL PILATES team. She joins our Front Desk in the JLT studio. The best thing she likes about her job is her co-workers, the atmosphere and the clients. She says that everyone that works in REAL PILATES is an amazing and hardworking person and being around these awesome people makes work for her much better and keeps her working hard through the end of the day.

Hailing from Nairobi, Jacque joined REAL PILATES in January 2012. She has been a great support to the team, managing the reception, helping with everything from answering phone calls, booking classes, and everything in between.

Iya manages the marketing efforts at REAL PILATES, assisting with public relations, market research and collaterals, social media and more. She also oversees operations, making sure that our two studios are running smoothly and efficiently as possible, and that we provide exceptional service to meet our clients’ needs. 

Before joining REAL PILATES, Iya was working as Communications and Events Manager with one of the leading advertising agencies in the region. Her experience, well-rounded skills and dedication make her an expert at organizing multiple projects and resources. She has a BS degree in Information Technology from Saint Paul University in the Philippines and now working towards her certificate in Corporate Communications. 

On the earth side, she believes that health is wealth and that family comes first. She enjoys baking, styling/designing events & parties (she used to run her own wedding planning business in the Philippines!), travelling with her husband and/or spending time with her quirky friends.

Bita has played a pivotal role in helping establish and grow REAL PILATES. Today Bita is the secret behind the tremendous success of REAL PILATES as the Regional Training Centre of STOTT PILATES in the Middle East. With over 50 STOTT PILATES courses and workshops successfully conducted since the inception of the studio, Bita has helped turn REAL PILATES into the region's most respected education centre for anyone in search of a world-class Pilates education and certification system. 

Prior to co-founding REAL PILATES, Bita was the Director of Sales & Business Development of a leading regional IT consultancy firm specialised in project management.

After 10 years of wonderful corporate career in multinational companies, and despite a career path that many thought would be a mistake to abandon, in early 2008 Reza decided to answer his inner calling and dream of helping other people in a meaningful way by leaving the corporate world and entering the vast world of wellness as an entrepreneur.

A true believer that "the purpose of life is a life of purpose", and that the richest life is that of those who enrich other people's lives, Reza realised that it was the right time for him to bring together all the different elements of his past and present - personal background, culture, languages, travels, skills and aspirations - into creating the path for a better future.

Today Reza is the founder and managing director of REAL PILATES, a true mind & body haven in Dubai where he and his team of certified instructors welcome their guests into their Japanese styled sanctuary where they share their passion of helping people transform the relationships they have with their minds and bodies. And this is only the beginning of a promising journey as his dreams and ambitions are to explore other aspects of the world of wellness and continuously finding new ways of helping others connect with their inner bests.

As Reza always says about REAL PILATES: EXCELLENCE IS OUR DEFAULT!