Pura Vida means living a pure life. To me, this goes far beyond food and exercise — it’s about being honest and true to yourself, and having the courage to follow what your intuition tells you. We believe it’s about moving according to your own patterns, on your own terms. Too often, we push our bodies too hard — or not enough — and that imbalance can disconnect us from ourselves. Our mission is to help you reconnect through movement, whether you need to build strength and resilience, or allow your body to slow down, release, and let go. At Pura Vida Studio, we work with the powerful principles of Pilates to engage the whole body in a truly unique session. Each practice is designed with deep respect for who you are, where you are right now, and where you want to go.

Joseph Pilates called his method Contrology because the central idea is to use the mind to control the body.

• It’s not about moving by inertia, but about moving in a conscious, precise, and coordinated way.

• It’s based on exercises that strengthen the deep muscles of the abdomen, back, and pelvis (what we now call the core), which provide support and stability.

• The goal is not just to “get stronger” or “burn calories,” but to improve posture, breathing, flexibility, and overall body balance.

👉 What it feels like to practice it:

• Imagine your body is like a car: Pilates is like aligning the chassis, improving the suspension, and tuning the engine, so everything runs smoothly without extra wear.

• Each exercise is done with concentration, control, flow, precision, and breathing (these are the basic principles).

👉 In practice:

• It can be done on the floor (Mat Pilates) or with special equipment Joseph Pilates invented (Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, etc.).

• You don’t need to be flexible or strong to start: the method is designed to progress step by step so your body moves more naturally and healthily.