I have always been an active person. I began gymnastics at a very young age, and from there transitioned to the world of cheerleading.

Although I cheered throughout college, I had developed joint injuries in high school. Over time, these injuries worsened, ultimately culminating in a series of knee injuries. It seemed that the very aspects that had attracted me to these sports — fast paced, high adrenaline activity — had also included an amount of impact that took its toll on my knee. My first surgery was at age 20, and the procedure didn’t exactly work out as I had hoped. The recovery was long and tedious, and it meant that running, jumping, and flipping were out of the question. For me, this was absolutely devastating. Things only got worse when I learned that my knee would requite a second surgery and even more recovery time, and my hopes for continuing cheerleading came to an abrupt end.

A few years later, a friend introduced me to barre. After my injury, I had been seeking a new way to get active and in shape again, and this seemed like the perfect way to do so. Knowing next to nothing of barre, I thought, “How hard could this be”? After all, I had been through plenty of rigorous exercise with cheerleading and gymnastics. What could be so challenging about barre?

In hindsight, that was perhaps a bit shortsighted. Much to my surprise, barre turned out to be quite a challenge. More importantly, it was gratifying. It was the most satisfying workout that I’d had in years, and it didn’t hurt my knee in the way that so many other exercises had.

I completely fell in love with barre after the first class and the way I felt afterward.

I feel more confident everywhere, not just at barre. Now that I am an instructor, I can’t wait to bring these feelings and opportunities to others looking for a fun, new approach to staying in shape.

– Jamie