I continued my Pilates lessons with Saro throughout three pregnancies, each time taking lessons up to a few days before delivery. I have continued to learn with each lesson to be more mindful and to apply the Pilates Method in my everyday activities, of course running, and carrying around three young children, all under the age of 6.
Saro is very hands on, making sure you are in the correct alignment, to avoid injury. I was doing Pilates before I discovered Saro, in fact, I was taking Pilates from instructors who had been her students, but I realized soon after working with Saro that I was just going through the motions and did not truly have deep core activation. With her persistence that I take the time to learn the right way, I now have better posture and am much stronger and flexible. I attribute this to Saro.
M. Bourgeois, Age 37
Private Consultant/Child Audiologist
Fitness Instructor, NYSC
Danbury, CT.
In the 4 years that Saro has been giving me Pilates lessons, my body feels so much more upright, I am actually taller from having my spine opened back up. My back and hip issues are history! I became much more aware of correct posture, which finally feels natural.
Saro has an extensive classical Pilates training background - directly from Joseph Pilates via his protégé the one and only Romana Kryzanowska - with a lot of hands on experience teaching students. But more importantly, she is gifted in her instruction. Saro trains me in a way that gets the most out of my core and body each session. In fact, she seems to somehow know just what it takes for each individual of varying ability to “max out.” But I know at the same time Saro is gentle in manipulating my body as needed. This combination is wonderful.
Saro is very approachable and has great solutions for physical issues. She also is quite knowledgeable about nutrition which complements the transforming effect of her Pilates teaching.
As an added bonus, Saro is generous with her time than any other teachers in my experience.
If you want the absolute best for your body, and in addressing physical ailments as well, I would urge you to train with Saro.
Jeffrey B., Age 56
Dentist,
Ossining, NY
As someone who lives a busy and multifaceted life (I run my own international educational consulting business and take care of two young grandchildren), it is very important for me to continue to have the energy and vitality that I have been blessed with since my younger days. I have done three sprint triathlons and hope to do more, thanks to Saro's good work. Because of my weekly lessons, some of the common maladies of the aging process have definitely been kept in check and I have the energy that I need to work, take care of family, garden, do volunteer work and swim, bike, and run.
Saro is not only an expert teacher, trained by Joseph Pilates’s protégé and heir apparent Romana Kryzanowska, she is herself extremely athletic, graceful, talented and fit and flexible. She practices what she preaches. She can, and often does, demonstrate every move or position she asks us to do, only she does it elegantly and perfectly, and always with a smile on her face.
But it is her knowledge of the body, and of each of our individual bodies, that elevates Saro above the normal Pilates teacher. She pays attention to every kink, twinge, pain or stiffness that we have, and knows the correct exercise for each. She is a stern teacher, but that is the only way to get the kind of results (sometimes almost miraculous) that she gets. She is gentle and encouraging but also persistent and insistent. No cheating or shortcuts in Saro's classes! In addition to prescribing the correct exercises, she gives advice about healthy living and eating.
While our weekly workouts are strenuous and sometimes very challenging, I always leave her studio feeling calm, relaxed, energetic and proud of what I have accomplished. My only wish is that I could take Pilates lessons with Saro more often than once a week. In my dreams, I do it every day and then am able to do the triathlons I once did and hope to do again.
Diane Rapp, Age 70
Educational Consultant,
Diane Rapp Associates, Scarborough, NY
As a 63-year-old, private dealer in American midcentury modern art, my lifestyle is very active and physically demanding. My sweetheart and I first tried Pilates two years ago and visited many studios, but we always felt something was missing: each studio and instructor felt the same --just a workout. We were looking for something more.
There’s a huge difference, we discovered, between true Classical Pilates and Pilates. Very few Pilates instructors are Classical Pilates trained, and even within that small select group of instructors, some are good, some are better but only a few are truly the masters.
Saro is a master instructor trained in the Classical tradition. She embodies all of the extraordinary heritage of Joseph Pilates. Her approach is highly individualized to allow us to be the best we can be. Her studio is a quiet temple that invites you to have a more complete and holistic Pilates experience than any of the other studios we have visited in Westchester County. Our two-year search has paid off!
Thank you Saro,
Jim Levis, Age 63
Private Dealer
Levis Fine Art, Inc.,
Ossining, NY
I am taking a weekly private lesson, as well as a second weekly duet lesson with a dear friend, also a 10-year student of Saro’s.
What makes these sessions so valuable is Saro's keen understanding of each of her students’ individual needs and her ability to find effective means to deal with them.
Since I am absolutely convinced of the great health benefits of my Pilates workouts, I hope to be able to continue them for many years to come.
Renata Rainer, Age 84
Artist
Founding Member of the Ground Glass, Inc.
Real photographers, serious photography.
Picture Maker
Author “In the mind’s eye: the photographs of Renata Rainer”, published in 2004, Exlibris
George Rainer, Age 87
Retired Consulting Engineer
Irvington, NY
After starting Pilates with Saro, I began to see a difference within 10 sessions! My alignment improved, my balance was better and I felt great. The tension that I had always felt in my neck and back gradually lessened. My abdomen flattened, my calves slimmed, my arms became defined and my patients began regularly commenting on my appearance, even asking such pointed questions as: "Did you have liposuction?"; "Did you have a tummy tuck?" "Did you have a Brazilian butt lift?"
When I travel, I visit spas and always join a Pilates class to stay in shape, and I have learned that there is no one quite like Saro. She never takes her eyes off of you during a workout. She has x-ray vision and can see through the baggiest T-shirt and know if you are not using your core, the “Powerhouse.” If degrees were conferred in Pilates, Saro would be a Ph.D., M.D., Professor – the very top.
F. Fusco, M.D.
Manhattan Dermatologist
I have been doing Pilates with Saro for five years, and I highly recommend her to anybody looking to live a healthier life. After injuring my neck and upper back at a local Pilates class, I realized that not all instructors or classes are created equal. After my first lesson with Saro, I knew I was in the right place.
As a marathon runner, it is important for me to strengthen and stretch all parts of my body in order to maintain health and prevent injury. During my training cycles, my muscles and joints experience tremendous stress, whether it is my ankles, feet, back, hips or legs. Saro is able to work with me personally during the sessions and adjust the workouts/routines to accommodate my personal needs on that day. For example, when arriving at her studio, the first thing we discuss is how many miles I have run or what races I am working towards. After a race, she is able to address my muscle fatigue and tightness, gearing the workout to stretches and positions on the Reformer that help me recover. Her attention to form and her knowledge of the human body is something one can only attain through years of experience. Like a wise teacher, Saro knows when I am not using my core muscles or overcompensating with my strong leg muscles.
Additionally, working with Saro is a scheduling life saver. As a mother of four young children, it is challenging enough finding time to run; finding time to take a class is nearly impossible. Fortunately, Saro has a number of sessions at various times of day that make it easy to keep Pilates in my life. Whenever I have needed to be away or come at a different time of day, Saro has always been able to work with me.
I strongly believe I would not be able to run as much as I do without Saro. Not only have I had fewer injuries since working with Saro, my running has improved significantly. In fact, I just completed a marathon hitting a personal record!
Kristen Idalsk, Age 37
Founder and President,
Rivertown Runners
Marketing and Special Events Consultant
Phelps Memorial Hospital
Nicholas Mann, Age 54
Concert Violinist
Founding member, the Mendelssohn String Quartet
Faculty member, Juilliard School
Chair, String department, the Manhattan School of Music
Also Saro is quite a good instructor. I had had many different athletic pursuits in the past and coaches are very important. But a coach has to have a certain skill, and Saro has it in her Pilates teaching. She has the voice that encourages you to go a little bit further when you REALLY should! And yet that voice could urge you to do a certain thing that you are little bit hesitant about. Her manner and disposition is always cheerful and helpful, and, of course, her instructions are always given with a smile. Saro is one of our best instructors, and one of my great joys is coming to Pilates–On–Hudson.
Msgr Louis Mazza, Age 85
The Immaculate Conception Church,
Sleepy Hollow, NY
