Heidi Rust
Many of us need time to find our life’s true work, our passion. For others, we’ve been doing it all along.
There’s a thread running through the story of Heidi’s career story, and she describes it best herself: “I believe that no two bodies are alike, and my job is to use the work to help my client find a love for their own body and use it effectively.” From working as a yoga, ballet, and fitness instructor for children to training All-American athletes from USC to working with patients in severe pain, Heidi is fearless in her belief that working with a client can truly help them be healthier and stronger. “I feel well-equipped to handle any injury, pain, or even long-term illness,” she says.
Heidi first encountered Pilates through her ballet teacher Ann Moynahan at Los Angeles City College, who would teach the ballet students Pilates matwork after class. “I loved Pilates as soon as I learned the exercises,” she tells us. “I always liked the focus and precision to the work.
Having received her Pilates teaching certification from The BodyMind Institute, Heidi’s love of focus definitely gives her the confidence that carries over into her teaching: “I can’t think about anything else when I am in the middle of a workout.”
And yet she also has the benefit of going through very personal challenges to remind her what it’s like to be a beginning student: “The hardest part of my Pilates practice was getting my body back after having two kids in two years,” she explains. “To understand what it feels like to have your Pilates teacher telling you to engage your abdominal muscles and you can’t really find them…I felt like it taught me how to teach a beginner.”
And as with all the In & Up Pilates instructors, continuing to deepen personal practice is key. “My Pilates practice is the most focused part of my day,” Heidi says. Luckily for us we benefit from this focus when Heidi is teaching us how to be our best.
