Instructor Trainer bios

Ya-Cyuan Chen’s interest in Pilates stems from receiving orthopedic physical therapy after an ankle injury in high school. The success in her recovery inspired her to obtain her license in physical therapy in 2007; and it was not long after she began exploring mind and body exercises such as yoga and Pilates.

The mat exercises from Merrithew^®'s STOTT PILATES^® program convinced Ya-Cyuan Chen of the benefits of Pilates, and she completed her certification in STOTT PILATES and STOTT PILATES Rehab in 2011/2012.

In 2015, she co-founded Triangle Pilates Studio in Kaohsiung to inspire others in moving well and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She also teaches at Merrithew Licensed Training Center, Alignment Fitness Studio.

YeJung Kim discovered STOTT PILATES^® in 2013 and was captivated by its systematic and logical approach that benefits both the body and mind. Driven by her passion for Pilates, she became a Merrithew^® Trained Instructor in 2015 and a Certified Instructor in 2017.

Upon relocating to Daejeon, South Korea, YeJung established the first fully equipped Merrithew studio, aiming to introduce Pilates and its benefits to her community. She later joined the Merrithew Host Training Center (HTC) to further promote the expertise of STOTT PILATES. In 2023, she advanced to become an Instructor Trainer, enabling her to deliver even greater value to her students and clients.

Jennifer has been teaching the STOTT PILATES^® method since 2005. In 2011, she completed her Full Certification and went on to become a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer for specializing in STOTT PILATES Rehab. She is also a qualified ZEN•GA^® Instructor. Working as a physical therapist she is always in search of ways to solve the problems of pain, movement dysfunction, and motor control, and has practiced teaching Pilates clinically as a primary treatment for more than 8 years. Jennifer has conducted research on the effect of Pilates on low back pain and found that pain relief with Pilates was confirmed. Her belief is "movements solve movement problems". Over time, Jennifer becomes more and more enthusiastic about combining STOTT PILATES and ZEN•GA together for her clients’ treatment.

During her university days, Yi-Ling’s swimming coach encouraged her to explore Pilates to improve her swimming performance. She was impressed by the significant progress she made as a result of adding Pilates to her training regimen.

That success piqued her curiosity and interest. And so, after graduating from university, she took all the STOTT PILATES^® Level 1 courses and the ISP course. In 2015, she passed the Level 1 Matwork, Reformer, Cadillac, Chair & Barrels exam.

She credits STOTT PILATES as helping her relieve her low-back and knee pain caused by car accidents. In 2013, she started teaching Pilates at Alignment Fitness Studio in Taipei, Taiwan.

She completed all the STOTT PILATES Advanced courses and successfully passed the Level 2 practical exam at Merrithew’s Toronto Corporate Training Center to get her full certification in 2016.

She became a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES Matwork and Reformer in 2020. Sharing her enthusiasm for STOTT PILATES with her clients, she helps them improve their health and wellbeing.

Yoko graduated from Yokohama National University with a degree in Health & Physical Education and has been a Merrithew^® Instructor Trainer specializing in STOTT PILATES^® since 2007. Yoko has a passion for aerobics and has over 20 years experience teaching instructor courses, has competed in national and international competitions, and currently acts as a judge at such events in Japan. Yoko particularly enjoys working with the aging population, integrating post-rehabilitation techniques and coaching and conditioning athletes to help them achieve success.