By Lauren Charlip

Not only is Pilates for Pink a way to raise money for a great cause, but it has given two Los Angeles studio owners—with studios mere blocks away from each other—a reason to come together and put a new spin on the program.      

Maria Leone and Shari Berkowitz both own studios with teacher-training programs, a rare occurence in any neighborhood. Leone owns Bodyline, a PhysicalMind Institute certification studio, and Berkowitz owns The Vertical Workshop, and directs Power Pilates’ West Coast teacher-training program. Together they’re putting on programming for Pilates teachers that will raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation through Pilates for Pink this Sunday, October 18.

Each will be teaching a professionals-only mat class at Bodyline (which will also sponsor its own Pilates for Pink class for clients). Leone, ruminating on how she’d make her third year as a Pilates for Pink host different, came up with the idea of having a guest teacher.

“Shari and I know that as professionals you’re always curious about what the other guys are teaching…We saw this as a unique opportunity for professionals to view matwork from both sides of the proverbial fence,” Leone says. “There is no better way than a fundraiser to bring people together.”

They agreed, over a long chat over coffee, that Pilates for Pink would be the perfect charity to work on together because, as Leone puts it, “women’s wellness is our business.”

“This gives us an incredible opportunity to join our communities together. I am excited to do this with Maria because we own studios that are all of one-and-a-half blocks away from each other,” Berkowitz says. “Life is better if we work together…doing Pilates for Pink is a perfect way for us, as leaders in this community, to teach this.”

The collaboration appears to be a win-win for everybody. After all, it will draw more people in and ultimately raise more money, Bodyline studio manager Carolyn Black reminded us. And who could argue with that?

Have a great Pilates for Pink or fundraising story to share? Post it in our comments section! We love to hear about the great things you’re doing.

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