Apprentice to Instructor
“Apprenticing with Brooke was life changing.I knew when I began the program it would be tough, but it turned out to be one of the biggest and best challenges of my life. Brooke pushed me AND supported me in digging deep to let my very best self shine…”
Claire Askey is the studio owner of Axis Pilates and talented classical Pilates Instructor. She studied with Brooke at Clasique from Jan 2016 - August 2018. Training Claire was a dream. She is passionate, has grit, embodies grace and worked her tail off throughout the program!
“Apprenticing with Brooke was life changing.
I knew when I began the program it would be tough, but it turned out to be one of the biggest and best challenges of my life. Brooke pushed me AND supported me in digging deep to let my very best self shine. I saw her as not only a mentor, but also a coach.
Not only did I gain an in-depth knowledge of the Classical Pilates method, I learned how to practically apply the material.
Learning the "moves," the number of reps, the spring settings...that’s the easy part. Having a client in front of you and getting the best out of them while also being safe and supportive- that’s the hard part.
This is where Brooke’s training program stand’s out! There is no script. There is no cursory recitation of material.
I learned from Brooke to teach in the moment.
Being in the present moment creates authenticity and connection where both you and your clients truly grow.
Now that I have moved away and am working out of a studio of my own, I know that the confidence, insight, and fortitude that I gained from my apprenticeship with Brooke sets me apart. “
~Claire Askey
The program was definitely challenging in both the length of time and the depth of commitment. Claire remained present and trusting of the process. Open to learning and feedback, and able to integrate the feedback into both her teaching style and her workout progress.
Devin Mangum, HS through University Baseball
“Brooke was extremely supportive throughout my baseball career. She would consistently ask me how I was performing, how my body felt, or if there were any specific aspects of my game that I would like to improve athletically.”
“As an athlete, Pilates has taught me how to control my body and connect with the ground better.
I believe that truly being able to control your body movements against gravity is the most difficult athletic task. It is much easier to lift weights, even heavyweights than it is to properly do a Pilates move. With weights, I just attacked the lift as aggressively as possible and made sure that I breathed during the exercise. Over time, lifting weights seemed to get easier the more I did it. Pilates were the exact opposite. The more I learned the moves and how to carve out my body, pull my core in, and up, it continued to get more difficult.
I remember a specific story when I was performing the single-leg squats while holding the cables. I, for the life of me, could not do more than two on each leg, even though I could squat a ton of weight in the weight room. I had such a bad habit of only using my legs for squats, rather than incorporating my Powerhouse. It was so extreme that I could not control my body well enough to do more than two.
It surprised me and made me extremely aware of the truth of learning how to properly use your Powerhouse in athletics versus using your pecs, arms, shoulders, or legs for every athletic movement.
Brooke was extremely supportive throughout my baseball career. She would consistently ask me how I was performing, how my body felt, or if there were any specific aspects of my game that I would like to improve athletically. She would come to some of my games to support me and see for herself how well I was moving on the baseball field. She was easy to communicate with while learning how to perform certain moves in Pilates and relate them to how they would translate to the baseball field. Her athletic background most likely helped with that, and it made every workout that much more exciting and easy to understand.
She had the perfect mix of being a coach and teaching while asking me questions for what I would specifically want to work on.
We would go weeks at a time working more specifically on shoulder health, lateral movement, or spine stretching among many things. Another part that I have enjoyed about being coached by Brooke for so long is that she spoke to me like a coach during workouts.
Brooke helped me grow mentally as much as she did athletically.
At an average height of 5'9, it was important for me to get the most out of my body, and working with her allowed me to do that. When I was 14 years old, I could only throw about 70mph, and run a high 7-second 60-yard dash. I did not have any real hitting power either.
My throwing velocity increased an extreme amount over the years of working with Brooke.
By the time I went to college, I could throw 90mph from the field, and run a 6.4-6.5 60 yard dash. My hitting power benefited just as much, too. While there are obvious factors in terms of throwing more, such as physical maturation, I truly contribute a lot of my growth to her training. My flexibility and power were immensely improved by doing Pilates with her.
Her teaching led me to stop using ice as a recovery method and do a daily Pilates stretching and exercise routine to get my body moving. I have recovered better than ever after removing ice from my recovery routine and doing my "100" and other Pilates exercises in place of it. Ice stagnates the muscle’s recovery process, while moving replenishes new blood and blood flow to allow the muscle to heal itself. I hardly got sore, and when I did it healed much faster than it did while I was using ice.
I have now spent at least 8 years training with Brooke.
She has helped me in more ways than I could mention. I would not have achieved my athletic potential, nor success without doing Pilates with Brooke.”
~CoreSelf Athlete, Devin Mangum
High School through University Baseball Career
Apprentice Life : Irrum Shah
“Brooke’s knowledge of Pilates intertwined with the Five Elements in Chinese Medicine supported me in connecting more with who I am, my own beliefs, and my true authenticity.”
My Pilates journey started with Brooke in 2013. Brooke and all the teachers at Clasique made me feel Pilates is for everyone! I was in the studio three to four times a week and felt the transformation mentally, physically, and emotionally!
I fell in love with Pilates!
I went through tremendous life changes and without Pilates, I wouldn’t have made it through!
I wanted to share what I felt with people! I asked Brooke if she would take me into her program.
She explained to me that this is a transformation of your whole self and a commitment to not just the program but to yourself!
I applied for the apprenticeship and eagerly waited to be accepted.
I am halfway through the program and it has moved me to my core, figuratively and literally! One of the best decisions of my life!
Brooke is not just a teacher but has been a life coach for me.
Her knowledge of Pilates intertwined with the Five Elements in Chinese Medicine supported me in connecting more with who I am, my own beliefs, and my true authenticity! I am forever grateful to Brooke for creating this container for me to find my true self and have my own backside!
We are lucky to have Brooke in Asheville and now, with this platform, teachers from anywhere can experience the magic of Brooke’s training!
After Brooke closed Clasique Acupuncture & Pilates Studio in 2022, I took the exciting jump of opening my own studio with colleagues and now support my community through Westside Acupuncture & Pilates in West Asheville. I love teaching! My clients are dedicated and their time doing Pilates workouts at Westside improves their quality of life. I’m also a forever studio and continue learning and working out with Brooke after all these years. I’m proud to say that Westside is thriving in year four of business and I’m still both a student and teacher of this amazing Classical Pilates method!
~ Irrum Shah
