ABOUT JONATHAN

    Jonathan Urla, MFA, has been a leader and innovator in the world of fitness and dance for over 20 years. His athletic training began with gymnastics, diving and skiing and later progressed to classical and modern dance. After spending ten years as a professional dancer and choreographer, Jonathan returned to sports training competing in triathlons and becoming a certified personal trainer.

His strong commitment to intelligent exercise led Mr. Urla to the teachings of Joe and Clara Pilates and to an in-depth study of hatha yoga. Becoming fully certified in Pilates, studying both at Power Pilates and The Pilates Studio in New York, Jonathan is now recognized for his refined approach to Pilates technique. As a veteran practitioner of yoga, Jonathan began to notice a symmetry between the two techniques, both in their mental and physical discipline. His desire for a unified methodology led him to create Yogilates in 1997 as an ideal pathway to optimal fitness and health. The popularity and effectiveness of his work has been noted in newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Shape, YogaJournal, FitYoga, Elle, Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Village Voice, Newsweek, Self, Fitness, Allure, as well as international publications. He has given interviews to ABC News, CBS, CNN, and both Lifetime Live and Discovery Health have produced segments about Yogilates. His book on Yogilates titled, Yogilates - Integrating Yoga and Pilates for Complete Fitness, Strength, and Flexibility, was published by Harper Collins in 2002. Since then, it has been translated into German, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. He has also produced and starred in seven yoga and Pilates workout videos.(see store)

Jonathan still considers himself a student, attending advanced teacher training workshops and seminars in yoga and Pilates around the country. He teaches regularly for Sports Club/LA in New York, and teaches fitness certification courses for Hunter College. He is an avid presenter, teaching workshops and seminars all over the world, and is on staff at the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies and Kripalu Center for Yoga. Jonathan trains clients privately, including celebrities and busy New York professionals, and is used regularly by the media as an expert on fitness and health, and may be contacted for appointments, interviews and articles through his email info@yogilates.com.
 
For more information about Yogilates History,  click here.