Your Teachers

    • Steph Grey

      I started teaching Pilates in 2005 and after many years double jobbing in both the Pilates and IT worlds, I founded Live & Breathe Pilates in 2008. I finally took the plunge into full time teaching in 2012 when I opened the Live & Breathe Pilates studio on Camden Row where I continue to pass on my passion about Pilates to my clients as well as other teachers.

      I’ve a special interest in working with clients recovering from injury or suffering from chronic conditions and I use Pilates and movement as a tool to rebuild confidence and strength with my clients, to enable them to continue to do the things they want to do.

      As faculty for BASI Pilates, I am also a mentor for Pilates teachers in training and provide ongoing movement classes and workshops for teachers. As a mentor, imparting evidence based knowledge to the next generation of teachers has many rewards as I see our Pilates community grow in Ireland and beyond.

      I am also proud to hold a Slings Myofascial Training Teacher Advanced Level Diploma with art of motion academy.

      Steph Grey

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      Steph’s Qualifications

      I have presented at international conference as well as teaching regular workshops and courses for teachers from around the world.

      Integrity is central to everything I do and I’m an excellent communicator as well as an empathetic listener.

      I love to learn and can consistently be found nerding out on anatomy, fascia and movement and talking the ear off anyone who’ll listen about the never ending connections between mind and body.
      Certifications include :-

      • STOTT Pilates Level 2 Full Certification
      • BASI Pilates Comprehensive Certification
      • BASI Pilates Mentor Program
      • BASI Pilates Faculty
      • Prenatal & Postnatal Pilates Exercise Specialist
      • Osteoporosis Exercise Specialist
      • Breast Cancer Rehab Exercise Specialist incl Pink Ribbon Program
      • Hypermobility Exercise Specialist
      • Women’s Health Exercise Specialist – Pre & PostNatal
      • Pilates for Scoliosis
      • BASI Pilates – Pilates for Injuries & Pathologies
      • STOTT Pilates – Pilates for Injuries & Special Populations
      • Anatomy Trains in Motion
      • PowerFingers Master Instructor
      • NLP Practitioner
      • Pilates & Exercise for MS and Neurological Conditions Specialist
      • Cadaver Anatomy Workshops, Keele University & Cambridge University
      • Explain Pain – NOI Group
      • Madeline Black Method
      • Wendy LeBlanc Arbuckle – Immersive Program
      • Slings Myofascial Training Teacher Advanced Level Diploma

      I also continue to study with Karin Gurtner, Madeline Black, Wendy LeBlanc Arbuckle and Rael Isacowitz.
      You can learn more about what makes Steph tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Steph.

    • Katrin Neue

      Katrin first came to Pilates in 2004 through her extensive dance and dance education training in Germany and Ireland, and started teaching after her initial training with Susan Church in 2012.
      Since then, she has expanded her practice from dance and Pilates to Somatic Education, certifying as a Hanna Somatic Exercise Coach in 2014 and as a Clinical Somatic Educator in 2017. Her focus lies on natural, well-controlled movement without pain and her Mat classes often feature some Somatic Movement refining a deep body awareness and releasing habitual tensions to be able to move freely.
      Katrin teaches Pilates, Barre and Somatics both in groups and in private sessions.

      Katrin Neue

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      Katrin is faculty member (Senior Mentor) of Essential Somatics, teaching on the international ES Movement Teacher
      training, and is registered as a professional member of the International Somatic Movement and Therapy Association ISMETA. She also has started her training with Patrick McKeown in late 2020 to become a certified Buteyko Method practitioner and dive deeper into techniques for better breathing. Her classes at Live & Breathe often feature a short somatic warm up und playful challenges for balance and efficient coordination. Katrin is a native German speaker.
      You can learn more about what makes Katrin tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Katrin.

    • Thérese Meaney

      Thérese began her Pilates journey about 25 years ago as a natural progression from her work as a body therapist and fitness instructor. She was immediately drawn to it, feeling first-hand, how it brought more awareness to her body and her alignment. She noticed she also gained greater flexibility and strength. She loved how it complemented not only her fitness training but her entire life and knew it was a necessity for her well-being.

      Thérese Meaney

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      She first qualified with the NTC (2012) in mat Pilates and has since retrained with BASI completing the full apparatus training on all equipment on their Comprehensive Teacher Training program. In her career she has worked with a wide variety of clients from very young to old with various health issues. She has trained high performance athletes, pre and post rehabilitation clients and lots of new mums.Seeing anatomically how we can all look the same but yet are so different has brought exciting learning challenges and an even greater passion of how Pilates benefits each of us. She loves to learn and anticipates she will be the eternal student.

      ‘Pilates is a personal journey to each person that I work with and my job as an instructor is to tailor and address each individual need of my clients’

      Outside of Pilates Therese is also a Yin Yoga Instructor. She also has an ITEC and BTEC Diploma in Nutrition with the Irish Institute of Nutrition of Health, ITEC in Anatomy and Physiology and is a certified NCEF Fitness Instructor.

    • Margo Hough

      Margo began her training as a Pilates teacher in 2012 soon after she realised that Pilates could help her heal chronic injuries and strengthen in ways she had never been able to before. As a teacher Margo works with her clients to bring focus to the body’s movements and reflexes so that it functions better.

      She utilises Pilates to help people make lasting changes that will increase their flexibility, balance and agility and help to prevent injury. She holds certifications from Balanced Body and from Corrective Integrative Neuro-Kinetics.

      Margo Hough

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      Margo is a lifelong athlete having spent most of her time while growing up outside Washington, D.C. playing basketball, tennis and golf she now enjoys playing Gaelic Football as well.

      Margo teaches both group and private sessions across all equipment.

      You can learn more about what makes Margo tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Margo.

    • Cáit Healy

      Cáit first discovered Pilates in 2007 and always loved how it helped improved her well being.
      She believed that Pilates is for everyone and that it is never too late to make it part of your day. She extolled the virtues of Pilates to all and was a kind and generous teacher. Cáit died in October 2022 and is sorely missed by all of us in the studio and her many clients.

      Cait Healy

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      Cáit taught both group and private sessions in the studio. Since her death, we have been inundated with good wishes and stories from clients of how she helped them, even while undergoing cancer treatment herself. She was generous always with her time and knowledge and was a good friend as well as a colleague to us all. She will always be with us in spirit in the studio.

      You can learn more about what made Cáit tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Cáit.

    • Liz O’Donnell

      From a young age Liz has been fascinated with movement and how the body works. In 2015 she left Ireland to study physiotherapy in England. Unfortunately, life threw a hurdle her way and she fell extremely ill with meningitis. In hospital for almost a month and bed bound for a long time afterwards, Physiotherapy had to take a back step. Months later, she was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia which is an autoimmune disease defined by widespread chronic musculoskeletal pain.

      Liz O’Donnell

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      Almost immediately after being diagnosed, she decided that this illness would not define her as a person. Still really weak and in a lot of pain, she turned to Pilates, yoga and an extremely healthy diet. This was a life changing decision. Slowly, she returned to being able to get through a full day without having to have three naps and being totally wiped out from pain and fatigue.

      The following year, Liz wanted to return to ’normal’ life and went on to complete a Level 4 Health and Fitness course in University College Dublin as well as a Pilates Matwork qualification. Through this her journey to becoming a devoted Pilates teacher began. She has since spent the previous few years teaching Reformer Pilates and completed the Polestar Gateway Course. Liz has also successfully completed the BASI Pilates Comprehensive Program.

      Everyday, Liz is faced with the challenge of looking healthy and happy from the outside but on the inside it can be a very different story. Through this, Liz can relate to others going through a similar experience and has learned how important health is. She strives to help people improve their quality of life through Pilates and movement. Today she is living the dream by earning a living for something that she is so passionate about.

      You can learn more about what makes Liz tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Liz.

    • Rachel Hollywood

      Having always had an interest in health and fitness Rachel’s love of Pilates goes back many years, having discovered it whilst pregnant with her first child. Rachel loved the way Pilates felt in her body and how it helped to correct the misalignment in her spine as a result of carrying around a heavy baby bump.

      After spending almost 20 years in banking in both the UK and Ireland Rachel decided to leave the corporate world in early 2020 to follow her passion for Pilates full time.

      Rachel Hollywood

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      Rachel is a qualified BASI Pilates Comprehensive Teacher. Through BASI Pilates Rachel has also completed further education including;

      • Pilates for Osteoporosis
      • Pilates for the Mature Client
      • Pilates for Children
      • Pilates for Scoliosis
      • Pilates for Injuries & Pathologies
      • Pink Ribbon Program for breast cancer recovery
      • Infant Massage and many others too

      Rachel prides herself on making her classes fun as well as educational and is passionate about sharing the knowledge she has learned to enable clients to have improved body awareness allowing them to integrate Pilates principles into their everyday lives.

      Rachel currently teaches group and one to one classes and intends to further her study of Pilates for many years to come. Originally from Wales, Rachel now lives in Dublin with her husband two children and their dog. Having started her Pilates training at Live & Breathe, Rachel is delighted and honoured to be back in the studio, this time as a teacher.

      You can learn more about what makes Rachel tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Rachel.

    • Sorcha Garvey

      Sorcha started dancing at the age of five and from there her passion for dance and movement was ignited. She has studied Performing Arts, and was awarded a First Class Honors Degree (BA) in Dance Studies from Middlesex University London.

      Alongside her dance training Sorcha was introduced to Pilates and it became an integral part of her rehabilitation program when she suffered from a back injury.

      Sorcha Garvey

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      She has completed her BASI Comprehensive Global Program with us in the studio, where she was hand picked by Steph to join the team at Live & Breathe.

      She teaches Mat and Reformer group classes as well as Barre and one to one sessions and is continuing her studies with BASI.
      In her free time Sorcha enjoys practicing Yoga and Pilates and spending time with her family, friends and dog Ziggy.

      You can learn more about what makes Sorcha tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Sorcha.

    • Tamara Orto

      Tamara is from small island off the coast of Italy and trained as a professional contemporary dancer in Florence.
      She started teaching dance at 22 years old and it has found it a great way to build her confidence overall.
      For her own continuing research into human movement, in 2019 Tamara branched out into the world of Pilates and certified as a Polestar Pilates Matwork Instructor in Rome. She continues to teach dance as well as teaching Pilates.

      Tamara Orto

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      Now resident in Dublin, her next challenge is to go deeper into her English language practice, explore different cultures and learn more about the amazing Pilates Method.
      No matter where she is, she is really interested in any kind of new experience. Her motto is never give up.

      You can learn more about what makes Tamara tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Tamara.

    • Maly Polotto

      Maria Lydia (Maly) has been enthusiastic about sports all of her life. She first certified Pilates Matwork in Argentina in 2007 and and attained her certification on the Pilates equipment in Madrid, Spain in 2011. On moving to Ireland, to improve her communication skills, she completed a full certification with Polestar Pilates UK, finishing in 2020.

      Maly Polotto

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      Her Pilates passion did not finish here. As she loves to teach people different and creative movement skills, she has taken further training in pre and post natal Pilates (Polestar Pilates), Pilates for Seniors (Lolita San Miguel), Pilates for Injuries & Pathologies with BASI Pilates and works with those affected by breast cancer through the Pink Ribbon Program. Maly’s classes will leave you energised, stretched and you will also be challenged to get the most of your practise.

      You can learn more about what makes Maly tick in our Getting to Know Your Instructor Series: Maly.

    • Ann Sheehy

      Ann trained as an actor and singer in New York City and at Trinity Rep Conservatory in Providence, Rhode Island. At the Conservatory she studied Alexander Technique, Dance and Movement, where she became particularly interested in the expressive capacities of the human body, as well as the range of practices used to cultivate them.

      Having moved to Dublin with her husband and given birth to two children, she found within herself a desire not only to work on her own body, mind and spirit, but to help other women work on theirs in a supportive, communal environment away from the competitive gym culture popular at the time. Ann found Pilates to have the spirit of guided self-realisation she sought in that it was based on coming to know your body and what it tells you. .

      Ann Sheehy

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      She studied with Abbe Harris, who encouraged her to become an instructor, while also introducing her to Feldenkrais. Ann went on to train with Stott Pilates in Mat and Reformer, working with Dani Gonzales. For the past several years she have practised with us at Live & Breathe Pilates.

      Along the way she have tried to expand her array of mind-body approaches, becoming, for example, an instructor of the Miracle Ball Method, a somatic practice and completing Liz Koch’s PSOAS Application Course. Ann has also taken courses with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, of Body Mind Centering; Martha Peterson, Essential Somatics; and David Zemach-Bersin and Marek Wyszynski Physical Therapy and Feldenkrais NYC.
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Contact us today if you have questions for any members of our team, or would like a private consultation.