ROC Pilates Instructors
Christine Szymanski FoundeR/owner
Certified Pilates instructor
Founder of ROC Pilates, Christine Szymanski, started her pilates journey 13 years ago when she tried a reformer class for the first time and knew she was hooked. She pursued her comprehensive Pilates certification through ITT at A Body of Work with Jean Sullivan and has been teaching in Marin ever since. Being an active athlete herself and recognizing a gap in the Pilates and fitness industries for athletic, fun, yet true pilates for the fitness inclined of all ages, she set out to fill that gap with her unique flowing athletic Pilates method. In November 2019, she opened ROC Pilates in San Rafael, CA. The studio offers both tailored privates/duets for individual attention and multi-level group reformer classes.
Our mission at ROC Pilates is to understand your current level of fitness whether you are a newbie to pilates, recovering from injury or an avid athlete and to help you reach your next fitness level by safely building your core, strength and flexibility. The method is designed to take your tennis, golf, cycle/spin, cross training, flexibility and running game to the next level and help return your body to its center.
Return of Center (ROC).
Wendy Tarantino
Pilates Instructor
Wendy Tarantino is a certified pilates instructor after completing her training through ROC Pilates. Pilates has been a part of her life for the past twenty years when she began her practice at Movement Design Pilates and Wellness in New Canaan Connecticut. A job relocation brought her and her family to San Francisco in 2003 where she promptly continued her Pilates practice at Simply Balanced along with teacher training at B.A.S.I. Her growing family life and whirlwind of changes brought her where she is today. She is happy to be back and enthusiastic about bringing her love of Pilates to others.
Karen Lovelace
Pilates Instructor
Karen Lovelace is a group fit and Pilates instructor. She fell in love with group exercise classes at the age of 16 and paid her way through high school and college teaching fitness classes. After finishing a Masters Degree in teaching in her home state of Texas, she put her fitness career on hold. After stepping back from a career in education, she resurrected her joy in teaching fitness classes when moving to California. In 2017, Karen discovered the reformer, and has been in love ever since. As a migraine sufferer, the reformer gave her a way to improve her fitness and reduce the pain and frequency of migraines. It was a life changer. She decided to persue a career teaching Pilates to help others realize the benefits that Pilates can provide. Karen is a certified Balanced Body reformer instructor, and she has experience leading classes for children, seniors and everyone in between.