Jade Bramwell 
During the quieter off-season at the Jersey Shore, local fitness studios like Pilates Method, located at 209 Bond Street, Suite 1 in Asbury Park, are redefining what wellness spaces can look and feel like. Once seen as exclusive or intimidating, Pilates is becoming more inclusive, thanks in part to instructors like Khalyah Sanchez, who are creating environments where everybody feels seen and supported. For many women of color and diverse backgrounds, that sense of belonging in a fitness studio has not always come easily, but at Pilates Method, change is underway. Keep reading to learn more about the history of Pilates and how one instructor is changing the game at the shore.
About Pilates
The popular workout was started by Joseph Hubertus Pilates. Pilates was a German physical trainer who devoted his life to physical fitness. When World War I began, he was incarcerated and started to develop and teach his exercise system, which he called “Contrology,” to his fellow inmates. Over time, while working as an orderly in a hospital, he attached bed springs to hospital beds to create “resistance-based” exercises for patients’ limbs, which we know as the Cadillac and reformer today.
He moved to the United States in his late 1920s and started to work in New York City, opening up his first studio, and the exercise grew to what we know today. That was the help of Pilates elders, who were Pilates’ first mentees, turned instructors.
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A key player who grew the entire Pilates elder community was Kathy Grant, a first-generation teacher who learned directly from Joseph Pilates. Kathy was a professional dancer, and she was introduced to Joseph Pilates for rehabilitation after an injury, causing her to undergo surgery. Kathy knew she wanted to do more, and she was one of only a few people who were formally certified to teach Pilates work. Kathy was known for her innovation and creativity in the art form, creating Mat work she called “Before the Hundred,” designed to help students develop body awareness and strength before attempting the more traditional exercises.
As a Black woman who taught the form, Kathy understood that she was one of the very few in these classes who taught them. Kathy taught Pilates for over 50 years until she died in 2010. She pioneered the Pilates community, helping to expand the reach of the method and influencing countless dancers and students to grow constantly. She has inspired many instructors today. And just like Kathy’s mission, studios like the Pilates Method are continuing to expand opportunities for everyone in the community.
Modern Pilates at Method
Pilates Method opened in early 2025. The owners created a small boutique studio after noticing that many mainstream Pilates classes became so full quickly. The studio’s slogan is “Move Better. Feel Stronger. Transform.” and the instructors follow that motto daily. Instructor Khalyah Sanchez was drawn to Pilates during her own weight loss journey. She couldn’t get comfortable in the gym, and found Pilates aligned with her goals.
Khalyah Sanchez, an instructor at Pilates Method, was born and raised in Long Branch. Her approach to teaching follows the journey that Kathy Grant started. She talked about her journey as a mixed-race woman and her journey into the instructor world today. “ I make sure that I talk to each person in the room so they feel welcomed. I don’t care what you look like, where you’re from, I just want them to know that they matter and so does their body in this space,” Khalyah said.
Khalyah has been working at Method since its opening and understands the importance of this business being in Asbury Park. She shared how body type can play a factor in the movements done on the reformer and how that process could be modified. “I want every single person in the room to try the move first,” she said. “But I understand that with certain positions (in Pilates), it can be difficult for certain individuals to achieve those moves, so we work with them and modify for their comfort.”
During her time as a Pilates instructor throughout the years, Khalyah discussed her experiences of racial dynamics through her time as an instructor and a student. She’s known that her presence is needed within these spaces.
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Khalyah’s classes at Pilates Method are growing, and the community she’s continued to build throughout these last few months has amazed her. “I have my ride or dies here with me,” she laughs into the mic during her last class of the day. From Frank Ocean to Latin music and even Jersey house music, Khalyah’s personal touch is evident in each class, and no two classes are the same.
Students can book through the Pilates Method website. Classes are available for beginners through advanced students.
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