Testimonials

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Testimonials

I can vouch for the excellence of the training

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 29, 2008

“For those like myself in need of regular exercise I can think of no better way to do it than to get training from the Santa Barbara Pilates Studio on De La Vina Street near State. Kristen Williams and her staff,are highly skilled in adjusting the training level to the client whoever he, or she, is. In my case at the age of ninety one I have a carefully thought out routine by Kristen, that loosens the joints, gives tone to the muscles, and altogether refreshes a body which time and sedentary living weaken and age. I leave the studio feeling alive, and ready for the days before my next session. I shall test the ROM machine in the studio for further aerobic exercise. As an alumnus of old Joe Pilates, the founder, when I lived in New York City in the Fifties, I can vouch for the excellence of the training at the Santa Barbara Pilates Studio.

Joe Pilates would give his seal of approval for the work being done there. “

~ George Gaynes, Actor. (Police Academy, Punky Brewster,Tootsie and more) 6/28/08

George Gaynes

Wonderful experience!

Rated 5.0 out of 5
November 10, 2022

I have worked with Kristen for a year via Skype, and I’m amazed at how much I have improved. Her approach is thorough with attention to strength, flexibility, and balance. Kristen is able to make keen observations about my form and how my body is working even if I have no perception of it myself. I appreciate her emphasis on safety and gradual improvement. Kristen is a pleasure to be with on top of it all. Thank you, Kristen!

Maddy Mamaux

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Maddy, Thank you ! The Pleasure is all mine !.

Able to work 12 hour shifts

Rated 5.0 out of 5
November 8, 2022

I started Pilates with Kristen several years ago after ankle surgery left me with a terrible limp and poor balance. Not only was I able to return to work as an ER nurse, but I can also continue to work long hours when many of my comorrades have retired. Pilates helps build my flexibility and strength and helps keep me patient and focused. I look forward to my private home workouts and thank Kristen for her professionalism. Her workouts keep me working.

Sandee S.

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Thank you Sandee, You have come a very long way in a small amount of time. ! Keep up the Great work . And thank you for the wonderful review 🙂

allows ME to see myself

Rated 5.0 out of 5
June 5, 2022

I have been doing sessions with Kristen via Skype since January. She is so good at making the workout be about ME and my needs specifically. She is tough and thoughtful and helpful and great at what she does. Skype allows her to see you move and also allows ME to see myself, which has helped as well.

Check it out, friends! She is amazing! Thx Kristen

Margy Sweeney Conley

Let me add my praise for what Kristen can accomplish

Rated 5.0 out of 5
April 6, 2022

Let me add my praise for what Kristen can help one accomplish with her on-line Pilates sessions. Each session is tweaked if need be to take into account how one feels that day while one continues to progress towards your ultimate goal. Flexible times and days if needed as well.

Carl King

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Thank you Carl.

Kristen exceeds all expectations and is a true pro

Rated 5.0 out of 5
March 23, 2022

I recommend Wild Rivers Pilates highly! Kristen exceeds all expectations and is a true pro. I have been working out/doing rehab online twice per week with Kristen for the last 4 months. I have scoliosis and deal with serious back pain. I chose Kristen because i want to get fit again so that I can enjoy all of the outdoor activities on the southern coast here. Kristen offers unbelievable private classes and coaching online. Her classes are challenging, but she meets you where you are. I just adjust my laptop camera so that she can see me, and she offers a workout that is getting me where I want to go. She has been able to notice issues and ask me to make adjustments more than anyone has — it’s amazing how specific her private instruction is. I am stronger than I have been in years and she is working with me on strengthening all of my core muscles. I’m not finished yet, but my ability to open up my back to breathe better (from Kristen’s coaching) has created a new life for me.

I have tried quite a few personal trainers and also I’ve had rehab, but Kristen is head and shoulders more prepared, competent, and professional than all of them. I am a fan.

Barbara S

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Thank you so much

Online mat classes are fun and the private sessions can be intense

Rated 5.0 out of 5
February 5, 2022

You will be hooked! Online mat classes are fun and the private sessions can be intense but always the highlight of my week. Kristen is patient and like someone else said can see every little thing (my leg is straight!) I have been working with Kristen over 3 years and my husband is now obsessed too. Try it-you will never be sorry.

Gail Meidinger

During the Covid-19 lock-down

Rated 5.0 out of 5
September 2, 2021

I took private Pilates lessons for 4 months, online, during spring of 2020 (during the Covid-19 lock-down.) My goal was to build core strength and improve my balance so that I’d be up to the rigors of providing daily childcare for my infant grandchild. When I started with Wild Rivers Pilates (Kristen), I had been away from my regular gym for nearly a year due to the pandemic and had done little besides walking. I had never done Pilates before. Within a month of starting Pilates, I noticed the difference in my core strength and by the time I stopped, I saw a profound difference. Later, I got real validation of the benefit of my Pilates work. When I returned to my gym a month after stopping Pilates, I did new baseline testing to see how much strength I had lost in my 1 1/2 years away from the gym. To my great pleasure, my core and leg strength had each improved more than 20% from when I was last at the gym. I am sure this is all due to working with Kristen at Wild Rivers Pilates. Thank you, Kristen!

Susan Lee

I VERY HIGHLY recommend Kristen

Rated 5.0 out of 5
March 28, 2021

Kristen Williams is a superb instructor and person. I was referred to her by an excellent Physical Therapist. Working with Kristin after a serious injury helped me return to work and walk. I purchased a home reformer/tower and it has been a heat health investment. I VERY HIGHLY recommend Kristen.

Marjorie Ferguson

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Marjorie , Thank you

I had horrible sciatica

Rated 5.0 out of 5
March 5, 2021

My partner and I have been working with Kristen for about 3 years. I had horrible sciatica. I travel to Africa for work and sometimes couldn’t get out of my seat at the end of the flight. Even everyday life was painful. Kristen works with me to use different muscles and strengthen my weak ones. I feel like I have a new toolbox of ways to stay out of pain. I also swim with US Masters. Kristen showed me how to move my arms using back muscles more than shoulders. It’s made swimming faster and easier and gotten rid of intermittent shoulder pain.

My partner is missing 2 vertebrae from a car crash, has a hip replacement from another car crash and a shattered foot filled with pins after a bad fall. He accepted a life with a lot of pain. Kristen showed him how to use his muscles differently. He is remarkably pain-free and his skinny legs now have muscles.

We have one-on-one sessions and attend mat class. Mat class is small, personalized and a very friendly group of people.

Stephanie Martin

Wonderful way to improve your strength and flexibility

Rated 5.0 out of 5
December 5, 2020

Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness is a wonderful way to improve your strength and flexibility. My husband and I began to see improvements in ourselves after only a few sessions. Kristen Williams is an amazing instructor. With a glance she can spot our body misalignments and helps us to learn to adjust our movements accordingly! She is caring and adjusts her instruction to accommodate each student. Now we are able to join classes with our computer! We can do private lessons or group lessons without leaving our home.

Kristen is a wonder! She is so knowledgeable and upbeat! We always finish class feeling better and happier than when we started. She gets a five star review from us for sure!

C Cooke

I am in the best shape of my life – Pilates on Skype

Rated 5.0 out of 5
February 5, 2020

I feel so good in my body since meeting Kristin and working with her. I am in the best shape of my life and I have Kristen to thank. I personally cannot imagine a life without my Pilates 3 days a week. I thought it was unusual at first to do Pilates on Skype, but I find that Kristen can spot faults in my form just as easily as she could in person (darnit!). I even took lessons while I was on vacation in Mexico

Thank you! I recommend Kristin’s class whole heartedly.

Janet Snazuk

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Thank you So Much Janet

Sciatica for more than a decade

Rated 5.0 out of 5
October 5, 2019

Having lived with sciatica for more than a decade I had accepted the fact that back surgery was the only solution to relieving back pain and eliminating the numbness in my right leg. After an MRI revealed only minor damage to the opposite side of my back pain and numbness I decided to try Pilates. Kristen was able to evaluate the problem and started me on an exercise program that, after 9 months, has significantly reduced the symptoms. I now see the light at the end of the tunnel and expect to see a full recovery in a few months.

As a bonus to the wonderful improvement in my back, Kristen helped convert me from a soft 200+ pounds to a lean and mostly fit 172 pounds. As a result my health and wellbeing have significantly improved (my blood pressure is now normal and strength and

stamina are returning). I haven’t felt this healthy in 20 years! Plus, there is an added bonus; the sessions are a blast. Both the one-on-one sessions and the group mat sessions are something I look forward to each week. The mat sessions provide an opportunity to meet others who share similar experiences. As a result I am meeting great people and developing new friendships, what could be better?

I sincerely thank Kristen for all her help to date and look forward to continuing down this fitness path.

Al – October 2019

Al

Response from Wild Rivers Pilates & Fitness

Thank you Al, I am so happy we are able to help you improve!

Kristen

Best instructor I have ever had, bar none

Rated 5.0 out of 5
July 5, 2019

I have taken one-on-one Pilates classes from Kristin for past 3.5 years, and I can attest that she is the best instructor I have ever had, bar none. Kristin is able to point out exactly what I am doing incorrectly, and can demonstrate in excruciating detail…but in a positive way…the erroneous movement I have made (head too far forward, left hip hiked up, lifting with shoulders rather than back muscles, etc.). Because she is able to mimic the error, I am much more able to recognize and correct it, rather than if she just explained it verbally. But…she is also excellent at wording her instructions, using a variety of images and analogies until she finds one that resonates with me. The uncanny talent that Kristin has is remembering all the individual cuing for each of her students.

Sandy Grummon