Houston is home to some of the best yoga and Pilates instructors.
By Jim Carley
Every day, hundreds of Houstonians turn to them in an attempt to improve their flexibility, muscular strength and mental clarity. Meet some of the top yoga and Pilates instructors in the Bayou City.
Robert Boustany Age: 57
Hometown: Lafayette, La.
Style of yoga: Hatha, Ashtanga, Forrest
Years practicing: 43
Years teaching: 35
Studio location: 4040 Milan, No. 330
Teaching philosophy: “Fundamentally, I teach a combination of traditional hatha yoga and modern insights. I try to have precise alignment by giving detailed instruction. We try to increase energetic flows with breathing and postures.”
Billie Gollnick Age: 77
Hometown: Houston
Style of yoga: “Old-fashioned classic hatha”
Years practicing: 59
Years teaching: 39
Studio location: Healthspan (1111 W. Loop South)
Teaching philosophy: “I emphasize the breathing and teach the physical. I teach the inner as well as the outer.”
John Gossett Age: 53
Hometown: Creston, N.J.
Style: Classical Pilates
Years practicing: 22
Years teaching: 22
Studio location: Pilates Concepts of Houston (3100 Richmond Avenue, Suite 110)
Teaching philosophy: “I work an open studio and the needs of the client come first. With the open studio concept, the price structure starts at the high end and as people become more proficient, the price goes down.”
James Harren Age: 39
Hometown: Los Angeles, Calif.
Style: Classical Pilates
Years practicing: 20
Years teaching: 19
Studio location: PilatesHouston (3930 Kirby, Suite 102)
Teaching philosophy: “All the trainers at PilatesHouston have trained under different master instructors, have multiple Pilates certifications, and have at least five years of Pilates training experience. We feel that the variety in staff training origination adds to the client’s training experience by providing a fresh view of the work from each trainer while still maintaining the integrity of the method.”
Suzy Shapiro Age: 58
Hometown: Coleman, Texas
Style of yoga: Iyengar
Years practicing: 29
Years teaching: 20 (President of Yoga Assoc. of Houston)
Studio location: Bellaire (near The Galleria)
Teaching philosophy: “We do a lot of work and a lot of self discovery, but there also has to be some humor. Yoga is a process that requires some work and commitment, but it should also offer joy and satisfaction. You have to strike a balance.”
Joe Teague Age: 52
Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
Style: Classical Pilates
Years practicing: 19
Years teaching: 18
Studio location: Third Coast Pilates (1415 Harold Street)
Teaching philosophy: “I teach a flowing style. We go from exercise to exercise without stopping, using the breath to drive the movement. It takes a while to develop the technique and that’s what sets us apart.”
Joy Winkler Age: 31
Hometown: Houston
Style of yoga: Vinyasa
Years practicing: 9
Years teaching: 5
Studio location: Joy Yoga Center (1916 W. 18th)
Teaching philosophy: “We use the physical poses to get a deeper awareness of what’s going on inside the body. We realize we have the ability to release any condition and learn more effective ways to deal with stress.”
Just a few years ago, the sight of women in football uniforms hurling the pigskin and sacking the quarterback was the stuff of a Hollywood movie.
But for members of the Houston Energy, it’s reality. The team, with a roster of about 53 players, is one of the city’s best kept sports secrets. This all-female squad is one of 16 teams nationally playing by the National Football League rulebook in the seven-year-old Women’s Professional Football League (WPFL). This is no game of “two-below” touch or powder puff football. They play honest-to-goodness tackle football.
“You get the wind taken out of you, but it drives you to want to hit even more,” said Lisa Diaz, a cornerback on last season’s team who handles media relations for the team, about her first hit. “I had never experienced so much intensity. It was exhilarating.”
According to Diaz, that intensity, paired with a love for the game, is what lures women from places like Alvin, Brazoria County and Baytown to Houston’s Skip Lee Field. “And the fact that they get to say, ‘I play football,’” she said.
In the WPFL’s earlier days, Houston Energy players had a bit more to boast about. “We won the championship in each of our first three seasons,” she said. “We’re in our sixth season now and we still have members from the inaugural team with all three rings.”
WPFL players use a smaller ball than their male counterparts (the TDY Youth game ball used by junior high school teams). The regular season consists of five home games and five away games, plus two playoff games—for qualifiers, of course—and the championship game. As far as salaries go, Diaz jokes, “It’s enough to treat someone to a Coke after the game.”
As expected, many of the Houston Energy players have full-time jobs. Some are moms and others are business owners or students. There’s even a brain surgeon on the team. While there are a handful of Olympic-caliber athletes suiting up in the league, every woman comes from a fairly strong athletic background.
For instance, Diaz played a variety of sports in the University of Houston’s intramural leagues. When the chance to play professional football came, she had to tryout. “I kept it a secret though,” said the 5’ 1”, 126-pound Diaz. “I thought, ‘No way am I going to make it because I’m so little.’”
But size, as well as, knowledge of the sport aren’t major factors during the team’s open tryouts. It’s all about agility, speed and competitive spirit. For game schedules and details, visit www.houstonenergyfootball.com.
—Monica Harden
Upping The Ante
The leaders of next year’s Houston Marathon, when they hit that imaginary wall about 20 miles into the race, will be chasing a larger pot of gold if they need a little extra incentive.
Chevron, the new title sponsor of the race, is increasing the prize for the winners in the men’s and women’s divisions from $10,000 to an estimated $15,000 for the January 15 event.
“We’re also entertaining supplementing the prize with a bonus for (breaking) the race record,” said Steven Karpas, managing director of the marathon. “That’s our incentive, to get a record.”
Karpas hopes the increased purse will attract an even better field to Houston. The race record was set in 1989 by Richard Kaitany of Kenya at 2:10:04. The women’s record was set in 1984 by Ingrid Kristiansen of Norway at 2:27:51. David Cheruiyot of Kenya won last year’s event in 2:14:50 and Kelly Keane of The Woodlands won the women’s race in 2:32:27.
Hewlett-Packard severed ties with the race after last January’s event, which had a total purse of $118,400. The race will now be called the Chevron Houston Marathon as part of a three-year contract.
The accompanying half marathon will be sponsored again by the Aramco Services Company. Smart Financial Credit Union will join the Houston Press as co-sponsor of the 5K race.
The half marathon will be a part of the U.S. National Half Marathon Championship for the second year in a row. The men’s and women’s winner received $5,000 each for last year’s half marathon. Both races pay the first five finishers.
The course will remain the same for the races, with the start and finish lines at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Entries for the marathon and half marathon will be capped at 15,000. Karpas says there could be a significant increase in runners for the 5K race compared with the 2,400 who entered last year.
“We expect an additional 4,000 runners in the 5K,” he said. “People are starting to realize the Houston Marathon also has a 5K.”
For more information, visit www.houstonmarathon.com.
—Gene Duffey