Risa Sheppard, creator of the Sheppard Method, is a pioneer in the Pilates field. Risa studied and worked under Pilates master Ron Fletcher in his Beverly Hills studio. She was one of the first teachers to teach The Pilates Method. Risa is the author of the book, Risa Sheppard’s Fitness Formula for a Firm and Flat Stomach, as well as the creator of the new DVD, A Gentle Formula for A Strong Body. Risa’s two studios, Sheppard Method Pilates, are located in Westwood and Toluca Lake, CA.

by Risa Sheppard Before the core (a term Joe Pilates never used), there was the center. With all due respect to the term core, the core is an overused and misunderstood Pilates concept. As a movement specialist, I take offense when others forget the concept of the center. The center is as ancient as life [...]

by Risa Sheppard “You have a benign tumor in your right inner ear,” the doctor told me. “It’s called an Acoustic-Neuroma, a growth within your inner ear that presses against your brain, and you need to have it taken out.” I had been feeling dizzy and nauseous. Something was wrong. Unaccustomed to feeling ill, the [...]

by Risa Sheppard I am honored and privileged to have personally known and worked for Jack La Lanne. I went to junior and senior high school with his daughter, Janet. Elaine La Lanne, his wife of 51 years, was in PTA with my mother. I spent many nights at the La Lanne residence and I [...]