Susan Smith Burns

Susan Smith Burns was introduced to Pilates in 1999 while finishing her Master of Science in Health Fitness Management at American University. She immediately fell in love with how Pilates made her feel, and how it complemented all of her other activities. She completed her initial Pilates Mat certification in 2000 with The PhysicalMind Institute and quickly followed it with their Pilates apparatus certification. Opportunity came knocking sooner than planned, and she opened balance, Your Pilates, Yoga, & Gyrotonic Studio in the Washington DC area in 2001 and continues to lead the studio today. Susan joined the classical Pilates world and first met Bob Liekens, founder of The Pilates Standard (TPS), when she completed her comprehensive certification with Power Pilates in 2005, then became a Teacher Trainer for that organization in 2010. She was invited by Bob to take his inaugural LEAP (Leading Education Advancement Program) 9-month training program in 2018 and was thrilled to subsequently join TPS as a Teacher Trainer in 2019. She offers teacher training and continuing education for TPS in the DMV. Susan works with people of all ages and abilities, and particularly enjoys working with teenage athletes...and their grandparents!! She is known for her creativity within the classical method and for her dedication and patience.