At P.volve, our instructors are so essential to the method. They motivate us, perfect our form, and help us advance to the next stage of every workout, no matter if we’re in the studio or working out from our living room. That’s why it’s important to get to know these experts better—so we can feel more connected to them and hear why they do what they do so passionately. 
 
Meet Alexia: a classically-trained dancer turned P.volve instructor. In recent months, she’s taken her skills from the stage to the studio floor, where she’s putting the method to use alongside the rest of the team. Alexia hasn’t only found a new way to move, but her work as a trainer has also helped her recover from an injury. “This method has been the biggest tool for me in recovery and injury prevention over the last 6 months,” she said. Ahead, read more about her practice and what inspires her every day. 

What led you to P.volve?
After graduating from Alabama in 2018, I booked a job performing overseas in Asia for four months. During the rehearsal process I injured my left knee pretty badly and rehabbed for the duration of the contract. Once I returned home, I injured it again in a rehearsal and knew I had to make a change to the way I was training. 
 
P.volve had crossed my radar a while back and I never pursued it but for some reason I looked it up and was immediately interested! I started streaming, did the entire beginner program and then moved to NYC shortly thereafter. As soon as I arrived I got into contact with the NYC studio, took a bunch of class and expressed my interest in becoming a trainer—the rest is history!
 
Did you always have an interest in health and fitness?
YES. Triple yes. As a dancer, my body is my instrument every single day so I’ve developed a huge amount of respect and care for it over my years of training and performing. I know that when I feel well, I can love the people around me well and a big part of that is being able to do the things I am passionate about. I’ve also struggled with digestive issues my whole life and have done so much personal research and experimentation that has led me to know my body inside and out. It also helps to be a big fat nerd and want to read, listen to, and watch everything I can to gain the knowledge to care for my body well and help clients to the best of my ability!
 
What’s your overall approach to health and wellness? Has it evolved in any way since starting with P.volve?
My overall approach is to simply listen. Our bodies are SO smart and if we can tap into those idiosyncrasies that happen when we edge toward burnout or are full of so much energy and joy that we feel unstoppable, we’ll be much healthier people. I’m learning and growing every day in this sense but I do believe that’s the biggest thing I’m working toward in relation to health and wellness! P. volve has also made me realize that it’s important to give the body and mind time to connect—you’ll hear me saying this constantly in class: Give it all time. We always have more time than we think. 

 
What’s your morning routine or day with P.volve like?
It always depends. I love the fact that no two days in my life are ever the same so most days I like to wake up and take a minute to pray, meditate, and set some intentions, but most importantly, I establish gratitude for another day. After this I love to make a big breakfast of eggs, veggies and a nice smoothie with some collagen, Sunfiber, and CHOCOLATE! After that I’ll take the A train down to P.volve, teach, audition, take dance classes, hang out with friends, drink some matcha, call my mom and honestly fly by the seat of my pants!
 
What’s your favorite part of being an instructor? And about taking the class yourself?
My favorite part of being an instructor is being able to help people. If I can make one person feel stronger, or more confident, or help them recover, I’ve done my job! My favorite part about taking class myself is being able to tap into a super focused state for an hour where I can really feel every single muscle working and molding and developing to keep my joints safe in everything else I put my body through.
 
What’s your favorite piece of equipment to work with and why?
My favorite piece of equipment is actually no equipment! I find that when I strip away all of the added resistance in class it actually becomes a bit harder—that mind-body connection really has to work! Without equipment, you can really hone in on movement patterns and specificity which are both essential to P.volve. 
 
Is there anything you wish you knew before starting P.volve that you can share with beginners?
I wish I knew how important it was to keep a long lower spine. It’s just a misconception that you need to arch the lower back to find your p.sit, but you absolutely don’t! Keep that long spine, engage the lower abdominals, and use that core and pelvis to drive everything.

Keep an eye out for Alexia in our latest slant board series at our flagship studio in New York. Or, if you’re new to P.volve, try our 15-day free trial to get started today.