Epiphany Movement Center Grand Opening Brings Movement to the Heart of Fairfax City Community

by Ani Bundel

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that Pilates and the GYROTONIC® method, as exercise disciplines, are all about movement and control. However, whoever came up with that never had to move a Pilates studio (with a bonus “gyro” room) when circumstances hit that were out of their control. That’s what happened to Epiphany Pilates in April 2025, when a sewer rupture forced the owner, Eurona Tilley, to find new digs.

The studio was located at the east end of Fairfax City, Virginia, in the major shopping complex that acts as a bookend to the area. At the time, Eurona assured us clients that the goal was to stay in or around the heart of Fairfax, which is a lot easier said than done. While it might not have the same level of local cache as Old Town Alexandria, Old Town Fairfax is barely the size of a postage stamp, and the home to a lot of shops aimed at the student population at nearby George Mason, putting space at a premium (and parking rather difficult). But Eurona stayed determined, and it was only a month or two before Eurona opened up shop at the new Epiphany Movement Center, same great team, new location, on the main drag of Route 123, right on the Cue bus line, and directly next to multiple mom and pop shops that line the walk back to campus.

As a freelance entertainment writer, I haven’t had the opportunity to attend many Grand Openings, and certainly never as a guest or client of someone. I thought I knew what to expect from the few I’d attended as press: politicians with fixed smiles, a few names getting butchered in speeches, and then an appetizer and, if we were lucky, something with alcohol and/or sugar. 

What I didn’t expect was how genuinely sincere everyone was. Our culture has trained us to look at everything through a cynical lens, and in more recent times, to find the selfish angle in everyone’s actions. But there was none of that here. Fairfax City’s mayor, Catherine S. Read, seemed sincerely delighted in her speech welcoming the studio to it’s new address, and that Eurona hadn’t just opted to stay within city limits, but had chosen a space within the walkable part of Old Town Fairfax.

But what was most striking to me was Eurona’s speech about the importance of movement and building community. The buzzword phrase “community-driven fitness” isn’t just a slogan to get you to sign up for your local gym. It’s about the people, the neighbors you meet by going regularly, who support you in your journey as you become invested in supporting theirs. It’s about making time for that “third space” we often see columnists lamenting no longer exist, and interacting outside of social media.

One thing Eurona did not mention, but I will, is also the mental health aspects of movement and community. It’s not just that regular exercise has the temerity to work as advertised (so rude), but in 2025, taking time to simply shut out the world outside and focus on yourself in a supportive environment for a 50 minute hour is crucial to keeping calm and carrying on.

Ani Bundel

Ani Bundel has been blogging professionally since 2010. A DC native Keyboard Khaleesi, she spends her non-writing time taking pictures of her cats and trying to memorize GYROKENESIS® sequences. A Woman's Place Is In Your Face. Cat Approved. Find her on BlueSky and other social media of your choice: @anibundel.bsky.social