Meet Natasha
by Ani Bundel
The newest Epiphany Movement Center instructor has a love for both The GYROTONIC Method and traditional Mat Pilates.
A new year means a new weekly schedule at Epiphany Movement Center, and January 2026 has also brought a brand-new member to the team. Natasha Cosme is the newest Pilates instructor, taking over the Sunday morning classes and teaching private lessons.
A former engineer and mother to three grown children, Natasha is currently a Pilates apprentice pursuing a BASI comprehensive certification. She joins Epiphany after taking private classes from Eurona for several years. I sat down with Natasha as the month kicked off to ask her about her journey.
The following interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Ani Bundel: How did you get into Pilates?
Natasha Cosme: I was introduced to Pilates in 2013 when I lived in Richmond. I was just trying to find different things, different workouts to do. I started out in a personal training situation, but it was like I was just going through the motions. Then I decided to take private Pilates classes, and I fell in love with the equipment.
AB: What were you doing as a profession when you first started? Do you still have a day job?
Natasha: I still have my day job. I'm a patent examiner for the Patent and Trademark Office. This is my empty-nest excursion; when the last of my kids went to school, I really got into classes, and I was like, “You know what? I really would love to learn and teach this.” And that's when I started the program.
AB: How old are your kids?
Natasha: 25, 21, and 18; I’m just hitting the empty nest stage.
AB: How did you meet Eurona?
Natasha: Well, I work from home, and a few years ago, I moved up here from Richmond, and I was like, “Let's just try something different.” I actually started out at Epiphany by taking the GYROKENESIS classes.
AB: Oh my gosh, I am a complete GYROTONIC Method freak. One of the things I've always struggled with is how to describe the difference between Pilates and GYROTONICS to people. How would you describe it?
Natasha: I feel like it's the flow. To me, the GYROTONIC Method is more like yoga; it's more of the emotion. It's about the connection with the body, the letting it loose. I've had three kids via C-section, so I haven't felt my stomach in a long time. The first time I even reconnected was through GYROKENESIS, it’s like an in-depth connection to your core.
AB: What’s your favorite Pilates apparatus?
Natasha: (Laughs) That's a loaded question. My favorite, as far as the exercises go, is the Wunda Chair. But as far as the fundamentals, the “making sure that I'm connecting,” it's always going to be the Mat.
When I first started, I was an anti-mat girlie; I hated it. It was so hard. But the Mat is the foundation for all the exercises on the apparatus. Once I finally got over that love-hate relationship, then it was “Yeah.”
AB: When it comes to the fundamentals of Pilates, what's the thing that you focus on most for students?
Natasha: First-time students, I tell them, “Get out of your head. I don't care what class you've been to or what workouts you do. I don't care how fit you are. Get out of your own head.” It’s really about listening to the teacher and focusing on connecting during the exercise, even in the foundational ones.
For example, Eurona is working with me on Short Spine on the Reformer. I can do the move on the other apparatus, but on the Reformer, in those straps, it is kicking my butt. The problem is mental; it's in my mind. So I say, “Get out of your head” is the first thing. Because right now, I'm trying to conquer this, and Eurona’s like, “You're overthinking, and you pause yourself.” People like me, with a STEM background, are over-analyzing all the time. She's working with me to conquer that.
With more advanced students, the problem I find is that they can get imprecise with their form, you know: “Oh, it's just a pelvic curl.” There is no such thing as “just a pelvic curl;” you can’t disconnect your brain like that. I tell them to focus on specific muscles. In Pilates, the slightest move is a workout.
AB: You’re currently studying for BASI certification?
Natasha: I'm an apprentice; I finished the bookwork, and now I'm into, like, my observation and apprentice teaching, and then I'll take my test out in July for my fully comprehensive certification.
AB: And you’re doing the Sunday classes?
Natasha: Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. for group classes, and then the rest of my schedule is all private clients. Come work with me!
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