About Us
Studio Management
Rita Matraia, Founder
Rita Matraia is a Certified Stott Pilates Instructor, an AFAA Certified Personal Trainer, and an ACE certified Weight and Lifestyle Management Consultant. She has a B.S. and B.A from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA from Babson College.
Her business experience gives her first hand knowledge of the challenges of maintaining a healthy lifestyle while working many hours. "I truly believe that we all need an outlet to deal with the daily challenges of work and life. That outlet is Exercise! There is no better cure for stress than to physically accomplish things you never thought you could. It increases your self-confidence and gives you the energy that you need to succeed in everything you do."
How I found Pilates: Despite making time for challenging workouts and trying to stay as fit as possible, I was experiencing unexpected low back pain and tightness throughout my spine. I stumbled into Pilates almost by accident and as a last resort, but from the very beginning I knew it was the right activity for my issues. I became aware very quickly that although I looked and felt strong, my deep core muscles were weak and not providing the appropriate spinal support that I needed for my activity level. With Pilates, I began to work deeper to stabilize my spine. Because in Pilates we work from the inside out, we address weaknesses and strengthen in the appropriate order. Once you build the base of your stabilizing muscles, then you can more effectively strengthen your external muscles. My work continues with my clients with whom I share my knowledge about the importance of core strength, overall fitness, a sense of well being and a balanced life.
Mary McCrorey, Studio Manager
Mary started taking Pilates classes with Rita back at the Town Hall gym. After years of trying other classes, videos, machinery and gyms, she knew immediately that it was finally the right "fit" for her. Previous back issues improved over the first few months and the variety in the work outs kept her coming back for more. "Beyond her obvious knowledge of Pilates, fitness and the body, I just loved Rita's style, humor and vitality! She made me want to come to class. I needed her to keep me motivated!" With the expansion to the new space and additional class offerings at The Core Connection, Mary thought Rita might "need" her, too, and she became the studio manager in March of 2010.
Mary has a B.S. in Marketing from The Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, in New York City. She also has a background in office administration. Mary spent most of her career working in retail, including management and buying with Jordan Marsh, Boston. She also worked in merchandising with Liz Claiborne New York.
Jennifer Driscoll
Jennifer Driscoll is a certified Pilates, yoga and group fitness instructor and a certified personal trainer. Her trainings include Stott Pilates, the Pilates PhysicalMind Institute, the Pilates Method Alliance, YogaFit, Silver Sneakers, Les Mills BodyPump, Barefoot Cardio, Spinning and AFAA (the Aerobics and Fitness Association of America). Jennifer is passionate about helping others improve their fitness level and well-being and believes that everyone deserves to feel good!
Jen Martin
After a childhood of competitive team sports, I switched to more individual activities in college including triathlons and road races, ranging from 5K's to marathons. During this time I realized I could turn my love of fitness and competition into a study of human movement and the mind-body connection. Eventually, I was drawn to group exercise, became an instructor, and began helping others achieve their health and wellness goals. Today, as a Pilates professional and a mother of three young, busy children, I enjoy sharing my knowledge and best practices in a way that inspires others to care for themselves, expand their appreciation for the mind-body connection, and share these habits with their own families.
My background includes a degree in Exercise Science at UMass Amherst and a variety of fitness and pilates certifications. I have been an ACE Certified Group Fitness Instructor since 1990, completed The PhysicalMind Institute Pilates mat training in 2002, and Stott Pilates Intensive Reformer training in 2004. Additional Stott Pilates training includes Injuries and Special Populations, Athletic Conditioning on the Reformer, Pre-Natal, Flexibility, Shoulder Girdle: Stability and Function, and Cueing and Correcting for Intermediate Matwork.
Linda Sieck
My name is Linda May Sieck, and since 1988, I have been helping individuals improve their health and vitality. As a NSCA Certified Personal Trainer, I have created countless Health Improvement Plans for individuals just like you. In 1998 I discovered Pilates and was immediately hooked! Within a year, I certified with PhysicalMind and began teaching Classical Pilates. I later adopted the contemporary approach of Stott Pilates, and completed courses in Matwork and all Apparatus (Reformer, Cadillac, Stability Chair and Barrels) from the Essential through Advanced Levels. Completed coursework with Stott and NSCA has helped me to adopt programming for Special Populations.
Additionally, I am certified in Yoga (RYT), Zumba Latin Fitness Dance, and am a PSIA Downhill Ski Instructor. My diverse background allows me to provide a holistic approach to working with my best teachers, my clients. My goal is to assist my clients to enjoy optimal enjoyment in life through movement. I would be honored to help you achieve your Wellness goals in a positive, progressive, fun environment.
Carol Hauer
Carol is Stott mat and Power Pilates mat and equipment trained. She believes that movement is very healing and Pilates enables you to move your body in beneficial ways. Carol loves to help people feel good about being in their bodies and moving with purpose and focus. She challenges that movement in order to keep people strong in a healthy range of motion. She believes that Pilates is a journey like no other because it enables a thought process that connects the mind to the body and that no matter how advanced you get, Pilates is the vehicle to help you to continue to grow and learn.
Carol has a BA in art and is a licensed esthetician. She also enjoys creating beautiful designs as a florist.
Elena Barresi
Elena is a former state level gymnast and was an apprentice to the NJ Ballet Company. She received her BS in Health Sciences and Masters in Physical Therapy from Boston University. She initially began her PT career in acute care orthopedics/trauma. She transitioned into outpatient orthopedics and has been practicing in this setting for the last twelve years with interests including post-operative cases, athletics and functional training. Elena became interested in Pilates in 2006 and obtained her STOTT certification through the advanced level in mat, reformer, cadillac, chair and barrels in 2008. She also has completed the Basic 1 Zumba Instructor Training.
Elena heavily emphasizes the mind body connection and integrates the STOTT Pilates principles in treating all of her patients. She is passionate in educating clients how to connect with their bodies, improve their fitness level and lead a balanced lifestyle, but more importantly, to have fun with exercise. She is married and loves being a mother to a little boy and two dogs. She is an avid runner and enjoys cooking and dancing.
Caitlin Borsini
Caitlin tried many different forms of physical fitness before coming into a Baptiste power yoga class with a friend. Taking the attitude "I'll try anything once!" It was physically challenging in a way most activities were not but left you with a relaxed body and peaceful mind at the end of class. After practicing and volunteering for a few years Caitlin took Shawn Shaw's level one training in 2008-09, and completed a 200hr training with TeriLeigh Schmidt in 2010 for her RYT. TeriLeigh is a Baptiste teacher and charka energetics expert.
Caitlin loves all types of yoga, but the heated vinyasa is her passion. The classes will transform your body with a blend of aerobic activity, muscle building, integral core strength, and some of the deep fantastic stretching. The spiritual and mental aspects of the practice transform your life outside the yoga room; feeling more open, relaxed, and connected. Caitlin was so enthusiastic about the heated vinyasa style, nearly everyone in her life wound up at a class at some point. Now she enjoys sharing her passion for yoga with students at the Core Connection,
To continue the mind body teaching experience, Caitlin took the STOTT IMP (mat training) in June this year. She plans to continue her STOTT training and currently enjoys bringing the amazing abdominal work into yoga classes. Outside of the studio Caitlin also enjoys road biking, rock climbing, kayaking, hiking, and coffee breaks at Lalajava.
Kathy Bennet
Kathy became involved with the Yoga community in the 1970's when she participated in classes taught by her mother. From that early experience sprung the desire to expand her involvement and become a student and a teacher. In 2002, she completed her 200 hour certification in the Ashtanga method. Following that were several years of practice that were grounded in her weekly routine of sharing Yoga with a friend who ultimately succumbed to cancer in 2007. It was that ongoing experience that inspired her to complete Patty Townsend's 500 hour embodyoga TM Advanced Teacher Training at the Yoga Center Amherst in January 2008. While continuing to study and learn from Patty’s workshops and as well as participating in classes led by the many respected experts in the metro area, she also teaches Yoga in the power Vinyasa format at The Core Connection in Northborough.
“My Vinyasa class is a flow incorporating both grace and power which encourages students to explore their internal rhythm through asana, pranayama, music and an open mind.”
Alan Haines
Alan “Big-Guy-Yoga” Haines is not your typical yogi. At 6’2” and over 230 lbs he understands only too well the misconception that one has to be extremely fit, thin or flexible to practice yoga. In his class the only thing that needs to be open and flexible is the mind.
With a light hearted banter and regular reminders of the union of breath and movement, Alan emphasizes the "feel" of a posture more so than the look. His every-person approach to yoga and his gift of putting people at ease provides a comfortable environment for practitioners of all builds, backgrounds and ages to explore the benefits of yoga.
He is a certified Kripalu and Yoga Ed k-8 teacher and has also completed the David Swenson 40 hour Ashtanga Yoga Adjustment Teacher Training Workshop. Over the last few years he has assisted in several yoga and hiking weekends at the Kripalu Center in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, as a co-presenter, hike leader and staff manager as well as presenting Big Guy Yoga, a workshop for men who are new to yoga.