Local instructor sets up shop at Elemental Pilates

Christey Carwile and Alan Healy draw from deep pool of talents to open Black Mountain studio

Jessica Klarp
Guest contributor
The Valley Echo
March 8, 2023

Black Mountain couple, Christey Carwile and Alan Healy combined their deep pool of talents to open Elemental Pilates & Movement Studio. Photo by Jessica Klarp

Black Mountain couple, Christey Carwile and Alan Healy, knew realizing their dream of owning and operating a local business would require a diverse array of skills. 

Fortunately, the longtime fitness instructor and contractor poured considerable talents into the pool that fed the launch of Elemental Pilates & Movement Studios, which opened recently in the WNC Shopping Center on U.S. 70.

Carwile, who has been active in the fitness community for 20 years, and Healy, a contractor for over three decades, created a welcoming space for anyone who desires to become more fit and flexible.

The work began last summer, when Healy poured his skills into renovating the space and creating the business’s digital infrastructure. Today, when group classes are in session, he can be found behind the desk scheduling appointments and greeting clients. 

Carwile, a native of Lynchburg, Virginia who moved to Black Mountain in 2007, gained a loyal following over years at the local YMCA. In her position as the professor of anthropology at Warren Wilson College, she also teaches a diverse range of courses at the Swannanoa college, including cultural anthropology, medical anthropology, culture and religion, as well as dance and expressive movement.

With the opening of her Pilates studio, she is leading weekly classes and numerous individual sessions while hiring additional instructors in compatible movement disciplines. 

Carwile began teaching movement classes at Cheshire Fitness Center, which became the Black Mountain YMCA, shortly after moving to the area. She is a certified barre instructor, a comprehensively certified Pilates instructor with over 520 hours of training and a corrective exercise specialist. Healy, her husband and business partner, has been a resident of Black Mountain since 1995. 

Carwile began offering Pilates to Cheshire members in 2015. The classes grew in popularity as the benefits of the discipline began to show, as students came to depend on the gentle energy of the practice. During the pandemic, as soon as it was viable, she taught classes outside on the asphalt parking lot to a dedicated group of Pilates enthusiasts. 

Later, when members were allowed to return indoors, participants vied for a limited number of spots for classes that required masks. Attendance continued at maximum capacity from that point on.

“I think my students understood the benefits that Pilates can bring and it was wonderful to practice it together in community,” Carwile said of her decision to create her own space. “I also began to see clients from my home and work with them individually on the Pilates equipment. It was so rewarding watching them get stronger, more confident, and move with less pain. Things just kept growing and a studio of my own seemed like the right thing to do. I wanted to create a private and more dedicated space that would foster a community for mindful and healthy movement and where I could continue sharing this work.”

Black Mountain native Tia Willet began practicing Pilates to offset tennis injuries and quickly found it to be beneficial. 

“Pilates helps so much with stiffness and flexibility,” she said. “I never thought I would be able to do the moves but Christey is so easy to follow and is so encouraging that I branched out to Barre classes as well. I feel stronger and happier than I have in years.” 

Willet continues to work out at the YMCA, but practices regularly at Elemental Pilates.

“I taught two Pilates classes a week at the Black Mountain YMCA for five years and during that time we built a wonderful Pilates community,” Carwile said. “The commitment and support of those members are what ultimately helped me to open the studio.”

The beautiful space includes a wide range of traditional Pilates equipment including reformers, a Cadillac Trapeze table, ladder barrel, chair and pedi-pull and many other props.

“Personal sessions allow us to go deeper in figuring out what the client’s body needs so that they can move efficiently, with less pain, and enjoy their lives,” Carwile said. Private and duet sessions on the Pilates equipment can be scheduled by calling the studio.

Mat classes are the foundation of the Pilates method, and most accessible, since they are the least expensive and do not require special equipment. The classes are based on the ‘elements’. 

“There are days when a client might need a more rigorous workout because they are stressed and want to move out their emotions. Others might want a session that is more calming and restorative if they have pain or need a slower tempo. Perhaps they need something in the middle,” Carwile said. “Some days we need the intensity of fire, sometimes we need the calmness and breathwork of water, and other days we might need to feel grounded and balanced, like Earth. No matter what energy we move in, moving that energy through and out of our bodies can be powerfully therapeutic.”

Elemental Pilates is working to build an intimate community of movers that support each other in group mat classes. 

“Our studio is big enough to have group classes but small enough to not feel like a gym,” she continued. “Our small classes allow our instructors to customize the class to fit everyone’s needs and our unique Elemental approach gives clients a variety of options whatever their experience might be.” 

There are four group Pilates classes, taught by Carwile, available weekly. Instructor Gerri Adams teaches an Earth class, while Heather Wallace teaches yoga and Cyndy Kirkland teaches Senior Fitness. All classes can be scheduled at elemental-pilates.com. 

“Christey is Black Mountain’s best kept secret,” according to Willet, who called the instructor’s leadership "welcoming to everyone and every level.”

Carwile’s goal, she said, is to make students feel stronger, confidence and more capable in their bodies.

“It's as simple as that,” she said. “I believe that the more capable and accomplished we feel, the happier we are.”

Elemental Pilates is a fully equipped Pilates studio located at 106 WNC Shopping Center Drive. For more information or to schedule a class visit elemental-pilates.com or call 828-357-8299.