Our Teachers

All the instructors at the Center of Life Pilates Studio have gone through extensive hours of training and certification from Power Pilates, N.Y., at its Affiliate Center, Evolutions Body Clinic in Annapolis. From Power Pilates we learned classical Pilates with innovation and integrity. The instructors regularly attend continuing education seminars and workshops to further enhance their training and knowledge in Pilates. Our goal is to bring to the community the best of the Classical Pilates Method

Márcia Carvalho Hagemann

A native from Brazil, Márcia studied Classical Ballet, as well as Modern Dance, for 27 years. During her studies she was introduced to the Pilates Method and was amazed at the benefits achieved through Pilates. In Brazil, she trained for 3 years with Cecilia Panelli, an instructor trained by Romana Kryzanowska. After moving to the United States in 2003, Márcia completed the Power Pilates 600-hour Comprehensive Training having as her Teacher Trainer the late Bob Liekens.

Márcia has been teaching Pilates since 2003 and opened her own studio, the Center of Life Pilates Studio in 2004, in Thurmont, Maryland. From 2006 to 2018 Márcia was an International Teacher Trainer for Power Pilates, and during these years she trained teachers not only in the United States but also in Brazil, Japan and Canada.

In 2018 Márcia went through Kathryn Ross-Nash’s training program, the Pilates Advanced Professional Teacher Training, The Red Thread®. She is currently training to become a Teacher of Teachers for The Red Thread® Program. Márcia is also a Pilates Method Alliance certified instructor.

Márcia feels very fortunate to have met Kathryn Ross-Nash in 2015: “My teaching skills, my Pilates knowledge and my own practice improved tremendously. Kathi’s passion for the Method has inspired me to keep on learning more and more, and to keep on sharing Pilates to the world!”

Besides her Pilates certifications, Márcia holds a diploma as a Computer Programmer from Universidade Methodista de Piracicaba, BR and a Proficiency in English Certification from the University of Cambridge, UK.

Márcia lives in Maryland with her husband John, and together they love to travel, to go on bike rides, to attend concerts and to play music. Her goal in life is to help her students achieve enhanced health and happiness through the Pilates Method.

Ruth Lathe

Originally from Baltimore, Ruth began studying classical Pilates under the tutelage of 2nd generation teachers at Goucher College in 2002. Since then, Ruth has completed Beginner through Advanced Mat, as well as Systems 1 through 3 apparatus training through Power Pilates. She maintains an active personal Pilates practice, attending group mat classes and studying privately on the apparatus. Ruth was formerly employed by Metamorphosis Pilates in Sykesville, Maryland. In addition, Ruth is certified as a Group Fitness Instructor by the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and has taught all types of traditional fitness classes since 1980. In 12/2018, she passed the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA) Certified Pilates Teacher examination. Ruth has two grandchildren and lives in Hanover, PA with her husband and sassy French Bulldog, Jax.