Our Instructors

Cynthia Lochard

Born in New York City, Cynthia began learning The Pilates Method in 1976 as a young dancer with the New York City Ballet. During this time she practiced Pilates at Joseph Pilate’s studio with Romana Kryzanowska.

By the end of 1987 Cynthia moved to Sydney and from 1990 to 1992 she continued her dance career with the Sydney Dance Company and later with Bangarra Dance Theatre. In 1994 she returned to New York to study as an instructor under the guidance of her teacher, and mentor, Romana Kryzanowska one of the last remaining disciples of Joseph H. Pilates.

Returning to Sydney later that year as a certified instructor of the True Pilates Method, Cynthia opened The Pilates Method Studio and Training Centre in Surry Hills Sydney. Cynthia began the teacher training program in 1998.  In 2009 Cynthia became one of only four Grand Master Teacher Trainers world wide. Cynthia has trained all the true classical Pilates instructors operating in Australia and Asia today.

Cynthia continues to travel the world, sharing her vast wealth of knowledge visiting studios, conducting seminars, workshops and Continuing Professional Education courses.

Lea Francis

Lea Francis comes to Pilates from an extensive background in dance. Having trained in classical ballet, she went to dance in some of Australia’s leading dance companies such as Sydney Dance Company, Chunky Move, Bangarra Dance Theatre and guest appearances with the Australian Ballet.

Lea enjoyed the benefits of Pilates as part of her daily training routine during her career as a dancer. Later sustaining an injury to her knee, Lea found those benefits instrumental during her rehabilitation which allowed her to safely continue her dance career with strength and support.

Lea later returned to The Pilates Method Studio to retrain with Cynthia Lochard as an Instructor in 2002. Lea has since been promoted to a Senior Instructor trainer of the Romana’s Pilates Training Program.

Zanzi Mann

Zanzi mann has been a certified Instructor of the Pilates Method since 2001.

She was first introduced to Pilates in 1996 when she came to Cynthia Lochard as a High School student. It was then that she developed her instant passion for the method which inspired her to train and pursue Pilates as a career.

Zanzi was trained here in Sydney in the Pilates Method with Cynthia Lochard and has also trained and completed a course in basic anatomy and physiology. Zanzi has also completed her Certificate 3 in Fitness at the Fitness Institute Australasia.

Zanzi was recently promoted as an insturctor trainer of Romana’s Pilates and continues to bring inspiration and integrity to the studio and her clients.

Cathryn Langford (On Temporary Leave - Returning to Sydney March 2012)

Cathryn Langford trained as a classical dancer at the Australian Ballet School and continued her career as a freelance dancer throughout Europe and Australia.

Cathryn went on to study nursing and yoga, as well as completing a Diploma in remedial massage. Cathryn continues to work on developing her skills and as a body worker more and more each year.

Cathryn began her training at The Pilates Method Studio in 2005 and achieved certification as a Romana’s Pilates instructor in 2008. Understanding how dance and other physical activities can have a harmful impact on a body, Cathryn aims to combine all of her knowledge in her application of Pilates to her clients, hoping to aid in the prevention, integration and glowing vitality for years to come.

Jennifer Naugthon

Jennifer was born and raised on the Northern beaches of Sydney. Whilst at school, she regularly competed in district and regional level athletics, swimming, tennis, basketball, volleyball and softball. After completing her HSC, Jennifer moved overseas and lived in England and France working as a dancer for a year. When she returned to Australia, she went to art school and worked in advertising and publishing for a number of years before heading back to university to study film.

Always one to lead a very active life, almost ten years ago Jennifer suffered a serious crush injury to her left foot whilst playing competition baseball. Some two years later, she was finally diagnosed as having Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and was told by a specialist that she would probably never walk properly again.

This led Jennifer to seek out alternative forms of exercise and thankfully to find the Pilates Method Studio. Working on a regular basis with Cynthia Lochard Jennifer began to regain the use of her foot and to redress the imbalance in her body which had developed over the years. 

Having had first hand knowledge of how Pilates can help the body (and the mind) and being living proof of the incredible difference it made to her own life, Jennifer is fully committed to Master teacher trainer, Cynthia Lochard, and the classical approach that is taught at her studio as passed down to her by Romana Kryzanowska.

Victoria Gilbert Smith

Victoria has been studying Pilates since 2003 and training with Cynthia Lochard since 2007 after a chance meeting at The Pilates Alliance Conference in Sydney in earlier that year. The True Pilates Method and classical approach inspired Victoria so much that she re-trained with Cynthia Lochard and became a certified instructor of Romana's Pilates.

Victoria has a dance background training in classical ballet with The Australian Ballet School in Melbourne. She has taught in the dance and fitness industry for the last 20 years. Victoria lives on the central Coast where she works from home at her studio in Copacabana, as well as teaching at The National Aboriginal Islander Skills Development Association (NAISDA), now also based on the Central Coast. Victoria also teaches at Cynthia Lochard's Pilates Method Studio from time to time.

Tamika Walker (Currently teaching at TruePilates in New York City, United States) 

Tamika Walker has been around and practicing the method from a very early age with her mother, Cynthia Lochard, and her studio. Tamika has always been a very sporty person participating in a school touch football, Netball, Water Polo and the swim squad. She has always excelled physically and is an absolute delight to have had around the studio over the years. After graduation Tamika took up part-time employment coaching students in Netball and touch football at her former high school. 

In 2008 Tamika completed a Certificate 3 in Fitness at the Australian Fitness Institute. In 2009, after beginning her training with her mother Cynthia, she went to NYC where she completed her certification in Romana's Pilates as an instructor. She is back in Australia and is currently teaching at Cynthia Lochard's Pilates Method Studio where she is loved by all.

Reem Algharabali

Reem started practicing Pilates 10 years ago in Mexico where she was working as a journalist.  After witnessing the positive changes practicing Pilates made to her own body she was inspired to train as a teacher in the method to help others discover its benefits.

She began her training at Cynthia Lochard's Pilates Method Studio in 2006 and became certified as a Romana's Pilates Instructor in 2009.  More recently she has attended Continuing Education workshops with world-renowned Pilates instructors such as Cynthia Lochard, Jay Grimes and Jerome Weinberg.

Reem is a great believer in Joseph Pilate's adage, "Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor."  She would love to guide you on your Pilates journey to a more flexible, balanced body.