Zenergy Pilates: Spreading the Love of Pilates, Yoga and Barre

If you’ve had the chance to stop by The Oasis in the past couple months, you might have noticed a few extra yoga mats and colorful work out gear near the scenic overlooks on Lake Travis. The team of instructors at Zenergy Pilates, formerly Pilates at 4 Points, has been hard at work building out their new and improved Pilates, yoga and barre studio to serve the Lake Travis area.

Tessa Strader, a UT graduate and ex-accountant turned Pilates instructor, used to run the studio closer to Four Points and 2222, but over the years traffic has increased to the point of needing to switch buildings.

“The traffic was so awful, everyone was coming in so stressed out because they couldn’t get in and out of the parking lot … so when my lease was up I started looking around and called up the Oasis.”

That would be a turning point for the Pilates studio, which made the move at the end of this summer and has been expanding their operations closer to Lake Travis.

Whether you are looking to tone up a bit or need a full-on instructional session, the informative and passionate teachers at Zenergy are ready to assist you in all of your fitness endeavors. On nice afternoons the classes move outside to take advantage of the amazing views of Lake Travis and cool Hill Country breezes.

“What’s nice about this spot — most of our clients sign up for, say a Monday and Wednesday class every week and they come Monday and Wednesday of every week. It’s a very structured work out and you get the most out of it when you are consistent with it. It’s very addicting and if you stop doing it your body starts to feel like it’s missing something and it yearns to continue, which is kind of nice to find a work out that your body wants to keep doing,” Tessa relates as she shows me around the new space being built out for the permanent placement of the studio.

A New Space at The Oasis, Texas

Starting November 1st you will find Zenergy Pilates in the commercial spaces above the parking garage at the Oasis. The one-room spot is being divided up into several areas for the yoga-minded. This extra division allows for more classes to coincide at one time, letting customers visit more often. It’s a chance to spread the awareness of total body fitness via yoga, Pilates and barre.

“We want to take everybody and show them to respect the body and love the body for what it does. And the goal of Pilates is not to have an awesome body, it’s for when you turn 80 so that you’re not going to fall down the stairs. Good balance, a good core.”

Tessa co-owns Zenergy with fellow fitness lover Dena Tarpley. Together they teach and share their passion with clients from all over the Lake Travis area.

Whole Fitness for Everyone

As I toured the studio and met several of their students-turned-instructors, it became very apparent how easy it is to get hooked on their Pilates machines.

“Our overall philosophy is we don’t want ‘snotty Pilates’ — we like everyday people of all sizes, of all levels of fitness. We can train triathletes and moms who have gained 30 to 100 pounds when they were pregnant.”

This new attitude toward what was traditionally seen as some of the more elite forms of exercise is part of the reason why their studio feels so open and welcoming. You are not expected to fit into some sort of fitness box or look a certain way.

This is their mission to spread the love of Pilates, yoga and barre to the Lake Travis area.

The original teachings of Joseph Pilates are also very noticeable throughout the space — from their emphasis on concentration and centering your body to their focus on energizing and enlivening their clients for their whole lives. They take the practice seriously so you don’t have to — freeing your mind to focus on perfecting these fluid movements that lead to better strength, balance and having a stronger core.

Classes are smaller, more concentrated training sessions and can include a one-on-one session with a trainer or group sessions for those interested in learning together. Beginner Pilates students are encouraged to purchase their intro sessions, which consist of four classes to get you introduced to their methods and machinery.

Grand Opening specials are available through their website, and check your local Groupon for an upcoming deal from Zenergy for new clients looking to stretch out in Lake Travis style. Dedicated exercisers might want to snag their eight class pack for yoga and barre, or grab a pass and auto renew to save 10%.

Zenergy Pilates (map)
6548 Comanche Trail
Austin, TX 78732