Kevyn Zeller Pilates

As summer comes to a close I am reflecting on so many things, so much beauty… so much growth and learning… new friends, experiences… laughter, tears and a new and profound love for this part of the island…

I am so going to miss teaching in this space, while simultaneously looking forward to being back in my UES oasis.

☺️✨

Happy Friday, beauties!!!

Hope that your week was filled with aaalll of the things and that you trusted your capacity to hold it all…

My week was a bit of a doozy, but I’m finding peace in the center… creating space to feel, listen, see and to hear.

To be still and to remain curious.

Often when life hands us an inevitable curve ball our instinct is to immediately give it meaning.

I’m learning to taking a beat to allow the meaning to reveal itself holds more value… more magic and more power.🪄✨⚡️

AAAND I am getting super excited for my 🔥HOT PILATES🔥 Class today at 12:30 in East Hampton!!!

Are you coming???

Hope so. 😉

Love,
Kev

Human nature is such an interesting thing to observe…

Ready for lesson #457 that surfing and potentially the best surf instructor on the planet has taught me???

That following others is rarely a good idea.

This morning we were out bright and early, delighting in the truly mind blowing beauty of the sunrise mirroring the majestic full moon still hanging in the sky… 🌕☀️

Plus the fact that we were the only two people in the water (what a gift)!!!

The waves were perfect for me - small, gentle… a dream-like playground for me to practice putting together all of the skills I’ve learned this summer.

And then… everyone in the Hamptons decided to join us in the water. 😜 Maaaaybe not everyone, but it certainly felt like it…

Without realizing, something changed. It was almost as if the waves just disappeared… BUT what had happened, as my Coach pointed out is that we accidentally gravitated toward the crowd. And the crowd hadn’t positioned themselves well to catch the waves that we were catching just moments before!

It’s so interesting to me how this must happen all of the time. One person paddles out (in the ocean or in life), and others assume that one person has something figured out and knows what he or she is doing… so blindly, we follow.

So, for anyone who needs to hear this…remember the power of your intuitive knowing, your personal authority and lead your life, your way.

You’ve got this!

And I love you,
Kev

M O N D A Y M A N T R A✨️

Stay wild moon child...

Full disclosure, this is actually my mantra always.🌕️

In a world where we are being constantly encouraged to veer from our true nature, from nature itself, and from the brilliant simplicity that is being a part of the magnificent interconnectedness, magic and wonder that is life...

That is one-ness with all beings,

That is all things and nothing all at once...

It is up to us and us alone to remember our place.

To be kind, humble and honest.

To take our shoes off and feel our bare feet on the ground and to dance to the beat of our heart and rhythm of our breath...

Because the rest, all of the rest...

is. just. noise.

Love you,
Kev

M O N D A Y M A N T R A✨️

Lovingly, I will embrace my fear...

This morning during my surf lesson I was both blown away by the pristine and honestly mind-blowing beauty of the sunrise as the colors reflected off of the water, AND terrified of being pummeled by waves that, for me, felt larger than what is within my comfort zone.

My extremely patient coach assured me that the waves were manageable for my skill level and that the only thing really standing between me and successfully catching the wave was how I was responding to my fear… In case you are unaware, freezing and bracing against something as powerful as the ocean does NOT work - trust me, I’ve tried.

I asked him if other students get scared, or if he has ever been afraid in the ocean. And he said that yes, of course. Any time he had pushed himself to become more comfortable surfing larger waves there was always a period of experiencing fear until he learned the skills needed to successfully maneuver these larger sets. But that he wanted it so badly that it was worth feeling the fear. It was worth moving THROUGH the fear.

As with anything new, there will always be a period of discomfort on some level. I know this, and putting it into practice on such a visceral level has been nothing short of transformational. What I must remember next time I am in the water, and what I would like to offer you if you are currently navigating a difficult situation in the water or on dry land, is that surrendering to the fear or any other difficult emotion is way easier than simply denying it or resisting it entirely.

There are few things more valuable than learning to allow difficult emotion - to show up alongside fear, shame, sadness or grief… to let it move through you, pummel you at times, and to keep going...

To know that nothing has gone wrong, that life isn’t meant to be neat and tidy. In fact it is usually an absolute mess and trying to make it any other way takes twice the energy…

Let it be messy, let it be hard, let it be OK.

You’ve got this and I love you,
Kev

"There is one simple thing wrong with you - you think you have plenty of time...

If you don't think your life is going to last forever, what are you waiting for? Why the hesitation to change?

You don't have time for this display, you fool.

This, whatever you are doing now, may be your last act on earth.

It may very well be your last battle.

There is no power which could guarantee that you are going to live one more minute."

~JOURNEY TO IXTLAN BY CARLOS CASTANEDA

I've had this quote on my mind this week as today, the would have been birthday of a dear human and a friend, approached.

My friend Chris and I weren't as close as some friends who I spend more physical time with, but were close in the sense that we never once, not even once, had a conversation that lacked depth or meaning.

I've asked my husband who knew him longer and better than I did, and he said the same. Perhaps everyone who knew him had these deep and meaningful conversations. Because that is who he was.

Why is this so rare? And what gave him this consistency? This caring and profoundly intentional presence?

Sadly, he is no longer with us to answer that question for himself, but my guess is that having dealt with the serious health issues that he dealt with and fought against for so many years, made him acutely aware of his mortality.

Each breath was a gift, each conversation an opportunity to learn and each experience one that might potentially be his last...

In his honor, and because it is truly a miracle that any of us are here in the first place, I am going to continue honoring each breath, each day that I am gifted health, each connection I experience, conversation I have, emotion I feel, the breeze on my skin and the sun on my face.

We wait, and wait, and wait... for what?

Your life is now - right now.

So, that thing, that thing that you've been wanting to do once the time is right... now is the time.

You are ready now.

You always were.

Enjoy your beautiful life.

And to my dear friend Chris, happy heavenly birthday...

Love You,
Kev

M O N D A Y M A N T R A✨️

“What others think of me is none of my business.”

I was having a conversation with a friend who just turned 40 and was having lots of thoughts about it. I shared with her a quote that I had read somewhere that said “life begins at 40…” For me anyway, it was the age at which I just stopped caring what others thought of me. I dropped most of my people-pleasing ways, and simply started living deeply into what I love.

Maybe this is partially because at 40 I started to recognize that this ride is almost half over, but mainly it is because I was just tired. So tired of trying to make others happy in ways that, while they came from a good place in my heart, were also manipulative and lacked real honesty and authenticity.

I was living in a world where the response my behavior elicited in others built the foundation of my emotional architecture. I was so reliant on how I was received by the people in my world that I became less and less aware of what I was feeling… of my personal values, needs and desires.

Did this all come to light overnight at 40? No, this has been a lifetime of work… a lifetime of experiences that have illuminated my journey and that (even the most painful ones), have allowed me to polish the diamonds that are my most profound gifts. That are my magic.

Wherever you are on your growth journey, remember to be gentle with yourself, allow it to unfold the way it is meant to, for you and for you alone.

And also know that every human alive gets to think and believe what they want about you - that is their birth right. But mostly remember that they also get to be wrong about you.

YOU DO YOU!

Love you,
Kev

I am still beaming as I reflect on the amazing group that came together yesterday for Pilates in Amagansett Square!

The vibe was sooooooo good!☺️
The weather was perfect… 👌🏽
And the gift bags were 🔥!

From the bottom of my heart thank you to everyone who showed up, especially to and to for taking care of all of the details to make the event come together so beautifully.🙏🏽✨

Have a great week everyone and keep nurturing the good stuff.🥰🥰🥰

Love,
Kev

Man it is SO much easier to be good at something!!!!

And this is why most of us, myself included, tend to lean into our strengths (just ask the entire right side of my body)!!! 😝🙃

And as a Pilates Teacher who is also a Gemini ♊️ with a Capricorn ♑️ rising and as girl with a “boy’s” name who often finds herself somewhere between the clouds and the rich rootedness of the Earth, the story of my life has been about finding balance…⚖️

Balance between the right and left sides of my body,

Between the right and left hemispheres of my brain,

Between my masculine and feminine,

Between dark and light, positive and negative, the “good” and the “bad…” and everything in between.

And recently more than anything else, I am seeking the delicate balance that exists between exerting effort and delighting in ease…

That sweet spot between DOing and BEing.

Between the inhale and the exhale.

That place where everything and nothing coexist…

This, for me, is what my journey into learning to surf has been all about. I am confronting soooooo many of the hidden inner workings of my brain and subconscious… (so much fun!!!)😖😝😬

WHILE enjoying feeling moments of profound bliss and peace that are reminiscent of experiencing new life being born into this world as well as the passing of a soul from this realm to the next… ♾️

It is spiritual, humbling, terrifying, magical, intimidating, CHALLENGING, revealing, and welcoming all at once… seriously… It is aaallll the things!😀🙄😬😖🙃

But as they say, all good things are worth the effort. And while there are some days I briefly consider giving in to my primitive brain that suggests “it is crazy to try to learn to surf in my mid forties,” I choose instead to consider an alternative thought…

“It would be crazy NOT to!”

We have this one precious life… and what we do with it is entirely up to us.

As far as finding balance is concerned, perhaps allowing balance is a slightly more accurate statement. Balance innately wants to exist… and will. If we allow it.

Love you,
Kev

M O N D A Y M A N T R A✨️

Every day, and in all ways, I choose love...

My Dad always called me "sweet." It is one of those descriptors that I resisted for many, many years... only because I was still in the process of getting to know myself.

I was still in the work of allowing my wholeness - I mean, I may be "sweet," but I am also a million other things, and I needed to get to know all of the parts of myself intimately...

To let them in, to welcome them. To love them.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have been raised to believe that all humans, beneath it all, are nothing more than beating hearts and breathing lungs. And while it is relatively simple (especially if we aren't paying attention) to get swept away with self importance and righteousness, there is freedom in knowing that without this fundamental connection to nature and each other, we are pretty insignificant.

My sweetness is something I've learned to cherish, and see as a super power. For me, it is the key that opens the door to human connection and the magic that is love.

It is the smile you share with a stranger, the unexpected compliment you offer, it is asking someone sho seams to be struggling if there is anything you can do to help... it is listening, seeing, holding space for others and for yourself. It is putting our differences aside and holding with grace your piece of the tapestry that represents the interconnectedness of all beings.

This for me is the sweet nectar called love... my favorite emotion and one I strive to exist in...

Always and in all ways.

In Light and In Love,
Kev

It is the honor of a lifetime to get to support the women that I coach when they come to me with a goal, or goals, that are just big enough to be a little scary (or a lot scary).

Inevitably their biggest fear is that they will fail.

Unpacking this fear is loaded with opportunities to discover the inner workings of their primitive brains.

Similar to my experience learning to surf this summer. I am stretching my capacity to override my primal brain's subconscious functioning with intentional cognitive functioning - decisions made consciously and on purpose.

Let's break this down - you set a goal and you fail. Worst case scenario? Nope, I'd have to say that this IS the scenario. You will fail. But with me by your side, and our intentional work together, you will learn to not make that failure mean anything about you as a human. Instead, this necessary and essential failure will be recognized as an essential part of the process.

Goal is set -> inevitable failure ensues -> systems are re-worked -> inevitable failure #2 -> systems are re-worked -> inevitably failure #3,4,5,6... -> magic formula is discovered -> inevitable SUCCESS!

Working with me you get to shift your goal setting mindset from one that says to you "I must succeed in order to feel worthy," to "I get to play and see what happens because I was born and am infinitely worthy simply for existing."

Which is a truly life-changing mindset shift.

My clients get to discover which self-limiting thoughts are holding them back, which high quality thoughts are projecting them in a positive direction and, most importantly, what they are capable of achieving when they set a dedicated amount of time aside to honor their goals…

To honor their one precious life.

To honor themselves!

I only work with one coaching client at a time to ensure that you are as supported as humanly possible during our 90 days together.

It is basically like having me in your back pocket - there for you whenever you need me.👯

Which is true for you if you are a client of mine, always, but my commitment to my coaching clients is next level… Accountability and support like you can’t imagine.

If you are ready to finally set aside time for you, your life and your goals and would like someone to hold you accountable in the most structured, supported, and loving way imaginable, I am your Coach.

After meeting with you for our initial kick-off session (which can last anywhere from 1-6 hours where we dive deep to really nail down every last thing you want to see come to fruition during our time together), I will create a highly individualized program for you and help you implement it daily via Slack and weekly via 1:1 Zoom or in person meetings.

I will be by your side every step of the way and committed to supporting you in your growth and ultimate success.

Take advantage of this opportunity especially if you have a few lingering goals that you set for yourself this year. This block of time aligns almost perfecting with the last few months of 2024 and includes a discounted spot on my next AWOKEN & UNBROKEN™ Women's Retreat in Nica (2/2-2/8).

DM me if you’d like to learn more.😊

And have an amazing weekend!

Love,
Kev

Today it’s just me and my roller. A little self care and nurturing is what my body is calling for after challenging my arms to the max in my surf lesson yesterday!😳🌊

If I could surf using only my abs and inner thighs, believe me, I would…😜

This journey to actually, FINALLY, learn to surf has brought up sooooo many things for me. It’s exposing weaknesses, vulnerabilities, insecurities, fears, unprocessed grief (this one TOTALLY caught me by surprise) and has been wildly revealing when it comes to how I approach challenges, learning, and how I show up in moments of potential chaos.

All of the things that, on dry land, I was relatively confident I had dealt with… are all rearing their lovely little heads.🫣😏🙄

Especially my old friend the perfectionist… she’s showing up BIG time. Expectations I set for myself and this fear of failing has me held somewhere between going for it, and REALLY, actually, going for it! I recognize that I tend to move with the emergency brake on so to speak…

And the ironic part is that approaching new things this way, holding back just enough to appease that primitive part of our brain that is desperately trying to keep us safe (and alive), makes everything so much harder!

Very much like when we are trying to create something big and bold in our lives but are just going for it in a kinda’ sorta’ way, but not really… not really, REALLY going for it… or on some level, without really, REALLY wanting it.

So, for whoever needs to hear this, whether you are learning a new skill, maybe even surfing like I am, setting out on a new venture, or just taking a beat to roll out your super sore lats with a foam roller, be aaalll the way there. Remain present, intentional and committed to the process.

I mean, if you are going to do the thing… DO the thing.

And remember to feel your feelings, allowing them to process all the way through (there is NOTHING wrong with you, this is just how it feels to be human), allow yourself grace, acceptance and loads of playful curiosity along the way…

And as Coach Chris said to me yesterday, “maybe try smiling….” You never know, it might help.😉

Love you,
Kev

Honored to be featured in this Well + Good article discussing the difference between Lagree and Classical Pilates!💛🙏🏽

What’s the Difference Between Lagree and Pilates—and Which One Is Right for You? While both are great forms of exercise, they're not interchangeable.

M O N D A Y M A N T R A✨️

Within my limits I will sustainably challenge my comfort zone.

Yesterday in my surf lesson I had an ah-hah moment that sparked the inspiration for my Monday mantra this week that I wanted to share…

We’ve all heard that we are supposed to “step out of our comfort zone,” right? These are words that I see typed out left and right on social media posts and spewed with abandon by well-intentioned “life-helpers.”

And while I agree, it is important that we lean into discomfort and stretch our comfort zones, it is also important to recognize that doing so won’t, in any way, make us more worthy and has the potential of backfiring if we aren’t tempering the degree with which we stretch the “rubber band” so to speak.

For example, an ultimate goal of mine is to be able to surf the wave you see breaking behind me in this photo. BUT, if I were to go out today and try to catch it without building up my skillset and belief in myself to do so, catching that wave, for me, would be an absolute disaster. Not only would I risk hurting myself and others, I might also never, ever, EVER, want to try surfing again!

I recognize that while for some people, going all out when trying new things in a way that is big, bold and holds a sort of “jump and figure out how to land on the way down,” mentality, that way isn’t my way… and perhaps you can relate?

For me, learning to surf is waaaaay out of my comfort zone. And to really be committing to doing so in my mid forties is another thing… (my 44 year old brain has made up many new things to be fearful of that weren’t there when I took my first surfing lesson in Kauai in my early 20’s!)🫣

But what my 44 year old brain does have that 23 year old me hadn’t developed yet, is a sense of wholeness that knows that I can take this slow… one little, digestible bite at a time. And luckily I have the most patient surf instructor on the planet who follows this philosophy and is teaching me bit by bit, how to approach surfing with the utmost integrity, respect, and humility possible.

Take it slow and easy this week, my friends… and remember, if you miss the wave, let it go.

Just let it go...

Love you,
Kev

Excited (and honored) to be included in Los Angels Magazine’s Insiders list of The Hottest Happenings in The Hamptons!☺️🙏🏽

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to the lovely new faces that I am seeing here. Thank you for being here and for spending a little of your valuable time checking out my humble, and hopefully helpful, offerings.

A little about me and why I do what I do…

I began my Pilates journey at the age of 17 after a knee injury I experienced in high school in Mexico.

Our family moved to Mexico shortly after my Mom passed away. This is important because losing her was the impetus for the direction my life took, and the work that I have chosen to devote my life to.

There are no words to describe the experience of losing her when I was 12. I was left with a mish-mash of emotions, a surplus of love reserved for her that now found itself without a home, anger, relief on some level that she was out of pain, fear and utter confusion.

There was also a spiritual connection to her that I felt on a visceral level.

What I experienced in the hospital when the Doctor told my Dad and I that she had passed is a feeling that I will never forget.

And one that there are almost no words to describe, but I will do my best…

It was a profound and as I mentioned, visceral, recognition of the limitations of her once human form.

I remember moving my hands through the air, as if I was on some sort of hallucinogenic drug, telling my sweet little sister, only 10 at the time, “look, Shanny, Mom is everywhere now!”

I remember there being a profound peace holding the chaos with an otherworldly sort of wisdom and grace.

From that moment forward I began to believe with all of my heart that we are not our bodies and we are not our thoughts. We are merely held together in this precious (and limiting) container to one day be released back into the universe in one powerful gesture… or as it felt to 12 year old me, one big “return to everything-ness.”

This spiritual connection was absolutely useful, until it wasn’t.

Until it kept me so disconnected from my body that I almost lost touch with it entirely. I ran for hours on end, I wasn’t eating well, I was escaping… I didn’t understand why it was useful to take care of my body when, in the end, we leave it behind! (I had a lot of work to do)…

So, that silly meniscus tear that brought me into the first Pilates Studio I set foot in, may have quite literally saved my life.

Pilates taught me how good it could feel to embody my human experience. It made being here, in this life, in this body, on this planet, with all of the uncertainty, pain, grief, anguish, shame and confusion less scary. It allowed room for joy, bliss and beauty to coexist with the sadness and grief I had yet to process.

It helped me become grounded and prepared to do the work that has evolved into my current 1:1 Pilates offering. This offering involves unsurpassed Pilates instruction offered in a pristine and safe space, with the entire human taken into account; physically, emotionally and spiritually.

My personal journey has also laid the groundwork for what has now become my AWOKEN & UNBROKEN™ Coaching and Retreat Experience offerings. Via the framework of goal setting I work with clients to help them gain awareness surrounding what parts of themselves they are resisting and why, what limiting beliefs are holding them back, which beliefs are moving them in a positive direction, and when it comes to listening to their intuition, recognizing whether or not they are believing that intuitive knowing or not, and why.

Everything I do comes from the place of knowing that hard things, even the worst thing, can happen and we don’t break so to speak. We learn to bend into our fullest range of motion. Hard things evolve our capacity to hold this messy human experience with power and grace.

This is what I offer. This is Pilates that as my dear client Thea put it, “transcends the physical.”

If you made it this far. Thank you… I see you. And I love you.

Kev
xx

M O N D A Y M A N T R A✨

“Instead of going faster or harder, start sooner.”

When I signed up for my first surf lesson with Coach Chris, owner and founder of I had no idea that, in addition to learning fundamental skills like positioning myself on the board and how to properly square off with a wave, I would also be offered life-changing wisdom that honestly blew my mind.🤯

In its simplicity, the advice offered was obvious and, well, simple. But when applied, the complexity of these words was profound. They held, for me, and entirely new way of approaching pretty much everything!

If we give ourselves the time necessary to remain collected as we approach the wave, or life in general, we will show up fully able to use our calm and level-headed cognitive functioning.

We won’t be at the whim of the situation allowing it to steer and direct us, instead we will be in the driver’s seat, in control of how we show up consciously, and on purpose.

If you have ever taken a surf lesson in the past, chances are you’ve heard the instructor yell “paddle, paddle, paddle, paddle…PADDLE!!!!!!” urging you to do what most of us sign up for a surf lesson to do, catch the wave!

But are we rushing this step? Do we want to “catch a wave,” or learn how to surf?

And if we rush this process, in what state will we arrive, and with what style and grace (or lack thereof) will we catch this proverbial wave?

There is the power of the wave that we see on the surface of the ocean, and then there is the deeper pulse that exists below…

Using the innate power of this internal pulse, the ocean itself does the majority of the work, while our job is simply to put ourselves in the right position to ride it…

My guess is that if we are rushing, we aren’t in the right position. We are allowing valuable energy to slip away and in many regards, are simply flailing.

Take it slow this week, my friends… and instead of frantically rushing out the door this morning, just leave 10 minutes earlier.

I may be taking this a step too far, but this could be the answer to world peace… just sayin’ 😉

Love You,
Kev