Our Story

Soma Lux est. 2020

Soma Lux Pilates was born from Mary’s vision of creating Pilates retreats that combined movement, education, and community. She officially founded Soma Lux in March 2020—just days before the world shut down with the onset of the pandemic. Travel restrictions halted her original plans, but with the encouragement of family, friends, and clients, Mary pivoted and opened the Soma Lux studio in June 2020.

What began as a way to “flatten the curve” for a few weeks became one of the most fortunate turns of events: during an isolating time, people needed Pilates and mindful movement more than ever. Despite the obstacles of those early years, the Soma Lux community grew, expanded into larger spaces, and evolved into the thriving, educational, and supportive environment it is today.

Our name—Soma Lux, Body Light—reflects the belief that the body is more than a machine to “work out.” It is a source of strength, resilience, movement, and spirit. Through small group classes, private sessions, workshops, and community events, we continue to create opportunities to care for the body and nurture both confidence and connection. And as Soma Lux looks ahead, we’re excited to return to our original vision by offering retreats that bring movement, learning, and community together in inspiring settings.

We are thrilled to be serving the Dripping Springs community and look forward to meeting each person who walks through our doors.

Meet our team below!

MARY L.

Founder & Lead Instructor

Teaching style: playful, educational, accessible

Mary was introduced to Pilates in 2008 and, like many others, was hooked immediately — experiencing firsthand how quickly posture, strength, and body awareness can shift when movement is taught well. She began teaching mat Pilates in 2011 and completed her comprehensive certification through Balanced Body's 520-hour training program.

As a trainer, Mary is passionate about helping clients develop body awareness and strength that extends beyond the studio — movement that becomes foundational to how you live and feel day to day. She believes movement can and should be both fun and functional, and that shows up in everything from her one-on-one sessions to her workshops. Over the years she has worked with an exceptionally wide range of clients: children, seniors, athletes, expectant mothers, those rehabilitating from surgery, and those managing degenerative conditions.

Mary's background in healthcare and spirituality inform a teaching philosophy that goes beyond the physical. She believes the body can be a surprising and powerful doorway to the deeper parts of ourselves — and this summer, that conviction is expanding into a new area. Mary is completing her Level 2 Oxygen Advantage Breathwork certification in summer 2026, adding a formal framework to a passion she's carried for years. Breath, she'll tell you, is not an afterthought. It's where everything begins.

Her additional training includes: Pilates Athletic Conditioning, Pregnancy & Postpartum Corrective Exercise, Barre Endurance, Osteopathic & Structural Techniques for Pilates, Pilates for Neurological Conditions, and Animal Flow Level 1.

Voyage Austin recently featured an interview with Mary; check it out here!

KATIE P.

Certified Pilates Instructor

Teaching style: encouraging, energetic, fun

Katie's love for Pilates spans more than 15 years, and sharing that passion with clients — while helping them work toward real, meaningful goals — is what keeps her coming back to the studio.

Originally from Maryland, Katie studied at Georgia Tech before working for the federal government and earning her M.A. in Government Security Studies from Johns Hopkins. In 2013 she relocated to the west coast, where she found her way to the renowned EHS Pilates studio in San Francisco and completed her comprehensive certification through Balanced Body.

Athletics have been part of Katie's life since age seven. She played competitively at the collegiate club level, and that background shapes how she teaches — challenging and goal-oriented, but always encouraging. She wants her clients to have something to work toward, and she'll help them get there.

Katie is married with children and spends her weekends exploring Austin with her family. She has a genuine appreciation for good coffee, travel, and unique cuisine — and a deep belief that a healthy, balanced mind and body is the foundation for a life well lived.

AMANDA P.

Certified Pilates Instructor

Teaching style: balanced, technical, creative

Amanda stumbled into her first Pilates class in 2013 with no idea what she was getting into. By the end of the first week, she was hooked.

She came in as a long distance runner and yoga practitioner — and quickly discovered that Pilates made her better at both. More than that, it changed how she felt in her body day to day. That realization stuck with her, and by 2015 she was in formal teacher training, completing her certification through STOTT (Merrithew).

By day, Amanda is a full-time statistical programmer for medical drug trials — which means she thinks in systems, patterns, and precision. It turns out that's not so different from good Pilates instruction. She brings the same analytical mind to the reformer that she brings to her data, and her clients tend to notice: the cues are clear, the progressions make sense, and nothing is random.

What she loves most is the range of it — that Pilates can mean something completely different to each person who walks in. For one client it's rehabilitation. For another it's athletic performance. For another it's simply an hour that belongs entirely to them. Amanda meets people wherever that is, and genuinely enjoys the work of figuring out what they need.

Outside the studio she's likely logging miles on a long run or finding somewhere quiet to unwind — still moving, still curious, still finding out what her body can do.

HEATHER L.

Certified Pilates Instructor

Teaching style: accessible, balanced, grounded

Heather found Pilates in 2005 and hasn't looked back. She's been teaching since 2011, with certifications in Mat and Reformer through Balanced Body and additional Reformer, Chair, and Barre training through Marie-Jose Blom and the teams at Wundabar Pilates and Long Beach Dance Conditioning — a foundation that's both broad and deep.

What drives her in the studio is straightforward: she genuinely loves helping people discover what their bodies are capable of. Every session is a chance to build strength from the inside out, and Heather brings a keen eye for technique and form that makes that possible — whether you're in a group class or a private, whether you're a beginner, managing an injury, or navigating pregnancy or postpartum. She meets people where they are and works from there.

Outside the studio, Heather is the kind of person who always has multiple things going at once — exploring the city with her husband and two dogs, somewhere in the middle of a furniture restoration project, tending to her garden, or deep in a mystery novel. Odds are good there's also a health and wellness article open in another tab. Some people can't help being curious. Heather is one of them.

MARK C.

Certified Pilates Instructor

Teaching style: empowering, positive, athletic

Mark came to Pilates through a road most instructors haven't traveled — Division I Olympic sports on one end, specialized senior fitness on the other. That range isn't accidental. It's shaped how he thinks about movement: strategically, inclusively, and always with the long game in mind.

His academic foundation is serious — a BS in Exercise Sport Science and Kinesiology from Texas State University with a minor in Athletic Training, followed by a 500+ hour Pilates teacher training certification. He's currently adding prenatal and postpartum certifications to the mix, because staying current with evidence-based practice isn't a box to check for Mark, it's just how he operates.

What makes him effective in the studio is a genuine understanding of what actually affects people's health — biomechanics, nutrition, and the real-life factors that make wellness easier or harder for different people. He builds sessions around that, which is why clients across all ages and ability levels tend to feel like the class was made for them.

Mark lives and works in Dripping Springs because he's invested in it — the community, the people, and their long-term wellbeing. That's not separate from his work. It kind of is his work. He's here with his wife and kids, and now with Soma Lux — and he means it when he says: "Movement is the ultimate tool for longevity. Whether we're in a private session or a dynamic group class, my goal is to help you move better, feel stronger, and thrive."

JANIE R.

Certified Pilates Instructor

Teaching style: warm, seasoned, reassuring

Janie's love of movement started in college at Texas Christian University, where she began teaching fitness classes and never really stopped. After successfully owning and running a mommy/baby fitness franchise, she found Pilates — completing her education with Peak Pilates between 2007 and 2009 — and it stuck. She's been deepening that education ever since through continued training and certifications.

As one of the earliest Pilates teachers in the Dripping Springs area, Janie brings something you can't manufacture: years of experience teaching real people, in real group settings, with a gift for making movement feel accessible, effective, and worth showing up for.

A longtime Hill Country resident, Janie knows this community well — and she's genuinely excited to share what she loves with the Soma Lux family. Outside the studio she's happiest exploring the Hill Country with her husband and family. Inside it, she's earned a reputation for knowing exactly which prop will unlock something in your body that nothing else quite reaches. We call her the Prop Queen. She hasn't objected. 👑