MatWorkz Pilates Studio - Winter Park, Orlando

MatWorkz Pilates and GYROTONIC® Studio in Orlando Winter Park

Let Pilates move you. That’s our mantra.

At MatWorkz Pilates Studio, our philosophy is simple: we believe in the power of movement to strengthen and heal your mind, body and spirit. We believe in the mission of Joseph Pilates and his groundbreaking work, and the transformation that his fitness system continues to offer the world. While the program has evolved over time, we continue to honor his simple and elegant approach to exercise – valuing movement and knowledge above all else.

Deborah Watson

Our story began in 1997, when Texas native Deborah Watson began her own Pilates practice.  She saw the immense need for the healing power of Pilates in her adopted home town of Winter Park, Florida. After completing her authentic comprehensive training with Romana Kryzanowska, Joe Pilates devoted protege, in 1999, she opened MatWorkz Pilates Studio.

Deborah has always felt a driving hunger to help the people in her community with movement, guiding them down a healing path towards mental focus, wellness and happiness. In addition, she has handpicked some of the most talented movement teachers in Central Florida to help her continue with this mission.

Since opening the doors to MatWorkz Pilates Studio, Deborah and her team have helped hundreds of people across the Orlando and Central Florida area reach their individual fitness goals – accessing the athleticism, mental focus and healing attributes of Pilates and GYROTONIC®. With our complete line of Pilates Reformer equipment and one of the region’s only GYROTONIC® studio systems, anyone from age 8 to 80 can discover the power of movement in both individual and group environments.

MatWorkz Body Awareness

MatWorkz Body Awareness  offers the area’s most unique and immersive Pilates experience-one deeply aligned with where movement science is headed today.

At its core, Body Awareness is a practice in nueroplasticity https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/neuroplasticity.  By unlocking the hidden wisdom of your body and giving you deeper insight into your relationship with gravity, breath, balance, and bone structure, you begin refining the body’s internal map-the way you sense and organize yourself in space.

Current research supports what Joseph Pilates understood intuitively: mindful movement can reshape patterns of tension, coordination, and awareness over time.  Instead of relying on force or habit, the body learns to move with greater ease, efficiency, and presence.

This is more than exercise.  It is the ongoing integration of mind, body, and spirit-a principle Joseph Pilates spoke of long before modern neuroscience gave us the language to describe it.

What sets MatWorkz apart is its intentional, education-based approach to movement. Rather than rely on fast-paced fitness trends that can overlook deeper movement connections, each session is desighned around you.  As Joseph Pilates described it, this is “exercise for a lifetime”- a practice that develops greater body awareness, balance, and skill over time. The results extends far beyond the studio: not simply a stronger body, but a calmer, smarter, and more responsive nervous system that supports how you move through everyday life.

Education

The MatWorkz Pilates Studio commitment to education is central to our technique and approach, and delivers greater impact and results. Our dedicated instructors have a broad range of education, pilates training and are more than teachers – they’re passionate practitioners with a heart-centered focus on the art and science of Pilates. They lead by listening, and bring decades of experience and a true love of their craft to help you achieve your goals. The more you know, the more successful you’ll be.

Community

Unlike other fitness studios, we’re driven to connect on a much deeper level with our community of members, listening to their unique needs and reflecting that in our work. We crave quality over quantity. We never stop learning. And we strive to bring balance to everything we do, both in and out of the studio.

Join the MatWorkz movement – and let Pilates move you.

MATWORKZ STUDIO

Small, warm and intimate, our studio is a reflection of everything we teach – and a welcoming environment for learning. It also features some of the most advanced Pilates and GYROTONIC® equipment on earth. Explore it all here.

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Matworkz Pilates Studio

MATWORKZ INSTRUCTORS

Talented. Devoted. Meet your guides on your journey towards balance and movement.

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Matworkz Pilates Instructors

MATWORKZ CLASSES

Learn more about our individual and group classes designed for every age and skill level.

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Matworkz Pilates Classes

Learn More About MatWorkz Pilates Studio, Winter Park, Orlando, Florida

  • I started private lessons with Lisa almost one year ago. After sitting behind a computer for over ten hours a day for the past twelve years, my body was craving movement. I was concerned that I had trouble getting out of my desk chair and that my balance was not what it used to be. I quickly realized working with Lisa three times a week was exactly what I needed. I was not born with the workout gene, but I quickly fell in love with Pilates: building core strength, seeing my posture improve and feeling more confident about my balance.
    Randye Falk
    Maitland,Fl
  • I am so grateful to have found MatWorkz, and Lisa especially.  I suffer from chronic vertigo and for years, it severely limited what kind of exercise I could do.  I had lost so much strength.  Lisa works with me to adapt every exercise in a way that I can do it. She's super kind, very funny, and really warm and supportive.  I have gained so much strength and flexibility, it has greatly improved my every day life. I've become much more active, even starting to play tennis. I can't recommend Lisa highly enough.
    Maggie Lloyd
    Winter Park, FL
  • I’m entering my 12th year as a student at MatWorkz Pilates & GYROTONIC® Studio. Deborah Watson and her dedicated instructors care about my physical and emotional welfare. It shows in their passion displayed in every class. They ensure proper form, technique, and makes every class more unique than the last. The studio is well equipped and is full of positive energy. Nothing else in Central Florida compares to this studio!
    Christine Stewart
    MAITLAND, FL
  • Never have I been as impressed with an instructor’s knowledge and dedication to her craft as I have with my experience with Lisa. Her dedication to my Pilates training has improved my personal body awareness, core strength, flexibility and ability to prevent neck and back injury from golf and other activities of daily living. Though I don’t have the “six-pack” abs, I feel stronger whether I sit, stand or move purposefully.  
    Kerry Schwartz
    Orlando, Fl
  • MatWorkz is a top quality Pilates facility with up to date equipment and a very professional atmosphere. I've been practicing Pilates with Lisa Ryan for a year and a half and have benefitted immensely from her depth of knowledge and commitment to my progress. Lisa and her teachings have improved my strength, coordination, and flexibility all of which are so important in preventing injury. I highly recommend MatWorkz Studio.
    Lisa Prast
    Winter Park, FL
  • MatWorkz is a well-designed and very attractive Pilates studio. The team, especially Deborah and Lisa, are extremely knowledgeable about Pilates and match their expertise perfectly to each client’s needs. The experience is both challenging and comfortable as they are excellent at motivating each client but also understanding and adapting to physical limitations. I feel so much better, stronger and taller every time I finish a work-out at MatWorkz!
    Robin Suarez
    Orlando, FL
  • At MatWorkz, Deborah and her staff are a group of dedicated, skilled professionals who provide you with individualized attention regardless of age, body type or athletic ability in their warm and fully equipped studio. Participating at MatWorkz for 16 years has been super beneficial for me – Increasing both my strength and flexibility while addressing any specific issues that may occur with knowledge and patience.
    Gail Thomas
    Lake Nona, Fl
  • 5
    My husband and I have been doing Pilates at MatWorkz for over eight years. Leslie is an amazing instructor and is always challenging us and keeping our workouts innovative and interesting. Leslie has helped us prepare for and recover from surgeries as we age as athletes. Pilates is a means to a healthy and vibrant lifestyle as you age. As former marathon runners and triathletes we were looking for a place to maintain our core strength for our athletic lifestyle. As a result, we continue to enjoy running hiking, biking, and ropes courses as much as we did as a young married couple. The studio is bright, clean and has all the latest equipment. If you are looking for a personalized place to work on your fitness goals, we highly recommend MatWorkz as a studio to stay fit, be challenged, and feel welcomed and appreciated as a client verses a membership number.  
    Don & Julie Bieger
    Winter Park, FL
  • I enjoy an active and healthy life because of the incredible instructors at MatWorkz. Their knowledge about the marriage of anatomy and exercise is demonstrated in every class. When I leave the studio, I always feel great! My body and mind have been strengthened. MatWorkz is amazing!
    Nora Hickey
    Orlando, Fl