West Oahu Wellness
Aloha, I'm Funmilayo 🌺
A lot of people call me Dr. Fumi.
I am the founder of West Oahu Wellness. I'm an orthopedic physical therapist, a Pilates educator and a dancer at heart. I’m deeply committed to diversifying the Pilates community and offering healing movement experiences in West Oahu. I'm also a proud Hawaii Air National Guard spouse, a mother of 2, a lover of kimchi and an advocate for kindness.
While pursuing my Master of Fine Arts at Texas Woman’s University, I taught undergraduate dance coursework and dance conditioning. I was recruited as a Visiting Professor in Modern Dance at Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul, Korea. There, I completed my first 550-hour comprehensive Pilates teacher training through Polestar Pilates Asia.
While pursuing my Doctorate in Physical Therapy, I completed a second comprehensive Pilates teacher training with Polestar’s Transition Intensive in Miami, FL. In 2018 I passed the National Certified Pilates Teacher exam and completed my doctoral research, titled Pilates Based Postoperative Management of Total Hip Arthroplasty with Contralateral Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head.
I’ve also devoted several years of study to Hatha Yoga, completing over 500 hours of teacher training in Ashtanga, Anusara, Integral, Yin, Prenatal and Postpartum Yoga. I am a certified Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist, a Safe Movement For all Spines Educator and have completed the Ehlers-Danlos Society's ECHO Project Finding Functional Foundations (FFF)™ course using principles of neuroplasticity to retrain alignment and stability in hypermobile patients.
After moving back to West Oahu, I was accepted to the first cohort of Balanced Body’s Community Expansion Scholarship Program and completed my third 520-hour comprehensive pilates teacher training in 2022. To learn more about Balanced Body's diversity initiates to drive real, tangible change in the Pilates industry, click the link below.
West Oahu Wellness Collaborators
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much” – Helen Keller
Gwen Miller
Based in California, Gwen is the author of Safe Movement for All Spines – A Guide to Spinal Anatomy and How to Work with 21 Spine and Hip Conditions. Her movement science certifications qualify her to work with spinal pathologies, with an emphasis in scoliosis, as a Master Scolio-Pilates® Teacher, Yoga for Scoliosis® Trainer, Hendrickson Method® Manual Therapist, IAYT-certified Yoga Therapist, C.H.E.K Practitioner III, Faculty Member of Balanced Body® Pilates Education, and National Academy of Sports Medicine Personal Trainer. As a Principal Educator for Balanced Body® Pilates Education, she enjoys mentoring teachers and developing community amongst movement professionals. Gwen’s current project, The Dynamic Spine: Safe Movement for All Spines (and Hips), is a continuing education, mentorship and certification program based on her book that synthesizes over two decades’ training and experience in working with special populations to educate and empower the next generation of teachers.
Malia Moguel
Based on Oahu, Malia completed her 800-hour comprehensive teacher training in 2010 with Upside-Down Pilates in Honolulu, Hawaii. A lifelong dancer trained in ballet, modern dance and hula, Malia was first introduced to Pilates mat classes through her dance training as a teenager and later rediscovered the transformative benefits of Pilates as an adult while recovering from knee injuries and issues with hyper mobility. She received her BFA in dance from the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. She believes in the practice of Pilates not only for its fitness and rehabilitation benefits but also for its positive effects on overall well-being. She is committed to continuing education in movement studies and enjoys helping students with deepening their mind/body connections, exploring efficiency in movement and reconnecting with an all-around sense of balance in their bodies.
Jeremy Galvin
Based on Oahu, Jeremy began his bodywork career over 22 years ago when he graduated from The Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge, Ma. While working as a massage therapist, he was building his knowledge base with other studies in Upledger Craniosacral Therapy, Reiki, Martial arts, Pregnancy massage and as a Yin Yoga teacher. Jeremy's primary modality of treatment is the Hendrickson Method® Massage and Manual Therapy, created by Thomas Hendrickson, D.C. Working with this method, Jeremy offers clients pathways to increased mobility, better flexibility, stability, decreased pain and overall good health. Jeremy continues to train in Hendrickson Method and in October 2018, completed Level 1 study of Heavenly Essence Qigong training with with Dr. Liping Zhu. He uses compassionate, honest communication to meet clients where they are in their journey towards wellness.
Allison Kares
Based in Canada, Allison opened Movement Unlimited Inc., Niagara’s first and only fully equipped Pilates studio in 2012. She completed full certification through Stott Pilates, the PFilates, Pelvic Floor Pilates method, and the Polestar Transition Program. She is a Polestar Pilates Studio Practitioner, a Polestar Pilates Mentor, and a Nationally Certified Pilates Teacher. As a Certified Pilates Instructor and having worked as an exercise therapist in the rehab industry for 12 years, she has always been curious about efficient and effective movement. This passion lead her to develop unique, comprehensive, evidence based teacher training program, Allison Kare's Education. Her vision is to inspire students and clients to have healthy, balanced bodies and minds by understanding how heightened awareness of movement improves us from the inside out.
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"The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members." - Coretta Scott King