Anaheim Indoor Activities

Sunlight floods through the floor-to-ceiling windows of The Studio by Bridget, beaming across the sparkling canals of Long Beach to illuminate 1,900 square feet of space. Lined against the walls, Pilates equipment ranges from Reformers to more unusual gear used in private training, such as the ladder barrel and the stability chair, ideal for seated workouts that give students a more rigorous exercise than cranking a recliner footrest up and down. On this equipment—or on simple Pilates mats—the studio’s team hosts classes that lengthen and strengthen muscles, balancing physiques and enhancing flexibility through regimens involving stretching, breathing, resistance training, pulleys, and cables. The staff complements its Pilates offerings with spinning classes and TRX sessions, whose Reformer workouts were designed by a Navy SEAL.

The sun’s rays cascade onto the blue floors of YogaBody Powerflow’s studio, where the sounds of controlled breathing and stretch-induced groans pervade the air as instructors lead groups through 90-minute yoga classes. The studio specializes in power yoga, a version of Vinyasa flow that distills the style’s fast pace and energetic movements into a series of postures that bend, invert, and twist the body to increase flexibility and strengthen muscles. Legs rise high above flushed cheeks during graceful warrior poses designed to boost stamina and focus, and bare toes wiggle in the air during inverted positions or spontaneous levitations.

Ronda Arndorfer began exploring Pilates in 2001 at the age of 40, when she was trying to recover from the multiple running injuries she incurred while training for her first marathon. Her rehabilitation was so successful that she decided to learn how to share the experience with others. She became a certified Pilates instructor and—after opening a studio out of her home—eventually founded The Movement Center, a place where students can restore both body and mind in a positive, lighthearted environment. Arndorfer continues to attend workshops and teacher trainings with master instructors throughout the country, and some of her staff members have trained in Pilates via Arndorfer's teacher-certification program.

Arndorfer's passion for movement has paid off: the center has been featured in numerous television and magazine media outlets and was voted the Best Pilates Studio by CityVoter in 2009, 2010, and 2011. In addition to traditional yoga and Pilates classes, the crew offers innovative and challenging techniques such as aerial yoga—in which students "float" on a trapeze-like swing—and yoga performed on open water using a standup paddleboard. Barre classes require students to hold onto a ballet barre or the outstretched arm of a handsome stranger while strengthening muscles with a mix of yoga- and Pilates-inspired moves.

The center's team includes massage therapists, a nutritionist, and a physical therapist and certified Feldenkrais practitioner who continue the healing that begins within each class. They also offer childcare for guests' convenience.