Pilates Team
Irrum Shah
Classical Pilates Instructor, Founder
Irrum has been an entrepreneur and is now combining her passion for running a business with her love of teaching and sharing Pilates at Westside.
She found a love for Pilates seven years ago, and is now reimagining what wellness spaces like these can look like. Classical Pilates has provided her with a transformation physically, mentally and spiritually, and she now wants to share this passion with her community.
Originally born in Pakistan, Irrum immigrated to Brooklyn, NY and has now been a part of the Asheville community for over 25 years. She and her former husband have been small business owners since 1988, and have raised three children together; ages 24, 20, and 17. Irrum is a loving mother, an entrepreneur, an activist and now a pilates instructor.
Her children's experiences growing up in Asheville drew Irrum to racial equity work. In the past couple of years she has become very involved in the community, and is a part of great organizations like Building Bridges. She is currently Co-Chairperson on the board of Building Bridges where she will be serving until mid 2022, and will continue to be a part of the board as community outreach liaison. She carries her experience and education regarding racial equity work everywhere she goes, from advocating for racial equity in schools, and other boards in the community.
Irrum has a vision of bringing equity work into the pilates and wellness industry, and opening Westside Acupuncture was her first step. Her next step is to share the benefits of wellness and pilates with BIPOC and underserved communities in Asheville. Irrum is committed to the belief that wellness is a basic right and should be accessible to all.
Cindy Gunther
Classical Pilates Instructor, Occupational Therapist
Cindy Gunther has been studying and teaching Pilates for 10 years in Asheville, NC. She first discovered her love for Pilates in Madison, WI while attending graduate school at University of Wisconsin to become an Occupational Therapist. She knew as soon as she started doing Pilates that the foundation would be rooted in her life and her clinical practice as an OT.
She began her Classical Pilates training with Brooke Tyler in Asheville in 2011 and also studied with Dorothee Vandewalle in Seattle, WA. Completing a rigorous 1,000 hour program to become certified as a Classical Pilates Instructor.
Cindy enjoys working with a variety of clients ranging in age and functional ability through the life cycle. She is able to meet the clients right where they are, whether it is an older client seeking help with pain and basic movement to strong athletes wanting a challenge. She continues to work as an Occupational Therapist specializing in neurological disorders and orthopedics. She is also a Certified Ergonomics specialist where she gets pretty excited about the unique opportunity to combine her knowledge as an OT and Pilates instructor.
Her true passion is to help people bring their new found core strength into everyday life. She believes that movement can heal and that your core is your foundation to any movement or functional activity.
Cindy and her husband Maxfield have two girls Zoey Leigh (5) and Corina Jean (3). The family enjoys camping, hiking and exploring the rivers, lakes and mountains of the region.
Anne Mettee
Classical Pilates Instructor, Gyrotonic Instructor
Anne discovered Pilates as a way to gain strength and rebuild stamina after the birth of her third child in 2003. She trained, apprenticed, and has been fully certified in both contemporary (Balanced Body) and classical (with Brooke Tyler) Pilates. True transformation is possible and probable by doing the work as Joe Pilates intended it - with structure, repetition, and the joy of using the body fully and completely.
She has also been teaching the GYROTONIC® expansion system since 2010. She has worked with master trainers Alissa Getz Waller, Lisa Marie Goodwin, Miriam Barbosa and Juergen Bamberger. She is a certified Level 1 and 2 trainer. She believes in the inherent intelligence of every body. Through detailed, caring teaching, the body can become both stronger and more flexible, enhancing one’s quality of life.
Teaching has always been a part of Anne's professional life; She is a former competitive diver and runner, and has coached many sports. She has taken courses in anatomy, Pilates applications for runners, dancers, hip and knee replacements, posture, scoliosis, osteoporosis, and more. Anne is also certified in TRX.
It brings her so much happiness to see the way both Pilates and Gyrotonic® support and transform her clients in the studio everyday.
Outside of the studio, Anne is an avid stitcher, sewing both clothing and modern quilts. You can find her work at www.stitchesandsprings.com
