Elizabeth J. Ando
Ando Studio Founder
Certified Pilates Mat Instructor

Desiring a career change after nearly 20 years of corporate executive experience, Elizabeth opened the Ando Studio in 1999. Combining her business experience with a lifelong love of dance, Elizabeth set out to design an exercise studio where women and men could work out using somatic (mind/body) approaches to fitness such as Pilates and yoga. Developing a studio where rehabilitation patients could work out in a safe and protected environment, in 2001 she sold the Ando Studio to Ando & Aston Physical Therapy, joining the organization as Chief Finance and Operating Officer... Elizabeth received her Pilates Mat Certification from the PhysicalMind Institute, in 1999, and completed the mat and equipment certification training with Stott Conditioning in 2001.

Elizabeth has a Bachelor or Arts in Business Administration with an emphasis in Retail Management from California State University, Fullerton; and, a Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Irvine. She holds a certification from the Business Professional Advertising Association as a Certified Business Communicator (CBC).

Currently she continues to participate in the management of the Studio as a member of the Ando & Aston management team and owns a small consulting firm, AndoVirtualPartners.

Arthur D. Ando
Clinical Advisor
Physical Therapist
Certified Functional Manual Therapist

Art is a Physical Therapist, and has practiced hands-on manual therapy in Anaheim Hills since 1985. His second career is in teaching and beginning in 1985 has taught nationally to physical therapists in the area of spine rehabilitation, including joint and soft tissue mobilization, exercise, posture and body mechanics. In 1997 he spearheaded the rehabilitative use of Pilates in the Ando & Aston physical therapy clinic. In order to better understand the Pilates conditioning method, Art completed the mat and equipment certification training with Stott Conditioning in 2001. He manages the clinical aspects and continues to develop the wellness offerings of the Ando Studio.

Sue S. Okuda
Lead Instructor
Certified Pilates Instructor
Certified Pre-Trainer of GYROKINESIS^®
Certified Franklin Method^® Instructor
GYROKINESIS^®, Yoga, and Tai Chi Instructor

Sue holds a Bachelor of Arts in Music from UC Berkeley, a Master of Arts in Music History from California State University, Fullerton, and a law degree from Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley.

Sue is the lead exercise specialist at Ando & Aston. Drawing on her knowledge of Pilates, movement imagery, ballet and yoga, Sue combines her gifts for words and images to help her students find new movement and freedom in their bodies, whether the students' goals are artistic performance, recovery from injury, or just a desire to feel and look their best.

Sue's life-long passion for movement led her to study Pilates at Studio du Corps, the first Pilates studio in Orange County. Pilates is a system of exercise created to improve not only strength, but also body awareness, flexibility, dynamic alignment, and balance. It uses specialized equipment designed by Joe Pilates to develop smooth flowing movement, with concentration and focus on specific movement muscles. Sue is certified in Pilates through Studio du Corps, and she taught there for many years.

Sue believes that your body speaks your mind, so that what we think about ourselves shows up in how we move. She studies movement imagery with Eric Franklin, a world-renowned dance medicine specialist, author, and director of the Franklin Method^® Institute in Ulster, Switzerland. The Franklin Method combines dynamic imagery, experiential anatomy and movement to safely optimize performance in disciplines such as dance, athletics, and acting. It is used by professional ballet companies and elite athletic teams to achieve top performance, reduce injury rates, and prolong careers. Sue is excited to be among the first Franklin Method® teachers certified in the U.S. by Mr. Franklin.

Sue is also a certified pre-trainer of GYROKINESIS®, a movement method which emphasizes organic movement from not only the spine but the body's deep muscle tissue, building energy through the body and refreshing the mind. As a pre-trainer, Sue offers the first course required for those seeking certification as a GYROKINESIS^® instructor.

At Ando Studio, a division of Ando & Aston Physical Therapy, Inc., Sue specializes in Pilates rehabilitation exercise and holds weekly classes in GYROKINESIS^® and Tai Chi. She also teaches Pilates and yoga for dancers at Orange Coast College, as well as Pilates mat conditioning at the DeFore Dance Center in Costa Mesa, California.

Ryoko Sawaishi
Certified Pilates Instructor
Certified GYROTONIC®Level 1 Instructor
Certified GYROTONIC®Archway Instructor

A native of Japan, Ryoko started dancing at age 5. She moved to New York in 1982 to pursue her career in dance. While in New York, she studied with the Joffrey Ballet School, Alvin Ailey Dance School and Finis Jhung ballet studio. She danced in "The Wizard of Oz" at Radio City Music Hall in 1989 and in the National tour of "The King and I" starring Rudolph Nureyev in 1990.

Ryoko moved to Arizona for love in 1991, where she joined the Center Dance Ensemble & Desert Dance Company.She earned her certification in Pilates Core Dynamics Plus Techniques, which evolved from the work of Joseph H. Pilates and Eve Gentry, in 1999.Ryoko has studied with Virginia Nicholas in Phoenix and with Michele Larson in Santa Fe.

Ryoko taught Pilates, Modern & Ballet class at Mesa Community College and at Mary Mo Adams Ballet Academy.She simultaneously taught Pilates at Moving Breath Studio and the Phoenician Resort Hotel. Since moving to Orange County in 2001, she taught Pilates Mat class at the Recreation center in Marina del Rey CA.

She completed GYROTONIC®Foundation Level 1 certification training with Donna Place in 2007 and was certified by Lisa Marie Goodwin in 2008. She earned her certification in GYROTONIC® Archway from Juergen Bamberger in 2008. She continues to improve her skills through study with Donna Place, Suzie Mann and Alicia Head.

Ryoko has taught Pilates to rehabilitation patients at Ando & Aston Physical Wellness Therapy as well as to fitness clients at the associated Ando Studio since 2001. She also teaches Pilates at the Academy of Dance in Tustin. She began teaching GYROTONIC®atAndo & Aston Physical Wellness Therapy in 2007 and concurrently at Balance in Form in Newport Beach.

Ryoko lives in Yorba Linda CA with her wonderful husband Jay. Se has been practicing Buddhism for seventeen years. She strongly feels that Buddhism teachings are helping her to keep peace in her heart and create a harmony with those people around her. Ryoko loves learning new things from people and to share. She is proud to have become a U.S. Citizen in 2009 and loves to live in the United States for the freedoms it affords.

Barbara Nelson
Certified Pilates Instructor
Certified Yamuna Body Rolling Instructor
Reiki Level II

Barbara Nelson came to Ando Studio as a private client in February 2000, searching for a solution to twenty-five years of chronic back/hip pain. In Pilates, she found this and more, joining the scores of women who rediscover body awareness in mid-life, after years of working and raising families. In addition to achieving sacroiliac joint stability Barbara realized improvements in balance, flexibility, mobility and over-all health.

She became an enthusiastic certified trainer in both Pilates and Body Rolling, in order to share the joy of mind-body exercise with others. Barbara specializes in Pilates "for the rest of us" pain-free exercise that relieves pain, restores function, and brings new vitality to life.

Don L. Espinosa
Massage Therapist

Don's interest in massage began in the 1990's when he underwent Trager technique training. Since then he has employed a wide variety of massage styles including Swedish, Trager-like oscillatory, sports, pregnancy, and hand/foot reflexology. Don currently uses an 'integrated style' which, based on the client's typical goals of relaxation, pain relief, or stress reduction, can be a combined form of specific deep tissue, Swedish and acupressure techniques.

Don underwent the intensive training to become an Accredited Massage Therapist through the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts in Tempe Arizona. This program included anatomy, physiology and specific massage protocols. Don has also completed Reiki level 1 coursework.

Rhona Jordan
Certified Guided Imagery Therapist
Certified Clinical Hypnotist

Rhona first experienced guided imagery and hypnosis when she was scheduled for surgery. It worked so well, that she breezed through the procedure and recovery was ahead of schedule. Her experience was a life-changing event, which motivated Rhona to learn about these powerful techniques and share her knowledge with you. She has been using guided imagery for over 30 years.

Guided Imagery
Certified Guided Imagery Guide (sm)
Certified Guided Imagery Therapist
Rhona also studied Regression Therapy in New Delhi, India.

Member
International Hypnosis Federation
Academy for Guided Imagery
Association for Integrative Psychology
American Holistic Health Association
American Association for the Study of Mental Imagery
Association for Humanistic Psychology
International Medical and Dental Hypnotherapy Association
The National Guild of Hypnotherapists

Hypnotherapy
Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist
Clinical Hypnosis Instructor for the International Hypnosis Federation

Member
American Board of Hypnotherapy
International Association of Clinical Hypnotherapists
The International Hypnosis Federation
The American Institute of Hypnotherapy

Rhona Jordan is a legal Alternative Healthcare Provider and not a California licensed healing arts practitioner.