
Spotlight on Reformer Pilates teacher, Olga Vasylieva
Today we take you to meet Olga Vasylieva, a Reformer Pilates instructor from Ukraine. Prior to coaching, she was a professional ballroom dancer. After getting injured, she started practicing Reformer Pilates and is now an instructor conducting classes in both Mandarin Chinese and English. FTV reporter Stephany Yang spoke to Olga to find out more about Pilates and her life in Taiwan.
Olga carefully explains the Reformers Pilates movement. She started dancing at a very young age, representing Ukraine in professional ballroom dancing competitions. After getting injured from dancing, she decided to try Reformer Pilates.
Olga Vasylieva
Reformer Pilates instructor
I have been doing sports and dance for quite a long time. For 25 years, I have been dancing ballroom, belly dance, and Pilates. Before, while I was dancing professionally, I had a lot of body injuries. Sometimes I thought it would be forever, I will have it forever but one of my friends introduced Pilates to me and I tried. I found out it really worked and it solved a lot of my problems. After that, not only did I find myself healthier and happier, I also started dancing better.
Reformer Pilates is a type of Pilates exercise that is performed on a machine. This machine consists of springs, a sliding carriage, ropes, and a foot bar. These help provide resistance and support. After seeing the benefits of Reformer Pilates, she got a teaching certification and began teaching Reformer Pilates.
Olga Vasylieva
Reformer Pilates instructor
Every class is very different because every person, my clients, are very different. I dedicate every class according to the needs of the clients because some people are more stiff. For example, professional sportsmen. They are runners, they are riding the cycle, and they are doing different kinds of activities so they need more to stretch. So we do more stretching with them. Some people are different. Their muscles. They have to gain muscle. Their muscles are not enough for them to live a normal life. In Pilates, we build more inner muscles, deeper muscles that we normally don’t use in real life or in the gym or in other sorts of activities so when you go to gym, you start to feel, oh, I can do it much better.
Olga moved to Taiwan five years ago for her master’s program. Olga says she loves Taiwan’s kind people and delicious food. Her favorite food is stinky tofu.
Olga Vasylieva
Reformer Pilates instructor
When I came to Taiwan the first month, I was like, "Oh my God, I am the happiest person in the world." Because in Taiwan, the weather is so good. A lot of fruits and a lot of vegetables. People are so nice. I was like "Oh my gosh, is it like a fairytale? Am I in heaven?" I was so happy. I was so happy. Of course, sometimes I miss Ukraine but my life is in Taiwan now. And food, I really like stinky tofu.
Calling Taiwan her second home, Olga hopes to settle down here and let more people back in Ukraine know about the beauty of Taiwan.
For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Mon to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53
# ReformerPilates # ilates #皮拉提斯
2025-12-09