About the studio · since 2018
A small room,
on purpose.
Quiet Form is eight reformers and five teachers in Roncesvalles Village. We built it for people who want careful teaching, a slow pace, and prices they can read before they arrive.
Our story
From a bookbindery to eight reformers
Quiet Form started in 2018 with four second-hand reformers in a Roncesvalles storefront that used to be a bookbindery. Mara Ellison had spent a decade teaching in studios that kept getting louder, and she wanted to build the opposite: a small room, a slow pace, and teachers who watch closely.
Eight years on, the room holds eight reformers and five teachers, and the pace hasn't changed. Most of our members found us the same way: they wanted to get stronger without being shouted at, or they were coming back from something and wanted someone to actually pay attention.
We still answer every email ourselves, we still set every beginner's springs by hand, and we still publish every price on one page. None of that scales. That's fine. We don't plan to.
How we got here
- 2018 Opened on Roncesvalles with four second-hand reformers and one teacher
- 2020 Priya joined and rebuilt the Foundations pathway from the ground up
- 2021 Sofie and Tomas joined; pregnancy and postpartum adaptations became studio-wide
- 2022 Jonah designed Deep Form; the room grew to eight reformers
- 2023 First Quiet Weekend retreat at the lake
What we hold ourselves to
Four rules, kept every class
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Small on purpose
Eight reformers, never more. Your teacher knows your name and your stiff side by week one.
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Slow on purpose
Control before speed, always. Our hardest class is also our quietest.
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Consent first
Hands-on adjustments only when you've said yes, asked out loud at the start of every class.
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Honest about limits
We teach movement. We don't diagnose, treat, or promise changes to your body, and we'll tell you when a doctor or physio should come first.
Pregnancy, injury and referrals
Sent by your physio or doctor?
Many members come to us after physiotherapy, or during or after pregnancy, once their doctor, midwife, or physio has said reformer work is a good idea. Bring any notes or guidance you were given, book a private first, and your teacher will build a plan around it. If what you tell us sounds like something to check with a clinician first, we'll say so.
- Your doctor, midwife, or physio says yes first
- One private to build your plan, with written notes
- Group classes with the springs quietly adjusted
The teachers
Five teachers, one standard
Mara Ellison
Founder and lead teacher Classical reformer work, eccentric strength, teacher mentoring Meet Mara
Priya Nair
Senior instructor Foundations pathway, dancers' cross-training, breath mechanics Meet Priya
Jonah Reyes
Instructor, strength and rehab bridge Deep Form programming, return from physio, tempo strength Meet Jonah
Sofie Andersen
Instructor, pregnancy and postpartum lead Pregnancy and postpartum adaptation, returning bodies, midday classes Meet Sofie
Tomas Herrera
Instructor Evening Flow, athletes' control work, transitions Meet TomasCome by
128 Roncesvalles Avenue, Roncesvalles Village
Streetcar 504 and 506 stop half a block away at Roncesvalles and Fermanagh. Green P lot two doors north; free 1-hour street parking after 10 a.m.
Begin quietly. It suits you.
Your first 3 classes are $49: a real month of practice, not a sales funnel. Book your first Foundations class in under a minute.