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About us

7 subway train with NYC skyline in view

Humanity Pilates was created by three friends, Roque, G, and Matt, who met during Suryaside Yoga’s 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2023. While also teaching Strong AF fitness classes at Suryaside, they shared a vision to create a space where movement builds more than muscle - it builds connection, resilience, and community. 

Our boutique reformer Pilates studio welcomes people from all walks of life to strengthen their minds, bodies, and breath, using Pilates as a tool to move better, feel stronger, and live fully.

Our Team
Founders

  • Roque Rodriguez

    Roque Rodriguez

    Roque Rodriguez (Pronounced: ROW-Keh), the son of Dominican immigrants, is a 500-hour trained Yoga teacher and proud co-founder of Suryaside Yoga in Queens, NY. Roque has run several yoga teacher trainings, provided teacher training scholarships to BIPOC folks living in underserved communities, and volunteered with Liberation Prison Yoga to bring healing practices to Rikers Island Correctional Facility. 

    He is a co founder of Abolitionist Educators, a consulting firm that runs workshops for adults and teens on mindfulness tools, trauma sensitive communication, and healthy community building. Roque is a recipient of the Creatives Rebuild New York Artist Employment grant. He used this grant to provide Healing Through Writing workshops for the Woodside Houses community. These workshops include journaling, creative writing, breathing exercises and meditation. 

    Roque encourages folks to Practice Humanity as a way of life. Whether that be calling out injustices, helping to feed and care for your community members, or simply being compassionate with yourself and the people around you.

  • Matt Lawrence

    Matt Lawrence

    Matt Lawrence is passionate about sharing the benefits of exercise and guiding practitioners towards greater awareness of their physical and mental well-being. His mindfulness-based philosophy incorporates a diversity of influences, including sports, meditation, and multiple disciplines of yoga. Fairly new to Pilates himself, Matt strives to create a welcoming and inclusive space where practitioners of all levels can feel comfortable exploring their practice. He lives in Sunnyside with his wife, Tracy, and cat, Klaus, and can be found teaching or practicing at Suryaside if he’s not at Humanity Pilates.

  • Geraldine Mariano

    Geraldine Mariano

    Geraldine Mariano (she/they) is a Filipino-American yoga and fitness instructor who is dedicated to uplifting and celebrating others. With a deep passion for both physical well-being and human connection, she strives to create spaces where people from all paths of life can feel safe, supported, and empowered to show up as their real and full selves. Her approach blends strength and circuit training, yoga, sports, mindfulness, and compassion, offering a holistic perspective on fitness that nurtures body and soul. Geraldine was born and raised in Queens, is a middle child, and a cat mom to the bestest Penelope “Penny” Pumpernickel.

Instructors

  • Laura Dalesme

    Laura Dalesme

    Laura (she/her) is a French-American certified Pilates teacher and Lead Trainer with extensive experience in classical and contemporary Pilates. After moving to New York City in 2021, she completed comprehensive training at Core Pilates and Good Day Pilates. She has since specialized in guiding prenatal and postnatal clients safely and confidently through Pilates, and is also a certified yoga instructor and birth doula.

    Her classes combine calm, grounded energy with functional, intelligently layered movement to support strength, balance, and long-term well-being. She is deeply passionate about mentoring teachers, fostering community, and helping students build strength and confidence.

  • Nidhi Desai

    Nidhi Desai

    Nidhi is a driven health and wellness enthusiast on her journey to becoming a Sports Dietitian. With hands-on experience working with patients, athletes, and the broader community, she combines her nutrition knowledge with a passion for fitness to make a lasting impact. As a Polestar-certified Pilates instructor, she designs dynamic and personalized classes that not only meet individual goals but also bring joy and energy to every session. Known for her bubbly and motivating personality, Nidhi creates an uplifting environment where people feel supported, empowered, and excited about their health journey. Her mission is to inspire others to build sustainable habits, discover the power of movement, and embrace wellness as a way of life.

  • Christie Farrell

    Christie Farrell

    Christie is a 450-hour Certified Pilates instructor who has taught both Classical and Contemporary Pilates all over NYC since 2022. She loves showing people how Pilates and functional movement can change their lives, not only for the rest of their workout routine but for their entire life. Christie is on the Pilates Education team for Equinox's Comprehensive Pilates Certification Program. When not in the studio, you can find Christie auditioning for theatre and TV/film, or playing with her cat, Elton. www.christiefarrell.com

  • Grace O'Mara

    Grace O'Mara

    Grace has been dancing since she was four and has spent the last five years performing and teaching across New York, Maine, and Europe. While dancing professionally, she discovered Pilates not just as cross-training—but as a powerful way to build strength, mobility, and longevity in every body.

    Now a certified instructor, Grace brings a positive, approachable energy to Pilates and teaching. She’s known for her creativity, encouragement, and ability to tailor movement to each individual. Grace loves working with all ages and backgrounds and is dedicated to challenging you safely, and helping you feel strong and capable! 

  • Margot Carmody

    Margot Carmody

    Margot is a Pilates instructor with a Classical Comprehensive certification from Core Pilates NYC and a background in personal training and group strength. Their teaching blends contemporary and classical approaches, offering classes that are both empowering and appropriately challenging. With a thoughtful, adaptable style, Margot creates a welcoming space where clients can build strength, confidence, and connection in ways that work for their individual bodies.

  • Kimberly Murry

    Kimberly Murry

    Originally from the west coast, Kimberly moved to New York City in 2015 after completing a BFA in Dance Performance and Choreography from Ohio University. While dancing professionally, she completed a comprehensive training at Ellie Herman Pilates. Since 2018, she has taught both private and group classes in boutique and corporate settings. Kimberly’s teaching style can be described as functional and detailed oriented. Her ultimate goal for students is to gain a better understanding of their body, build strength and move confidently through the world. 

  • Luna Kim

    Luna Kim

    Luna has an extensive background in fitness and uses her knowledge to create a fun and inclusive environment in the studio. She focused on details along with anatomy for movement. She loves helping clients discover the benefits of Pilates, including building strength, creating full body alignment, managing pain and injury, and improving mental well-being. Luna is a certified instructor by the PMA - National Pilates, Aerialist, and Pole dancer. She is certified Comprehensive Teacher Training Course by Balanced Body (contemporary) and Power Pilates (classical). She trained in prenatal/postnatal by Keren who hold a specialty in pre- and post- natal fitness. She has trained with Cara Reeser, a disciple of Kathy Grant, who studied directly with Joseph Pilates.

  • Jeff Manrique

    Jeff Manrique

    Jeff is a Mind & Body Wellness Coach born & raised in NYC. He was introduced to yoga about 13 years ago and fell in love with the amount of self healing he received from the different modalities. He became obsessed with educating myself about the mind, body & breathing. Through Jeff's journey, he's become certified in yoga, “connecting the breath with movements” to increase mobility & flexibility of the body. He has taken inner engineering courses to deepen his study of deep breathing meditation and he is Pilates and Barre certified to help focus on strength and conditioning throughout the entire body.