A Sanctuary To Reclaim Your Health
and Your Innately Brilliant Self
We believe that healing is always possible, and that by making space for change to happen, we can transform our most difficult challenges into our most precious opportunities for growth.
The Lemon Tree brings us welcome shade on a sweltering day, divinely scented blossoms, uplifting fruit, cleansing oil, and yes, the invitation to transform a tough situation into something a little magical.
Couldn’t we all use a little of that?
Meet Our Team
Photo credit: @cesar_rodriiguez
Heidi Weiss (she/her)
FOUNDER
I founded Portland Pilates Collective + Wellness center in 2006 with the mission of making Pilates accessible and welcoming to a wider demographic. Lemon Tree Wellness, est. 2021, expands on that vision to provide creative classes, workshops, and natural medicine for people to heal, connect, and be well. We are here to nourish all of you.
I believe in the ability of holistic healing practices to change lives, and my teaching emphasizes the holistic and transformative benefits of Pilates, approaching the method as a healing modality. I strive in my teaching to help people feel their full potential.
Undergraduate study of Chinese medical theory and my interest in nutrition as the basis of health inspired me to certify as a Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (FNTP) in 2006. I went on to pursue a Master’s of Public Health at Portland State University in Health Education, focusing on Integrative Health.
I now combine my love of movement and food with this broad knowledge base in integrative health education to help my clients live and move with connected joy.
Ellisia B. Grove (she/her) Acupuncture/east-Asian medicine
I believe that we must nurture a core of compassion to heal personal and collective suffering. While I am a highly sensitive and empathic provider, my clinical approach is researched, inuitive, and thorough. I offer a methodical, systems-based assessment for physical and emotional wellness, and I use East Asian acupuncture, Chinese herbalism, manual therapy techniques, and mindfulness to facilitate our work. As someone attuned to subtle body energy, I remain open to receiving clairsentient guidance as I work.
I endeavor to provide inclusive care for all individuals across the lifespan, with experience treating acute and chronic pain, psycho-emotional health, neurodiversity, metabolic and hormonal health concerns. and MVA injuries.
When I’m not working, I enjoy music, traveling, cooking and knitting. I am committed to my own inner inquiry, and regularly connect with my spirit and nature allies. My friends and partnership are my lifeline, and if I can make a silly joke, I will.
Beth Koehler (she/her)
pilates
I fell in love with Pilates in 2007. As a cyclist and runner with minor aches and pains, Pilates was the magic pill to my recovery. Shin splints were a thing of the past.
I credit Pilates for my full term twin pregnancy and postnatal recovery. Prior to my twins’ birth, I assisted families and their loved ones in finding housing options when they could no longer live at home. She also provided case management services for seniors when their loved ones weren’t able to be present, acting as their eyes and ears. Helping people is my passion.
I am a STOTT PILATES Certified Instructor in Matwork and Reformer with training in Stability Chair, Cadillac, Injuries and Special Populations, Barre, and various props.
In my spare time, I enjoy gardening in my greenhouse, creating loom bead bracelets, and spending time with my husband, twin boys, and dog outdoors and snuggled up on the couch.
Nobuko Kaji (she/her)
Pilates
With over ten years teaching in the US and Japan, my wholistic approach to everyday fitness is informed as much by my experience as a dancer and athlete as my training in personal fitness and Pilates. I am certified in Pilates by Balanced Body®, PhysicalMind Institute™, and the Pilates Method Alliance.
I also am a Bodhi Suspension System® Master Trainer. I hold a certification in level one Neurokinetic Therapy®. With this multi-faceted background, I work creatively with a wide variety of clients to help them achieve deep, long lasting results.
Beate Kilber (she/her)
Alexander Technique
I am a native of Germany with a background as a professional dancer, Waldorf language teacher, and massage therapist. My personal journey with the Alexander Technique allowed me to free my body from years of chronic pain.
With finding and studying Contemporary Alexander Technique, I fulfilled my passion for the human body, movement, Argentine Tango and teaching. I love teaching all variety of students looking for more ease, flow, and balance in their movement and lives.
Caitlin Couture (she/her)
Massage + reiki
I am a licensed massage therapist and shamanic reiki master, bringing 15 years of experience and love of my work to my clientele. I am a graduate of the National Holistic Institute and have consistently built upon that foundation throughout my career by learning new modalities.
My work is for anyone seeking guidance, solace, and relief, and my lived experiences as a queer woman married to a trans-identified partner, and as an adoptive mother, has made me a fierce advocate of compassionate care without judgement for all bodies in all stages of being. I am also a death doula and support individual clients and families and community death education, which you can find more about here. When not with my cherished clients, I can most likely be found hiking, having a dance party with my kid, or at a nursery buying too many plants.
Angie Clifford (she/her) Acupuncture/Pilates
I have taught movement in one form or another for almost 40 years, starting when I was 12 years old assisting dance and gymnastics classes. I was certified as a Post-rehab Practitioner of the Polestar method of Pilates in 1996. In 2012, I graduated with a Master Degree in Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine and most recently finished my certification in Bach Flower Essence Therapy.
I believe that movement is medicine. The movement can be large and expressive, it can be a breath, the movement of qi from a needle insertion, or the vibration of a flower …but it will always speak to your soul. It will always make a change in your cellular body as well as your energetic body when used with careful intention. I am trauma-informed trained, and am here to gently support you, in your own timing, with your personal journey of wellness, and finding a more comfortable life.
Kim Olsen (she/her)
pilates
My love for Pilates began in 2003 following a snowboarding injury. In addition to helping me rehab from my injury, I found a more mindful way to move, breathe, increase awareness and identify imbalances in my body. I began the transition away from my corporate career to become a Pilates instructor and received my certification in 2008.
I am a fully certified STOTT Pilates instructor with continuing education including Injury and Special Populations, Pre and Post-Natal and Athletic Conditioning.
I believe Pilates is for everyone and that movement can uplift our mood, increase mobility and mental wellbeing. I love working with clients of all ages, abilities and movement backgrounds and creating specialized programming to help them achieve their goals.
When I’m not teaching, I enjoy long walks in nature, spending time with my family, snowboarding, cooking and relaxing with a good book.
Katherine Armer (she/her)
acupuncture
I have been practicing acupuncture with a focus on treating children, young adults and new parents ever since completing formal studies in 2007. My lifelong interest, and background, in working with children informs my gentle and non-invasive approach with patients. I tailor treatments to accommodate varying ages and comfort levels, incorporating needle free techniques such as acupressure, laser point activation and cupping.I am passionate about nutrition and food, and love finding creative ways to work with special dietary needs and establish healthy eating habits for the whole family. As a mother of a five-year-old, kid-friendly cuisine and food sensitivity problem solving has become a specialty!
I hold a Masters of Science in Traditional Chinese Medicine from ACTCM in San Francisco, CA. Additionally, I completed a Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Pre-Medical Studies from Mills College in Oakland, CA, which provided a basis for a deeper understanding of western biomedicine and serves my desire to forge an integrated path as a medical practitioner. After finishing my licensing certification, I traveled to Hangzhou, China, where I attended Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, completing special studies in Pediatrics and Internal Medicine.
My training has encompassed herbal therapy, cosmetic and facial acupuncture, and essential oil therapy. I continue to be amazed by the simple and elegant healing power of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
May the Sun bring you new energy by day.
May the Moon softly restore you by night.
May the Rain wash away your worries.
May the Breeze blow new strength into your being.
May you walk gently through the world and know its beauty all the days of your life.
~ Apache Blessing
How Lemon Tree Wellness Came To Be
Hi There! I’m Heidi Weiss, teacher, mother, certified Pilates instructor + nutritionist, Reiki healer, crystal-lover, knitter, culinary chemist, tango dancer, wannabe singer, and forever student of life.
Last Summer, a dear friend of mine moved far away, and gifted me many of her plants, among which was a struggling lemon tree. I brought it home and placed it outside in a shady spot, tending to it daily. I saw its spotted, yellow leaves grow shiny and thick; it produced new foliage, and soon began to flower prolifically. I was intoxicated by the shower of blossoms, and amazed by the tree’s resilience.
This experience activated in my memory a piece of wisdom that I have learned many times over in my life – that healing happens organically when given the space, and when approached from a holistic perspective. This perspective is what defines folk medicine: the medicine of the people. Its Earth-centered ethic says not only that we need to see a person’s entire being – body, mind, and spirit – to transform health, but also that our health is connected to each other and the Earth. The world is beginning to turn back toward this earth-centered, holistic perspective, and away from the paradigm built around disease-care rather than health-care. Science is now validating the ancient knowledge that we are connected to each other and the Earth in fantastic ways. This concept of connection is the basis of all indigenous medical systems, and is at the heart of what I teach: simple yet profound practices and ways of being to increase resilience, connect to the Earth, others, and yourself; helping you revive and embody your full brilliance.
I have every confidence that when we navigate this journey with support, and are seen as our full selves, we find our way with more ease and efficiency.
This is my hope for you, and the reason that I’ve created Lemon Tree Wellness:
To help guide you to realize your innate wisdom and health; to help you find the patterns and practices that revitalize and orient you to your purpose; and to help you recognize the opportunity that you have each and every day to grow in community. Each of Lemon Tree Wellness’ offerings is designed to weave a web of connected care that brings you closer to yourself; your essential beauty, wellness, and brilliance.
We acknowledge and express gratitude for inhabiting and working on the indigenous homelands of the native tribal peoples of the Pacific Northwest.
