Shila Tirabassi LaGrua, LMT, CNS, owner of Body Center St. Pete, was an internationally touring professional modern dancer prior to becoming a Neurosomatic Specialist. She received her BFA from the Juilliard School in NYC and had the privilege to dance for Merce Cunningham, Lar Lubovitch, Martha Graham, Robert Battle (Director of
Alvin Ailey), and for many years Stephen Petronio where she also served as rehearsal director.
While living in New York, Shila had to supplement her income while she wasn’t touring internationally by teaching yoga and pilates. She was trained by Cyndi Lee at OM Yoga Center NY, where she taught yoga classes for many years, numerous yoga teacher trainings and developed the Core Yoga Program which integrated yoga and pilates. Her pilates training was with Kelly Kane through The Kane School of Core Integration in NY (now Kinected) where the focus was to use the pilates principals for therapeutic realigning of the body.
When Shila retired from her life as a professional dancer in NYC she moved back to her home town of St. Petersburg, FL, where she found Neurosomatic Therapy under the tutelage of Paul St. John. Shila devoted years of her attention to the healing arts as a Neurosomatic Specialist at the St. John-Clark Pain Treatment Center in Clearwater, FL. Along with having a successful practice, she was also faculty at the school associated with St. John-Clark, The Center for Neurosomatic Studies where she taught and developed the Therapeutic Exercise curriculum.
After opening Body Center St. Pete in 2018, Shila continues to teach anatomy and functional movement in yoga teacher trainings throughout the country, as well as retreats around the world. Proudly, Body Center St. Pete is also now an Offsite Training Center for the Kane School of Core Integration where anatomy, pilates Mat and Apparatus will be taught to pilates teachers in training. Shila’s never-ending interest in the body led her to continue her education in Pilates For Neurological Conditions, NASM Personal Training, Prenatal Fitness, Thai Yoga Bodywork, Restorative Yoga, Postural Respiration, dissection courses, Muscle Activation Technique, Alexander Technique, Oov, and Feldenkrais. She also has a Schroth Method Base Level Certificate from the Barcelona Scoliosis Physical Therapy School.
Shila compliments her practice as a Neurosomatic Specialist with her love of functional movement to help her clients find alignment, strength, and ease through manual treatments and movement reeducation. As a Reiki Master, she is also interested in the subtler realms of the body and believes that all bodywork is also energy work. Shila is grateful for the teachers, clients, and students that continue to inspire her.