Denise (Koziol) Claydon was born and raised in Chicago IL. She has resided on Maui since the early 1980’s, where she met and married her husband, Mark Claydon. Owner of Pure Pilates Maui, she has been teaching Pilates for over 25 years.

Denise is not only a highly trained and certified Pilates instructor, she is also a survivor. Although she believed she was living a healthy lifestyle, in the prime of her life, she found herself facing serious incapacitating illnesses. She had witnessed several close friends and clients experience similar health issues, who followed their doctor’s orders and eventually succumbed to their illness. Armed with nothing more than simple faith in her Creator and a commitment to find the path that was best for her, she embarked upon an educational journey that not only saved her life, but also changed the trajectory of it altogether.

Denise’s initial research revealed that she needed to change her diet and lifestyle. She began to study under numerous raw food chefs including George and Rhonda Malkmus, founders of Hallelujah Acres in Shelby, NC, where she eventually became a certified Health Minister. She had discovered that on a vegan, plant-based diet her body could heal itself and, in fact, did.

Not long afterwards, she was introduced to “essential oils.” Denise immediately incorporated them into her daily routine. She went to Salt Lake City, UT and learned all she could from Dr. Gary Young, founder of Young Living Oils. She visited the Young Living Healing Center to get to the roots of her cancer. Her research ultimately led her to affiliate herself with dōTERRA essential oils, which she incorporates into her daily life and practice.

Denise has a love for healthy, creative food preparation and a passion to help others enjoy a better quality of life, which is why she participates in on-going education. She enthusiastically shares the vast knowledge she acquires, which incorporates Pilates, holistic nutrition, AromaTherapy, and a heightened spiritual awareness, to bring wellness to the body, mind, and spirit.

The fusion of Denise’s zeal for health, spiritual awareness, and appreciation for Maui led her to create a form of hula that blended her strong Christian convictions and knowledge of health with the trademark of Hawaii. She calls this new discipline “Heart Hula,” which is a play on words since the exercise offers an outlet for the spiritual heart to worship Jesus and the physical heart to enjoy a cardio workout.

Denise has devoted her life to teaching and training others how to take back control over their health. She says, “The degree to which a client chooses to embrace the concepts they are taught, is the degree to which they will experience the God-given abundance of life they were meant to enjoy.”

Denise holds the following certifications:

Stott Pilates Instructor

Mat Pilates Certification by Physical Mind

Mat Pilates Certification by Powerhouse

Mat Level 1 and 2 Pilates Certification by Synergy System

Multi-Equipment Certification by Physical Mind

Pilates and Golf Certification by Physical Mind

Pilates for Men, Stott Certification

Continuing Education with Master Trainers: Cathy Murakami, Rael Isacowitz, Monique Levoie

AromaTouch Certification from doTerra Essential Oils

Hallelujah Acres Health Minister Certificate