If you were to ask Mareile Paley what she does for a living, you would discover she is a woman of many vocations. Not only is she an art director, travel writer and multimedia designer but she is also a Pilates instructor and founder of the exclusive “Pilates Retreat Asia”. With that many jobs you might wonder how she does it but seemingly against all odds, Mareile does more than just balance her ventures, she takes them in her stride.
“I came across this quote by Bill Cosby, ‘Decide that you want it more than you are afraid of it’ many years ago, while living in New York and it instantly struck a chord. I wrote it down on a scrap of paper and stuck it in my wallet. Since then, that piece of paper has travelled with me from the US to Mongolia; it has hitchhiked across Turkey and lived for 13 months in the mountains of Pakistan. It has spent a winter month camping in Kyrgyzstan, explored remote regions of Afghanistan and Tajikistan and traveled all over Southeast Asia. In Hong Kong it lingered for nine years, and presently it is in Turkey with my husband Mathieu and two children.”
To say that she is an adventure-seeker would be to hit the nail on the head. This trail of events was kick-started back in 2004, in Hong Kong; when the native German tried Pilates in her first of many private sessions. It was something that resonated deeply with her active lifestyle, but it wasn’t until after having children that the idea of a more holistic career really became of interest. Mareile wanted to continue working but with freedom from office hours and deadlines, so Pilates was just the ticket. She enrolled in a classical Comprehensive Training Program through Core Pilates NYC, was certified in 2008 and what was meant as a back-up profession, quickly turned into a new-found passion for wellness and the human body. With a vision to share this with others, “Pilates Retreat Asia” was born. A shrewd move really- sun, beautiful locations, delicious food – who wouldn’t want that? It’s not exactly what you’d call a working holiday but it could definitely pass for a holiday with an edge, quite literally.
The mission of the retreat is to provide a uniquely personalized experience that runs deeper than just exercising and eating healthily for a week. Boasting dedicated instructors from all over the world, the numbers are kept small in order to maintain a high quality of service and instruction. Attracting people from all walks of life, being on retreat and away from the daily grind can open the mind and body to embrace new things that might usually be overlooked. And although by name it is officially a Pilates retreat, it is always taught in combination with Yoga and other movement and bodywork techniques to increase learning potential and allow for a more well-rounded experience.
Mareile says, “I’ve seen very down-to-earth Pilates enthusiasts finding themselves in deep meditation and meat lovers discovering 
(and loving) a week of raw and vegan food. It’s amazing, what we can all learn from these experiences. I have learned so much about myself and leading these retreats has certainly made me a better teacher.”
And while she still loves the creative aspect of graphic design, Mareile prefers the kind of challenges and discoveries only a Pilates studio, or beach, can bring.
Read more about Mareile (@PilatesInAsia) here.
Words by Jehane Lindley