A Model of Determination: Pilin Anice
This article was originally published January 6, 2021 by Out of Office Magazine.
From the moment I was invited to become the Wellness Editor of Out of Office Magazine I knew whom I wanted to feature first.
Pilin Anice is a multifaceted mover and shaker in the wellness industry. A yoga & meditation teacher, FORME Method barre fitness instructor, workshop leader, and commercial actress and model, Pilin is a health coach at THE WELL, who leads by example.
In 2017 I took my first class with Pilin on 55th Street and 9th Avenue in New York City, through the Ailey Exension’s public offerings at the home of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. I was moving toward the completion of my 200-hour yoga teacher training and deciding on the next steps to take in my own professional journey, and I was instantly drawn to her blend of authenticity and professionalism. I admired the way her warmth radiated beyond the circle of attendees; her palpable sweetness had already made dedicated students of so many in the room.
The following year I convinced my best friend to join me on Pilin’s Restore & Explore retreat at Sansara Surf & Yoga Resort in Cambutal, Panama, officially transforming my own travel & wellness journey from a thought to a reality. The west coast-based On She Goes crew was also present at her 2018 retreat in Panama, and featured Pilin on the “Travel Like it Owes You Money!” episode of their podcast. While I’m still developing my path toward leading and hosting retreats like hers, Pilin has long been respected in the field. So it’s no surprise that by 2020 Pilin had retreats booked from coast to coast and across the continent. So what did she do when everything was cancelled in the face of a global pandemic? True to her yogi nature, she shifted her energy, stretched her skillset, and expanded her offerings.
Like millions of others in the New York Metropolitan area, Friday, March 13, 2020 was Pilin’s Manhattan commute. When the Yoga Alliance, the governing body that oversees yoga teacher training, certification, and professional codes of ethics, officially contacted all its registrants to encourage studios to shutter their doors, we all pivoted to online offerings. Little-by-little, Pilin moved her Ailey Extension classes to Zoom, but she didn’t merely film her mat-based practices. She reinvented them.
Pilin was invited by CUMBE, the Brooklyn-based Center for African and Diaspora Dance that had long hosted her sessions blending yoga and live drumming, to serve our community’s elders through a donation-based Chair Yoga series. (Of course, after seasons of Zoom meetings, I think it's safe to say that many of us now understand the benefits of incorporating seated practices into our own routines, regardless of age.)
Like so many of us, the lack of a commute meant more time at home for Pilin in 2020. The mother of two brilliant, immensely talented, and gorgeous children, Pilin has found inspirational ways to include her loved ones in her work. Along with Christina Schwefel, Pilin co-created Mini(Me), an exercise series for “grown-ups and kids” to enjoy together, hosted by NEOU Fitness and featuring Pilin’s eldest child, a literature- and dance-loving pre-teen. Pilin’s children and partner have joined her for commercial bookings, and her kids, who’ve been plant-based their entire lives, often make meal-prep a family affair. Last year Pilin increased the number of recipes she shared on her website and Instagram feed, and after years of drafting and planning, she finally completed her first cookbook.
When I asked Pilin what it felt like to have her routine so abruptly ended, she confessed that she “almost got to a place of fear.” But then, she said to herself: “No. This isn’t the time for that. I’m going to offer what I do, which is healing.”
And so she has.
Pilin continues to diversify her work as a wellness coach, and has developed a new approach to online offerings. In addition to catching Pilin Anice in the inaugural Out of Office Wellness Wednesday IG Live Chat on Wednesday, January 6th at 7:30pmEST, you can join Pilin for her Winter Wellness Workshop on Saturday, January 9th.
Scholarships and sliding-scale pricing are available!