Danielle Rodrigues has a passion for fitness and wellness. More importantly she has a deep love for her clients and their benefits from her teaching.

It is perhaps the combination of these two things which made her recent departure from Brenda Athletic Clubs in Modesto so difficult. After 26 years of employment and years as a group class instructor, Rodrigues bid her home away from home farewell and opened the door to her new Oakdale business, Align Pilates and Wellness.

Located in the heart of downtown Oakdale, at 131 N. First Ave., the new business owner would best be described as enthusiastic yet nervous.

“It’s my comfort zone,” she said of her time with Brenda Athletic Club. “I watched my boys grow up there.”

There were also close connections, made over the course of more than two decades.

“The hard part about putting in my notice, was I’ve had a lot of the same clients two, three days a week for 10 to 15 years,” she added, noting her clients were inspirational to her.

Growing up in a home with an obese mom, Rodrigues shared she knew early on she wanted to change that narrative for herself.

“She was morbidly obese,” she candidly shared. “It affected me as a child; she couldn’t go on rides with me. I would look at it and think, that is not the momma I want to be someday.”

And that was her jump off point and motivation to get into fitness. The longtime instructor now gives that passion to her clients, sharing that your fitness and wellness is not good genes, but a life choice.

Now, her goal is to bring her longtime passion and love for Pilates to the community of Oakdale and its surrounding areas. She was first introduced to the low-impact full-body workout 16 years ago, by well-known Pilates instructor and business owner, Victoria Popoff. She was hooked and now Rodrigues has been teaching reformer Pilates for the past 15 years.

“I love a hard-core workout, but I also loved how powerful you could feel on the machines,” she said of her early introduction to Pilates and the use of the spring-loaded reformers. “You have to control it. You have to do it slowly.”

As far as what she enjoys most about the Pilates workout, she shared “I think the mind body connection of it and the gracefulness of it.”

Doing double duty as a trainer at Get Fit Oakdale, Rodrigues initially began talking to Get Fit owners Allison and Bear Walters about adding Pilates classes to their new location, set to open in December 2026. The three were equally excited about the potential, but the new location did not offer the space Rodrigues felt she would need to make classes the optimum for clients.

With the encouragement of her husband David, the Pilates enthusiast purchased reformers and began looking for just the right space to bring her skills and passion to her hometown.

“It’s actually the reason that I named the placed Align,” she stated on why she opened the business now. “Obviously it’s Pilates, alignment of the spine, alignment of the body.”

It’s also aligning the mind, body and soul. She believes this all goes hand in hand, as well as who you spend your time with, what you read and what you immerse yourself into.

“You form bonds and it’s more about, yes you want a good workout,” she said. “But you just need to feel good all-around and that’s what you get when you’re in a sense of community.”

In early October, Rodrigues took possession of the new space. She and her family spent the majority of the month making it hers and creating the “Align” space. The studio officially opened in the start of November.

Currently classes are offered Monday through Friday. Morning classes are 8:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m. and 10:15 a.m., while afternoon classes are 3:15 p.m., 4:15 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. Classes are 45 minutes in length and must be scheduled in advance using the Mind Body App.

Align Pilates and Wellness is a reformer Pilates studio. The studio hosts a total of six reformers, limiting classes to six students at a time. This gives a more individualized experience, as Rodrigues teaches each class personally. Classes are open to all ages and levels.

“You always do some kind of core work,” Rodrigues said of an average class. “Everything we do in Pilates should be flow, controlled movement and focusing from the core outward.”

As she continues to welcome clients from the past, as well as new ones, Rodrigues shares her excitement with expanding the Pilates world.

“It’s been awesome. I’ve had so many people through these doors now and my heart is just so happy,” she said. “It definitely makes me happy,”

To continue her commitment to wellness, aligning with community and connection, Rodrigues has partnered with RAW Beauty owner, Adrienne Reichmuth to host “Pilates & Wellness” on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Last Call Brewery. The event is open to the public and will take place from 9 a.m. to noon. It will include a 30-minute mat Pilates class, as well as an assortment of local vendors. A complimentary beer or seltzer is included with ticket price. To register follow the link on their Instagram pages at align.pilatesandwellness or raw.beauty_209. The event can also be found on Eventbrite.

“Our community does not have a whole lot in the means of wellness and I would love to fix that,” Rodrigues said.

Ultimately be it a Saturday event or attending her classes, Rodrigues feels it’s important for people to take time for themselves and invest in themselves.

“When people say it’s so expensive … I am actually very frugal and it is hard for me to pay for things like this membership and that,” she said. “But I think of it as an investment in your health.”

For additional information on Align Pilates and Wellness visit the business Instagram align.pilatesandwellness.