About Us

Peace in the City is about healing the hurt that holds you back. It is about unlearning and letting go of all the reasons why you reject yourself, hold onto fear, anger, pain, distrust, sadness, conflict, separation, sense of unworthiness, and repeat patterns. It is about learning how to reconnect to your essence and tap into the abundance that surrounds you. It is about the balanced attention to sensation, thoughts, breath, and the energy of Love. This is done through a variety of modalities at PITC such as yoga therapy (a unique combination of the principles and practice of yoga with trauma healing), workshops, trainings, ecourses, books, holistic personal training, yoga, consulting and coaching. As individuals become more authentic, they see the abundance flow through all areas of their life: health, relationships, money, career, and sense of purpose. Peace in the City is a safe place to go through the process in the company of others (no, you are NOT alone or the only one who has ever sludged through this muck and mire and lived to tell the tale!) who are also transforming. The process is exciting, sometimes painful, exhilarating, and definitely an adventure.

How to use this site.

We invite you to join us by subscribing both to the blog (a little inspiration, hot off the press, delivered right to your email box where you can read whenever, wherever, wearing whatever- or not- you want!) and our newsletter for schedules, upcoming events and lots of other juicy tidbits of love and goodness.

PITC proudly and humbly offers wisdom for “real peeps” (in other words, if you are easily offended by language or mature content, we would be happy to refer you to more appropriate resources) though classes, holistic personal training, workshops, e-courses, books, retreats, individual and business consulting, and speaking.

So rather you are looking to have better physical, mental, spiritual, financial, romantic, career, or relational health, you have come to the right place. We have created programs that can be customized to meet your needs, help you create solutions to hidden challenges or self-sabotaging behaviors, develop a crystal clear vision of your desired life and a plan to get there.

About Wendy Reese, MA

There was a time, not so terribly long ago, in (what feels like) a galaxy not so far away, that I had no clue about who I was, what were my basic beliefs, my purpose, or any particular reason I deserved to be loved. Ouch. What a painful, miserable place to live. I am an only child of a bi-polar mother and a gay father who raised me in the belt buckle of the Bible belt. I have spent most of my life hearing about how one “should” live, trying to figure out who I am and where I can fit in, falling flat on my face, getting up and trying it all again. I get the struggles most people face. That not-so-long-time-ago, I made a choice. I wanted to like AND love me, live abundantly, and be happy. I mean really happy for no particular reason at all. I dove in, got messy, asked myself the really hard questions, beat myself up a bit before nourishing myself back to the land of the living, broke everything down to the core, and then started loving and liking (in that order) this amazing creature I am. Here’s the deal. Ssshhhhh…it is kind of a secret, though, or at least everyone who tries to sell you on what you should be wants it to remain a secret… we are ALL amazing, beautiful, intelligent, wise, funny, sexy (feel free to insert any additional positive adjectives here) creatures! This is because at the core, we are all LOVE pure, complexly simple, and powerful. My purpose is to help you re-connect with that authenticity.

For some, personal experience, the on-going journey from shadow to light that creates a sense of empathy, understanding, and compassion for others on a similar journey, is just not enough. They need to know what “education” qualifies one to do what they do. I get it. Beyond my personal gifts and experiences, I have a Bachelor of Science in Exercise Science from Northern Arizona University. I have been an ACSM certified personal trainer since 1995. I have a 200 hour yoga certification with 10+ years teaching experience. In that time, I completed a plethora of fitness, health, and yoga certifications, continuing education, and trainings.

Desiring a way to help people take yoga off the mat, I completed a Master of Arts in Applied Community Change and Conservation in 2009. As a component of that, I completed my STAR Trauma Healing I certification, John Hopkins University Leadership and Organizational Dynamics certification, and Peace-building and Resolution certification from Eastern Mennonite University. Oh, yeah. When I say holistic, it is quite a comprehensive skill set I bring to the table.

Though some would argue this, I do have a life outside of making the world more healthy and loving (it is my passion and I do love it so sometimes it is hard to un-entwine myself). I love writing, cooking, surfing, laughing, time with the most amazing friends ever, gardening, dancing, yoga, jogging- especially on a beach, engaging in the adventure of life, first time experiences (mine or other peoples), photography, learning, being happy and living a wild, succulent, juicy life! Life is good.

Still not sure we can help you? Check out what others are saying:

When we first made contact regarding the changes I was interested in making, I assumed we were talking only about weight.  Oh, how wrong I was.  How completely, beautifully, and surprisingly wrong I was!  She began by sending me “assignments” that I have to admit, seemed pretty daunting at first.  I wasn’t a person who was used to that sort of “inner-reflection”.  We took the murky, unorganized content of my heart and shook it out in to the light of day, made it something tangible, recognizable, and exciting.  I was not unaware of its presence, these aspirations of mine, this “new life” I longed for.  It was only hibernating deep inside. Occasionally it would awaken and peek outside, only to sit on the side of a precipice, afraid to take the leap.  Wendy, you hold a woman-sized mirror up to our faces and show us our own beauty, the abilities that were always there but only sleeping, and say, “Life is too short to “leap” my friend… in MY house, we FLY!”   So now, after its completion, my eyes have opened to so many of my strengths and weaknesses, I am beginning to see the work ahead of me… and I look forward to it!  And not only that I have goals that I need to get busy going after, I think that’s an easy realization for most people; but that it’s time to start living with intent.  Because if not now, when?   The journey towards the restoration of our souls begins today, for that is all we have. Thank you Wendy for helping me recognize what was there all along.  The convictions, the ideals, the faith, the goals – they were always there.  But sometimes it just takes someone such as yourself: a harbinger of hope, a personal guide, an organizer of lives… to help those such as me see our way through.

Kim Y.

I have been taking yoga classes from Wendy for the past couple of months. I look forward to Mondays now because of her excellent classes. Her classes are challenging, strengthening, and most of all calming. I’ve had much less tension in my body as a result of these weekly classes. I am currently taking her class on Monday nights at 6:30pm at Alternatives. The class is quite small, and although I love the personal attention I get, I would love to see more people attend and reap the benefits that I do! Check it out….
Kara D.

A friend of a friend of a friend pointed me in the direction of Wendy Reese and her community yoga. I had never done yoga before when I first attended her class over one and a half years ago and it was one of the best things I have ever done. I stumbled onto a teacher who, for me, creates the perfect balance of eastern philosophies with western ideas. She is exactly the kind of instructor that I was hoping for and I more than lucked out by finding her. Since I have started attending her weekly classes, I have encouraged everyone I know to participate. This has included newcomers and the advanced. Every single person has been more than thrilled by their experience. I can not think of a single negative thing. I think everyone should come out and attend her classes just once. You won’t be able to stay away.
Jay P.

I have been taking both Yoga and Pilates classes from PITC for nearly a year now and have found her to be very knowledgeable in both areas as well as sensitive to the individual needs of the different students.  We have students from all ages and backgrounds and she quickly adapts the session to the needs and capabilities of the students.  However, do not go to her classes if you’re looking for Yoga or Pilates – lite — you will get your money’s worth here.
Glen

My wife and I have been taking yoga and pilates classes from Wendy for many years. We enjoyed both the workouts and teacher so much that when we decided to recently get married and needed a celebrant, Wendy immediately came to mind. While she swears this was a once-in-a-lifetime gesture to us, this nicely illustrates the high regard Wendy’s students have of her….
Doug T.