My experiences with the many Pilates teachers I’ve met over the years has always been that we are a very conscientious bunch. Always looking for new ideas, knowledge and refining what we already know, there is a great commitment to providing our clients with the best of our expertise.
Pilates is an incredibly rich system and there is always so much to learn from the Method. Having taken so many courses and workshops over the years, here is my take on being a ‘perpetual student’.
CERTIFICATION IS THE TIP OF THE ICEBERG
My clients are my greatest teachers.
I remember my very first private client after I received my initial Pilates qualification in Canada in 2007. She was a hip replacement client and I was terrified. I also remember the first group equipment class that I taught. It was much harder than I anticipated and I really didn’t feel in control of the various levels and limitations in the class. I honestly thought after this first group class that I wasn’t cut out to teach Pilates! However, I persevered and am happy to say I am into my 10th year of teaching.
The certification process can set you up for a wonderful future (especially if you research the different styles/schools and find what resonates with you personally). However, as soon as your first client walks through the door, you are on a steep learning curve of trouble shooting, getting to know what makes your client tick and what they need for their body. It can be overwhelming at times, but also very stimulating. Searching out teachers and courses that fill in those gaps in your knowledge can be invaluable, as is doing your own personal research on pathologies and using your intuition.
CHOOSING WHICH COURSES TO INVEST IN…
When you’re a newly minted teacher, It can be tempting to go to every course offered, and I think there is something to be gained from this, but I also think it is important to choose wisely what you spend your precious time, money (and brain space) on.
I think of the teaching of Pilates like falling down the rabbit hole: There are some interesting characters to meet along the way and the amount of information is endless. It can be daunting trying to assimilate everything into the experience of teaching, so being able to process the information on a course or workshop and use it in your practice is an art in itself.
Sometimes you have to prune away the information that doesn’t make sense until you have enough experience that it does. I think back on some workshops where the ‘a-ha’ moments have come weeks, months or even years after the course had finished.
If it is a course that teaches in a completely different style than what you are used to, be open to other points of view. Exploring different styles, you can really grow as a teacher with different perspectives, adding to your ‘toolbox’ of knowledge.
Says Jeremy Hunt on this subject: Doing another syllabus has helped me understand the method from another perspective and reignited my initial passion for Pilates. I know that my renewed energy is being passed onto my clients and has vastly enriched my teaching’.
SEEK OUT A MENTOR
For many years, I was figuring a lot of things out myself, being the sole teacher in my own business. I feel very lucky that I’ve found a mentor who has a lot to teach me. If you can find someone you trust and learn from, utilise them! They are an incredible resource to support you in your journey as a teacher and/or business owner.
Mentors can come from a wide range of backgrounds and help offer you insights on deepening your own practice and teaching.
LEARN FROM YOUR PEERS
I always learn a lot from other teachers on courses, where different backgrounds and perspectives can widen your sphere of knowledge.
Getting together at intervals and doing workouts together, where you alternate as the teacher, is a great way of getting deeper into the Method. Sometimes a correction or point of view that another teacher shares with you can lead you down a pathway of enquiry you might not have considered before. It also strengthens the Pilates community as a whole.
Says fellow teacher Nicholas Psarros: ‘Continuing education (also) strengthens my professional network which allows me to query concepts and seek invaluable support from my colleagues’.
GO TO A CONFERENCE
Conferences are a wonderful place to sample different points of view. In fact, one 2 hour seminar I took years ago totally changed my style of teaching. They can be so powerful!
The 2-3 hour ‘bites’ of information in these conferences can shape your teaching for years to come. Last year’s conference was a standout with the likes of International guests Brooke Siler, Chris Robinson, Simona Cipriani, Dr Joe Muscolini and Sean Gallagher, among others sharing their wealth of knowledge. Every presenter comes from a different background, has a different set of tools and experiences with different demographics and there is something to be learnt from each one of them.
GAINING CONFIDENCE…
Confidence comes over time working with many different bodies and personalities. If you are invested in bringing your best to your clients, then these clients will feel your commitment to them and to the work. Client retention improves as a result – which at the end of the day means a healthy bottom line for your business. On this subject, Nicholas Psarros says: ‘The further I delve into my education the more efficient I become in the studio which assists me to hone in on the client experience, ensuring the highest level of client retention’.
And, the amazing thing is, if you continue to be a perpetual student, the work never gets boring. The more perspectives we can have on what we do, the richer we become as teachers of the Method.
Every Pilates teacher’s journey is unique. We grow with the different influences around us. What a rich and interesting method we have at our fingertips. It is powerful and life changing and how lucky are we that we can teach this method.
Kim Paxton – Bio
Kim Paxton is a full member of the Pilates Alliance Australasia and the owner of The Pilates Studio Blackwood in Adelaide – which offers Pilates equipment classes, Pilates Mat and Xtend Barre. She is currently a bridging student with Authentic Pilates Education Australia (APEA), having originally qualified as a Pilates instructor in Edmonton Canada in 2007.
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