Going back to ‘Beginner’s Mind’ - and why it’ so important for our teaching.
I’m sitting here on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Coffs Harbour, in the nicest AirBnb overlooking the ocean, framed by avocado trees and the sound of cicadas everywhere. It’s lovely.
The View from my Cabin
Coming to Coffs Harbour is a learning holiday, I am here to certify in Level 1 Gyrotonic®. Being here has made me reflect on how introducing Gyrotonic into my life has given my Pilates teaching a new lease on life. I have loved learning this system and it has thrown me back into ‘Beginners Mind’ once again. There have been many Pilates trainings I have participated in over the years, but this one is more Pilates adjacent than Pilates based.
Teaching the Gyrotonic® Method felt really clunky initially, because the language of Gyrotonic® is different from the language of Pilates, I struggled to differentiate the systems to make them feel true to their nature, I felt like Bambi learning to walk - All limbs and no substance! But over time, I have become more confident in my teaching.
The value of being back in that beginners-mind again has allowed me to see the body moving in a different way and this has informed my teaching of Pilates.
What is Beginner’s mind? It’s a Zen buddhist concept of being back at the start, absorbing fresh information with an open mind. Allowing yourself to see things through the lens of a novice and to be curious about the outcomes.
It has made me appreciate how it feels to be a new teacher in Pilates again and how terrifying it can be at the beginning when you’re a new teacher. However. the rewards in your personal and professional growth are worth the effort required. If we stop learning, we stagnate, and the enthusiasm we have for our work can wane.
(Certainly when I got on a plane this morning from Adelaide, I didn’t expect to be talking about Zen buddhism, perhaps there’s something about Coffs Harbour that brings that out in a person)
To go back to being a beginner again can feel intimidating, I remember that same feeling I had when I started to learn the Classical Pilates method after a couple of years of teaching in a contemporary studio. I had to relearn to teach with a different lens and vocabulary and use the Classical system to inform my teaching, which is so different from the contemporary approach.
It was confronting and often frustrating and it took TIME to feel like my teaching was coming from an authentic place. Allowing ourselves to develop and grow throughout our teaching careers is a gift we should give ourselves for the sake of our longevity in the industry as a Pilates professional
How are you growing as a teacher in 2024? Let me know in the comments.
