Why I never get bored teaching Classical Pilates
One of the things I get asked often by teachers of other schools is: If there is an order to the Classical Pilates Reformer and Mat system, doesn’t it get boring to teach?
I can say with all my heart that no, I don’t find that to be true in my teaching. A little background about me: I have been teaching Pilates for 17 years now, I started off certifying in Contemporary Pilates and worked for a couple of years at a studio that encouraged a flowing choreographic style of Pilates. I absolutely loved teaching there, but it involved hours of class preparation to come up with new ideas for my clients on a weekly basis. This was a type of creativity that I enjoyed, but it was also relentless in keeping up and offering something new consistently.
When I discovered Classical Pilates, at first I was apprehensive, surely the rigidity of the order of exercises would stifle my creativity and I’d become quickly bored (I get bored lightning fast!). The opposite was actually true. In having the framework of the system in place, it allowed me to be creative in how I looked at the body and the cues I would give my clients, it allowed my clients to know the exercises and be able to tune in deeply to the development of these exercises in their own body. It also allowed me freedom to give modifications for those that needed it that I knew were aimed towards the ‘ideal’ version of the exercise and to give variations on an exercise that would challenge the bodies and brains of the clients without veering off course into choreography-land. It allowed me to use my hands on cues more effectively so I could be creative with how I helped my clients feel the movement kinesthetically in their bodies because they knew what was being asked of them and they could move into the right body position without complications.
It also freed me up to see the areas that I wanted to develop with my clients, where I would take them in the studio where the Mat or Reformer work had showed me these areas that needed development. I could think creatively about which Chair, barrel, Cadillac exercise would help them develop the skills to fill the gap in their technique or understanding of the method.
As a former Ballet dancer and then Ballet teacher, I had experienced the benefit of a syllabus that slowly built on the fundamental skills from one year to the next, so putting that context into my Pilates teaching also helped me to see the long term change in my clients bodies and minds because they were building those strong neural pathways to develop the co-ordination and control for the more advanced exercises.
The other thing you might think is: Surely the clients get bored with the same old exercises from workout to workout. I can honestly say that my client retention rate doesn’t show that to be true, nor have I ever been told that they’re bored (now granted, they might not tell me that, but they keep coming so I’m going to have to assume that it’s a no) I still teach many clients that still come to the studio from when I opened the studio 9 years ago. They know what to expect when they walk in the studio doors and I don’t get the ‘can we just stretch today’ request!
These clients that have seen the development of their bodies over time and understand the systematic use of the method to see amazing results.
So to answer the question, is Classical Pilates boring and rigid, I would categorically say no!
The Pilates Mat Certification is enrolling now for a March intake. Make sure to contact me with any questions you have about a career in Classical Pilates
