Passion For Pilates – A Journey To Teaching

Sometimes, I look back and wonder why I started working in the fitness industry. I have a deep passion for Pilates now, and I feel so grateful that I can make a positive difference in someone’s life, but that wasn’t why I started teaching in the first place. Honestly, being a fitness instructor was a way that I could get paid for doing my hobby! Yes, in the beginning, I was young and teaching was about me, but that very quickly switched to wanting to help more people with what I do. Do you feel the same way? 

How I Found My Passion For Pilates

I started teaching fitness at the gym I worked out at. First, it was aerobics, then spin, then Pilates. Each class had a binder that clearly defined the guidelines for each type of class, and it was so well organized with clear expectations. (Yes, I love rules!) There was still room to be creative, but everything was structured. These rules may be one reason why I fell in love with Pilates. 

Pilates is about form, technique, and learning to execute exercises so you can move with more efficiency. I started to learn how to run with more strength and power by activating my glutes and hamstrings. I recognized that bouncing while running wasted energy with each stride. Pilates was teaching me things about the connectedness of my body that I didn’t know before, and it excited me! Then I entered a Pilates studio for the first time, and I realized how much more there was to this thing called Pilates. 

What Excites Me Now About Pilates

In the beginning, there was so much to learn about Pilates: the movements, the apparatuses, and discovering deeper connections in my body. I’m still uncovering new things in my own relationship with Pilates, but that’s not what I love most about it anymore. 

It’s amazing to know or see that a client is stronger and no longer feels nagging pain, or their posture is better, or they move with more ease. It’s a great feeling to help a person build a strong foundation of core strength, and improved flexibility and mobility so they can enjoy doing their favourite activities.  

Something else that excites me most now is when I see and hear clients “getting it”, and finding their own passion for Pilates. They start asking questions, digging deeper, and spending their free time learning about Pilates. Has Pilates helped you in ways that you want to shout from the rooftops? Do you feel like you want to know more and get deeper knowledge beyond just the exercises? 

Expand Your Passion For Pilates

To help you dive deeper into your Pilates practice and build your knowledge, I’ve been running mini-workshops called Joe’s Gym. Each one focuses on one apparatus. You learn the set-up of the apparatus, how to do it on your own, the exercises, and the order of them. 

My goal is to start having regular Joe’s Gym classes in the studio, where clients pick their own workout for the day, moving through it on their own. The teacher then moves through the studio, coaching clients on form, sharing tips, and helping them with whatever they want to achieve. It’s a different style of teaching, and I’m really enjoying it. 

Are You Ready to Teach Pilates? 

Another way to expand on your passion for pilates is by becoming a teacher yourself and sharing what you love with others. This Spring, I’ll be offering mat Pilates teacher training! Mat is where Pilates started, and it’s a great place to start your training and practice teaching. 

In teacher training, you’ll learn how to teach, the necessary anatomy, the exercises themselves, modifications, and contraindications. There will be a lot of self-practice and observation, as well as quizzes and final tests. All of this will prepare you to write an exam to be certified by the National Pilates Certification Program.  

Pilates Keeps You Learning

Pilates is dynamic in so many ways. I was attracted to the intricacy of it, and I love how it still challenges my body and my mind. It’s a form of exercise, yet also a way that I can help others. I’ve taught group classes and done personal training. The different apparatuses add layers of challenge yet help make the exercises easier, too. I don’t know of many other forms of fitness that are as adaptable to people of any fitness level that will also help them develop strength, mobility, and flexibility of their whole body.
If all of this excites you as much as it does me, it may be time for you to explore your passion for Pilates with Joe’s Workshops or teacher training. If you’ve got questions, you know where to find me! Send me an email or message me on Instagram – I’d love to chat.