Do You Want to Teach Pilates?

With the popularity of Pilates continuing to grow, more and more people are becoming curious about teacher training. That’s a wonderful thing, but can also be a confusing one. If you’re new to Pilates or thinking about becoming a teacher, you’ve probably noticed just how many options are out there. Online programs. One-weekend certifications. Reformer-only training. Then there are fitness-based programs that barely resemble traditional Pilates at all. It can feel just as overwhelming as trying to figure out whether the class you’re taking is actually Pilates in the first place.

If you’re not a teacher yet, or if you’ve completed a short program or a reformer-only training and find yourself wanting more, this is where a full comprehensive Pilates program becomes important. Comprehensive training teaches all of the apparatus and, more importantly, how they work together as a system.

Why The Pilates System Matters

Classical Pilates is my love. I fell into that path by accident and I stuck with that path  because I have gone out and tried all kinds of styles of Pilates and it makes the most sense to me. Joseph PIlates developed, altered, and refined his method of movement over much of his lifetime. He was in his 40’s when he opened his first studio in 1926.  Even after that he still made changes to his inventions and exercises. The exercises are progressive and one builds upon another. We can use the various apparatus to help clients work on exercises that can help them with other exercises in the system.  

I’ll be very honest. When I first learned to teach Pilates, I saw it as a bunch of exercises.  But once I took my comprehensive training, I started to see how the pieces fit together and the commonality of one exercise to another. It took many more years of workshops, taking classes, completing another teacher training program, and self practice to see the way the system really works. Over the past few years, I’ve been incredibly excited to share what I’ve learned with fellow teachers, trainees, and my own clients. There’s nothing better than hearing a client say, “Oh, this feels like that other exercise we did!” That’s when you know the puzzle pieces are starting to fall into place.

Feel Like Something is Missing? 

I often hear new teachers say that their training didn’t feel like enough or that they feel something is missing. That’s normal! Whether you are learning classical or contemporary Pilates, every teacher feels like this at some point. In fact, if you came out of your training feeling like you know all there is to know, I’d be more concerned. The truth is, the learning never ends! Feeling like you can (and want to) learn more is a good thing. 

This happens because training programs are all different, and taught by different people! Do you ever remember being in math class, and not understanding a topic at all? And then someone explained it in a new way, and it suddenly all made sense? Pilates is very much like that. I can’t tell you how many “aha!” moments I’ve had over the past twenty years, and I’m still learning. Also some programs are training their teachers a comprehensive program that is geared to having their trainees teach within their studio.  There are franchise studios that have very specific structure and rules to how their classes are formatted and what is and is not allowed to be taught. This is fine, but could make it difficult to get work at other studios unless you take further training.  

The most important thing you should come away with from any Pilates training is the ability to teach a safe, effective class or private session. 

How To Get More Pilates Training

Comprehensive Pilates training may be your goal, but there are lots of other ways to improve your Pilates knowledge. 

1. Attend classes and go try various studios and teachers.
2. Seek out teachers who have been in the industry for 10+ years.
3. Take mini workshops or weekend workshops.
4. Attend Retreats.
5. Visit Conferences.
6. Do a bridge program, which is basically a full teacher training program but in a different modality (classical vs contemporary). Or maybe you want another take on what you already learned. Programs like these come in many shapes and sizes.

At the time that I was ready to level up, I wasn’t in a financial situation to do another large program. Instead, I attended a weekly class, did workshops, and went to an annual conference to keep learning. It was a good way to stay motivated and keep practicing to be a better teacher. I invested in a larger program in 2023, when I really felt like I wanted more. I’m happy that I spread out my learning so that I have the opportunity to practice what I learn and not feel overwhelmed with information. 

b.Pilates & Fitness offers mat teacher training, comprehensive, and bridge (which we will be restructuring for 2026 Fall term).