Pilates – We All Have to Start Somewhere

 

I was thinking about how far I have come with Pilates and where I got started. We all have to start somewhere.

What sparked this thought? I wrote a blog called, “5 Great Pilates Exercises for Runners” and it was suggested that I should just simply be teaching the Pilates method to runners and all athletes. I absolutely agree BUT lots of runners and athletes are very committed to their training. They know that Pilates would help them feel and perform better. Fitting in one more thing sometimes just seems impossible though. It is just a matter of getting started. So I figure, why not introduce them to a tidbit of Pilates, with the hope that they will love it and want more.

I didn’t start Pilates in a studio just doing the “method”.

Did I know the difference? NO!

My first actual experience doing Pilates was with a DVD that had come with a container of baby formula. I was at home a lot with the baby and used the DVD to fit in the odd workout at home.

What kind of Pilates was it? I don’t know.

Did I like it? I think I did.

A few years later, I started participating in a Pilates class at the gym. I really liked it.

Did I know what kind of Pilates I was doing? NO!

Did I know who trained my teacher? NO!

Did I know that there was anything more than mat Pilates? NO!

My Pilates instructor got married and headed off to Australia for 6 months. Next thing I knew, I was asked to be the next Pilates teacher at the gym, because I apparently knew what I was doing.

Did my manager know anything about Pilates? No! To her and most of the gym members, Pilates was just a bunch of stretchy exercises, similar to yoga that any fitness leader could figure out.

I sought out at local teacher training course to teach mat Pilates at the gym. There was a new certification program being started by BC Parks and Recreation. This was a 40-hour teacher training program, with 8 hours of practicum, a written test, and a final Instructor Competency Evaluation. I was SO excited to finally get my Pilates teacher training.

The course was taught at a “real” Pilates Studio by a teacher who had trained under the Pilates Centre in Boulder, CO. This was the first time I had ever seen the Plates apparatus or knew anything about a fully comprehensive training program. As I sat there learning to be a “Pilates Teacher”, I quickly figured out that I was only learning an incremental amount of what Pilates is. I went back to teaching Pilates with my new certificate, now knowing that there was so much more to learn.

Was this a bad way to get started as a Pilates teacher? No. It was a starting point.

Fast forward a couple of years, I signed up for the full comprehensive teacher training program. This was a large financial and time commitment.

Was this a well-known teacher training program? No.

Could I have traveled to a more recognized teacher training program? Yes, however with small children and a husband who traveled very often for work. This program was a better fit for me.

I passed the program, I passed the PMA exam, I continued teaching at the gym and at two Pilates Studios. I began attending conferences and workshops and trying out various “styles” of Pilates. I’d say that I am a “Classical” pilates teacher. I’m always seeking more knowledge and experience. I’m happy that this is the path of training that I feel into and I love it.

Do my clients ask me where I was trained? N0. Do they ask if I am a contemporary or classical teacher? NO. Do they care? I don’t think so.

Do I try to educate my clients about the history of Pilates and how the method is sequenced in a such a way the exercises prepare you for the next ones in the series? Absolutely!

I have clients who started Pilates with mat classes a the gym or their yoga studio, just like I did.

Is this a bad way to start Pilates? NO! It was a starting point. It got these people interested in learning more.  They did more research and decide to try out the apparatus.

Some of my clients started Pilates by attended short classes that I have taught to their running club or they attended a workshop that I put on specifically for runners.
All of this is good.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Even if that means doing 5 Pilates exercises a few times a week after your run.