Ready, Start, Go – learning to teach Pilates
Posted by Lesley Powell on February 11, 2008 · 5 Comments
by Lesley Powell, faculty of Balanced Body University.
After teaching Pilates Teacher programs for many years, the hardest thing for the new teacher to find is putting time aside for their practice. Even though one has made a committment to take the necessary courses to become a teacher, most have trouble reorganizing their lives for this.
Pilates is a complicated system. First there is the philosophical, anatomical and repertory concepts to be learned. Then there is learning how to use the machines, how many springs, how to place the client, the footbar, the ropes, etc.
Understanding Level I/Reformer I is an essential building block for understanding and performing more advanced exercises. Even as a Pilates teacher of 18 years, plunging back into Level I materials reconnects me to my body and the richness of this material.
As all performers, one has to keep the practice fresh. Otherwise one becomes rigid and wooden. A teacher needs to keep alive their learning. Wooden/robot teaching is deadly to the teacher as well as the student.
Each time I practice, my brain finds new ways/images to perform an exercise. To move without consciousness, real change and connection cannot happen. As I enrich how I feel as I move, I have something more to give to my students.
Knowledge comes in layers.
- What is the name of the exercise, equipment setup & setup of client on the reformer?
- What Balanced Body U’s movements principles will deepen/warmup one’s experience of a exercise?
- What is the theme of the workout? Does it flow? Does it prepare the client with a good warmup and executing more difficult exercises?
Where is your practice this week?
- How many hours did you put aside for practice/observation?
- Did you make a date with your fellow colleagues to go over the material?
Let me know how it goes!!
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Filed under A-linkPilates, abdominals, Bartenieff Fundamentals (BF), core strengthening, For Wellness, Personal training Certification, Uncategorized · Tagged with A-linkPilates, abdominals, Ace, back pain, Balancedbody, BalancedBody University, bartenieff Fundamentals, cadillac, core support, fitnesscertificate, For Wellness, pilates mat, posture, reformer, wunda chair
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Thanks for taking the time to set this up. This afternoon I was going over various pilates exercises to incorporate into the Core Vinyasa class I’m teaching tonight. Last Friday I took a private reformer class in Norfolk, Va and actually got out of my lats for the first time. Looking forward to seeing everyone in Level 2.
hey, I really appreciate this lesley!
My life is Pilatized right now. Constantly thinking, reading,practicing.I have been working with lesley on Mov. Af. and her fellow teachers. Tommorrow I will teach a friend that never did Pilates before. I’m also ready to buy a Pilated Reformer, just waiting for the discount code. I have job offers in equinox and Biolancio, and lots of private students waiting for me to graduate.
This is a good idea. It lets me see how everyone is doing so it is more of a community type experience.
I am doing a lot of pilates and am feeling achey to be quite honest. I know it will pass but I
wake up knowing where my abdominals and multifidus is. I am working a lot with the roller so
my back becomes more flexible and pliant (just thought I would throw that word in).
I am working mostly in a studio way up town as it is new and there is less traffic there. It is tough to figure out how much or little to do with a client so they enjoy it enough to want to come back. (please come back!!!)
When a pilates machine gets used to death I can just throw spring weights out the door-I have been giving people a range of springs or say that if they feel it’s too much or too little we will change it. Basically you can tell by seeing their form as they perform the action.
I think it is really tough to reorganize your life and fit pilates and all it takes into the daily experience. I am having trouble taking enough classes and it is just difficult to get up and go and I make up tons of excuses. I am also not doing enough mat and am thinking of looking for a job doing mat to get myself back into the practice….
Thank-you for this site!
Great resources for Pilates on the internet
http://www.pilates-pro.com/
and the Newsletters of Balanced Body
http://www.pilates.com/BBAPP/V/contact/newsletter-signup.html
and Pilates Style http://www.pilatesstyle.com/html/
I think it would be interesting to share different ways in which we warm our clients up before we start teaching on the reformer. I have been doing cat-cow and right left balance on all 4′s toward the back of the reformer and then mermaid and cleopatra then on to footwork. I think it is a little too long, so I am going to cut it back some. But it really does warm up the body for the work. Also, I feel like I need to go over the hour because of the warm-up….that also needs to shorten up-lol.