WEBVTT
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Hello.
00:00:08.855 --> 00:00:09.935
Hello everybody.
00:00:09.996 --> 00:00:16.536
Welcome and welcome back to Pilates Teachers' Manual, your guide to becoming a great Pilates teacher.
00:00:16.896 --> 00:00:17.765
I'm Olivia.
00:00:18.306 --> 00:00:27.146
Remember you get the latest updates when you join my community at BuyMeACoffee.com/OliviaPodcasts or follow along on Instagram at @PilatesTeachersManual.
00:00:28.995 --> 00:00:32.466
The Book is available now.
00:00:32.526 --> 00:00:35.805
You can purchase it and other podcast merch at shop.OliviaBioni.com.
00:00:38.646 --> 00:00:44.316
My book is also available on Amazon in Kindle format, but it is more expensive.
00:00:44.735 --> 00:00:46.445
But there's a super easy workaround.
00:00:46.475 --> 00:00:55.316
If you purchase the book from me, you can then convert either the EPUB or PDF version of the book into a Kindle-friendly file by going to amazon.com/sendtoKindle.
00:00:57.816 --> 00:01:02.585
Saves your wallet and you get the same awesome book in a Kindle compatible format.
00:01:02.886 --> 00:01:05.676
Just know that the EPUB is gonna transfer the nicest.
00:01:05.676 --> 00:01:11.615
A PDF is just a PDF on your Kindle, so you'll have to like zoom in and move the page around, things like that.
00:01:12.126 --> 00:01:13.506
Another exciting announcement.
00:01:14.256 --> 00:01:21.876
I am hosting my workshop, Creating An Inclusive Class for Prenatal Clients live and in person next Saturday, January 17th, from 1:00
00:01:21.876 --> 00:01:24.756
00 PM at the Pilates Summit.
00:01:25.115 --> 00:01:37.566
I know it's short notice, but if you're in the Chicagoland area and you need some CECs, I have linked to the Pilates Summit in the show notes.
00:01:38.016 --> 00:01:40.361
This workshop, I've hosted it before.
00:01:40.361 --> 00:01:51.680
It includes a one hour prop-free, prenatal-friendly mat Pilates Masterclass and a two hour best practices presentation with some q and a time built in.
00:01:52.070 --> 00:02:11.131
This workshop is designed to help you gain confidence working with both prenatal and postpartum clients and feel what those prenatal modifications feel like in your own body, as well as understanding the why and the how to modify our Pilates exercises when you happen to have a pregnant friend in your class.
00:02:11.881 --> 00:02:20.461
You can earn three National Pilates Certification Program continuing education credits by attending my workshop, and it's also a great way to connect in real life.
00:02:22.756 --> 00:02:23.985
I am really looking forward to it.
00:02:23.985 --> 00:02:29.776
I think it's gonna be a lot of fun, so I hope that I'll get to see you there.
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Happy New Year everybody.
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Uh, it's been a minute.
00:02:35.506 --> 00:02:40.635
I took a short hiatus, but I am so excited to be back in the podcasting saddle.
00:02:40.966 --> 00:02:47.145
Today's episode is all about the fundamental skills of a great Pilates teacher.
00:02:47.475 --> 00:02:54.256
So what do you absolutely need to do when you teach to lead the most fabulous Pilates class?
00:02:54.975 --> 00:03:04.366
Naturally, we can always improve our skills, and when I throw some of these ideas out here, you might think, okay, but I can go beyond that.
00:03:04.366 --> 00:03:08.415
Of course you can, but for this episode, we're establishing kind of a baseline.
00:03:08.475 --> 00:03:11.895
These are the things we need to do to be great teachers.
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I also want to add to these kind of foundational skills, this idea that in addition to teaching a great class, what you do before and after your class is also contributing to being an excellent instructor.
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Because in my opinion, there is a pre-class component to the class, and that's being there on time and ready to teach.
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That's welcoming clients as they come in.
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That's introducing yourself to new clients, asking their name if they have any injuries, asking about hands-on corrections.
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Plus it's setting up the room the way you need it.
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The springs for the reformer.
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What props need to be accessible?
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Does the studio play music during class?
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If yes, is music playing?
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All of those kind of housekeeping things for the space, but also checking in with getting to know the people in your class, saying hi to people you already know.
00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:18.060
During the class itself, there are a bunch of things that we need to accomplish, and the great news is your teacher training really covered these points extensively.
00:04:18.511 --> 00:04:21.540
I would say that cueing clearly is huge.
00:04:21.961 --> 00:04:35.896
At Club Pilates, we have a cueing format called PEACE RR, which is a mnemonic for position to start, exercise name, action, concept cues and corrections, explaining the breath, return and repeat.
00:04:36.615 --> 00:04:46.276
You don't have to follow that exact cueing strategy, but you do need to make sure that you're cueing the exercises in a way that the people in your class can understand them.
00:04:47.985 --> 00:05:01.786
In addition to cueing with clarity, you're also offering modifications for exercises, both based on what clients have shared with you, the injuries, the limitations they have, any requests that they've shared.
00:05:02.235 --> 00:05:15.495
But also when you see a person struggling in class or confused or unable to perform a movement, you wanna make sure that you're offering some options to people.
00:05:16.636 --> 00:05:24.016
In addition to regressing the exercises, offering those modifications, also offering progressions In your exercise series.
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People like to be challenged.
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They want to push themselves in ways that they wouldn't push on their own.
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This is part of the beauty and the joy of teaching group classes, so making sure that you're providing your clients with challenges as well.
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A class is composed of a bunch of exercises kind of strung together.
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Those exercises are the building blocks of a class, so really being intentional about how those exercises build makes the class itself feel intentional.
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There's housekeeping that happens during the class as well.
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Some studios have a specific structure that you follow when you teach at that studio.
00:06:12.091 --> 00:06:14.971
Maybe it's an order of exercises.
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Maybe there's a specific way of moving the spine that builds.
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There's probably infinite ways of organizing a class.
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Some studios have a specific way that they do it, so if that's true where you teach, you have to make sure that you're hitting that brief as well.
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If you're saying to yourself, I don't have a set structure, I can kind of teach whatever I want.
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There's still other checklists that you might have in the back of your mind, like working all major muscle groups or moving the spine in all directions, or making sure to use certain pieces of equipment in your class.
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Whatever those requirements may be, you wanna make sure that your class plan is addressing it.
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And if you really don't have any structure, I would offer those as a kind of a structure.
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This is what's in the back of my head when I'm teaching.
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It's working all major muscle groups to make sure that I'm not just doing arms in my class.
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I've got a nice balance of front body, side, body, back, body, arms and legs.
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Moving the spine in all directions is something that's kind of unique to Pilates, which is a great thing to do.
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So making sure you're not only working flexion, but you're working flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation.
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And depending on the studio space that you're teaching in, I've taught at studios that were just reformers, so obviously we would just use the reformer.
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But if you have more things to play with, maybe it's incorporating two pieces of equipment or three pieces of equipment, or maybe the class is something like a jump board class where you wanna make sure that you're using the jump board.
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Again, whatever those requirements are, your class plan should check all of those boxes.
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Individual attention is a gift that we offer the people in our classes, and I wanna raise the bar on how much individual attention you're giving people in your group class.
00:08:06.656 --> 00:08:17.786
I believe that our ability to observe the people in our class and then having the knowledge to offer suggestions and give a correction is a huge part of teaching, like a massive part of teaching.
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Your studio may have requirements that every person in class gets one individual correction or three individual corrections.
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It may not be a requirement.
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It might just be something you're encouraged to do, but I'm gonna say that this is something that we should be doing as Pilates teachers.
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We should be looking at the people in the room, noticing where they might be struggling, if they're really confused.
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Offering that modification, but also if they're doing their best, but something's a little bit off, maybe it's a placement or an alignment in the exercise that we're able to intervene and make a suggestion, offer a correction.
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It's one of the most requested things by people who take group classes is that individual attention, and I think that that's something that we can all aspire to do.
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Caveat to that is balancing that individual attention with running the group class.
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So you have to be able to keep an eye on the group and program your class in a way that maybe they're doing something for a little bit of time so that you can make a correction.
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If you don't spend enough time in each exercise, giving corrections is really difficult, but if you intentionally build the exercises in a way that they can continue doing that exercise while you give an adjustment to someone.
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I think that that is a real great skill to have as a teacher.
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So building on that, there are aspects of teaching that aren't pinpointable to a specific moment, but kind of an overall thing, like being present, not being distracted, or checking your phone or that you're considering safety in your programming, and this goes to kind of that intentionality in your program, the way you carry yourself, that you are confident, you're projecting that confidence as you're teaching.
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I think that that sets a great Pilates teacher apart.
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Intentional transitions, that you're really mindful about how you get from place to place in your class and how much time you spend in each spot.
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That the class is balanced, it's well-rounded, it's level appropriate, which is again, very specific to where you're teaching.
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But if you're teaching a beginner class, you are teaching a beginner class, and if it's an advanced class, you're giving those advanced options.
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You're also starting and ending your class on time, which again, sounds like an easy thing, but is such an important thing.
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Great teachers start and end their classes on time.
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The punctuality problem can be solved by wearing a watch, but something like planning a class that's level appropriate, balanced, and with smooth transitions will probably take some planning and practice to internalize and execute, which is fine.
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It is totally fine that it takes time, but I do think that it's an important thing.
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As I mentioned, after the class is part of the class that's resetting the equipment, saying goodbye to clients.
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Being available to answer questions and connect with people for a minute after class are all things that you should do when you teach.
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And then just like every exercise in class, you just rinse and repeat that for every class that you teach.
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At first glance, you may see these skills and think that that's way too tall of an order.
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Some of the asks are simpler, like if the studio you teach at has music during class, you turn on music for your class.
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Done.
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But some skills, like those transitions being intentional, are much more involved.
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You have to think a lot more about how your class program is organized to make sure that you're making the most of every change of equipment or change of body position, to make sure that the class continues to flow smoothly.
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For example, you wouldn't teach sidekick on one side and then immediately flip over to do sidekick on the other side, and then go back to the first side to do a clam, and then go back to the second side for more clams, right?
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You would teach everything on one side and then you would teach everything on the second side.
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You may even do something in between the sides, like adding in a little quadruped series or something supine or prone to make the most of the transition.
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And now you have a cute little around the world series of side, middle, side.
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It can take a lot of practice to start thinking about your program in a way that prioritizes class flow, but it is crucial to teaching group classes.
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You may be surprised at how many of these things you're already doing when you teach.
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Each of these points I found to make a big difference in my overall teaching, which is why I'm sharing them with you.
00:13:08.847 --> 00:13:17.217
So instead of letting this list intimidate you if there are things that you aren't doing, I'd love that it encourages you to expand your skillset as a teacher.
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For example, if you didn't consider the minutes before and after your class to be part of your teaching, I really think that you should think of that as part of your work as a Pilates teacher.
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You know from listening to this podcast, how much I personally lean into those moments of community building and connection with the folks in my class.
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And I can tell you from my personal experience that it has made the biggest difference to not only the people who take my classes, who look forward to them so much that they've signed up weeks in advance to make sure they've reserved a spot, but also for me, because that sense of connection makes me feel very fulfilled in this job, and it is in a lot of ways unique to our job.
00:14:03.447 --> 00:14:16.738
As always, I want you to be the most successful and fabulous Pilates teacher that you can be, and I think developing these skills will set you up for great success in the profession of teaching Pilates.
00:14:17.238 --> 00:14:20.268
Huge thank you to all my supporters on Buy Me A Coffee.
00:14:20.807 --> 00:14:27.557
I'm so glad to be back recording episodes and I'm really looking forward to this month's Coffee Chats.
00:14:28.217 --> 00:14:30.437
I hope you all have a great couple weeks.
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The adventure continues.
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Until next time.
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Hello.
00:00:08.855 --> 00:00:09.935
Hello everybody.
00:00:09.996 --> 00:00:16.536
Welcome and welcome back to Pilates Teachers' Manual, your guide to becoming a great Pilates teacher.
00:00:16.896 --> 00:00:17.765
I'm Olivia.
00:00:18.306 --> 00:00:27.146
Remember you get the latest updates when you join my community at BuyMeACoffee.com/OliviaPodcasts or follow along on Instagram at @PilatesTeachersManual.
00:00:28.995 --> 00:00:32.466
The Book is available now.
00:00:32.526 --> 00:00:35.805
You can purchase it and other podcast merch at shop.OliviaBioni.com.
00:00:38.646 --> 00:00:44.316
My book is also available on Amazon in Kindle format, but it is more expensive.
00:00:44.735 --> 00:00:46.445
But there's a super easy workaround.
00:00:46.475 --> 00:00:55.316
If you purchase the book from me, you can then convert either the EPUB or PDF version of the book into a Kindle-friendly file by going to amazon.com/sendtoKindle.
00:00:57.816 --> 00:01:02.585
Saves your wallet and you get the same awesome book in a Kindle compatible format.
00:01:02.886 --> 00:01:05.676
Just know that the EPUB is gonna transfer the nicest.
00:01:05.676 --> 00:01:11.615
A PDF is just a PDF on your Kindle, so you'll have to like zoom in and move the page around, things like that.
00:01:12.126 --> 00:01:13.506
Another exciting announcement.
00:01:14.256 --> 00:01:21.876
I am hosting my workshop, Creating An Inclusive Class for Prenatal Clients live and in person next Saturday, January 17th, from 1:00
00:01:21.876 --> 00:01:24.756
00 PM at the Pilates Summit.
00:01:25.115 --> 00:01:37.566
I know it's short notice, but if you're in the Chicagoland area and you need some CECs, I have linked to the Pilates Summit in the show notes.
00:01:38.016 --> 00:01:40.361
This workshop, I've hosted it before.
00:01:40.361 --> 00:01:51.680
It includes a one hour prop-free, prenatal-friendly mat Pilates Masterclass and a two hour best practices presentation with some q and a time built in.
00:01:52.070 --> 00:02:11.131
This workshop is designed to help you gain confidence working with both prenatal and postpartum clients and feel what those prenatal modifications feel like in your own body, as well as understanding the why and the how to modify our Pilates exercises when you happen to have a pregnant friend in your class.
00:02:11.881 --> 00:02:20.461
You can earn three National Pilates Certification Program continuing education credits by attending my workshop, and it's also a great way to connect in real life.
00:02:22.756 --> 00:02:23.985
I am really looking forward to it.
00:02:23.985 --> 00:02:29.776
I think it's gonna be a lot of fun, so I hope that I'll get to see you there.
00:02:32.466 --> 00:02:34.156
Happy New Year everybody.
00:02:34.276 --> 00:02:35.506
Uh, it's been a minute.
00:02:35.506 --> 00:02:40.635
I took a short hiatus, but I am so excited to be back in the podcasting saddle.
00:02:40.966 --> 00:02:47.145
Today's episode is all about the fundamental skills of a great Pilates teacher.
00:02:47.475 --> 00:02:54.256
So what do you absolutely need to do when you teach to lead the most fabulous Pilates class?
00:02:54.975 --> 00:03:04.366
Naturally, we can always improve our skills, and when I throw some of these ideas out here, you might think, okay, but I can go beyond that.
00:03:04.366 --> 00:03:08.415
Of course you can, but for this episode, we're establishing kind of a baseline.
00:03:08.475 --> 00:03:11.895
These are the things we need to do to be great teachers.
00:03:12.395 --> 00:03:28.116
I also want to add to these kind of foundational skills, this idea that in addition to teaching a great class, what you do before and after your class is also contributing to being an excellent instructor.
00:03:28.716 --> 00:03:36.605
Because in my opinion, there is a pre-class component to the class, and that's being there on time and ready to teach.
00:03:36.846 --> 00:03:39.485
That's welcoming clients as they come in.
00:03:39.725 --> 00:03:47.015
That's introducing yourself to new clients, asking their name if they have any injuries, asking about hands-on corrections.
00:03:48.050 --> 00:03:50.480
Plus it's setting up the room the way you need it.
00:03:50.510 --> 00:03:52.100
The springs for the reformer.
00:03:52.100 --> 00:03:54.110
What props need to be accessible?
00:03:54.591 --> 00:03:57.140
Does the studio play music during class?
00:03:57.320 --> 00:03:59.121
If yes, is music playing?
00:03:59.181 --> 00:04:08.330
All of those kind of housekeeping things for the space, but also checking in with getting to know the people in your class, saying hi to people you already know.
00:04:08.580 --> 00:04:18.060
During the class itself, there are a bunch of things that we need to accomplish, and the great news is your teacher training really covered these points extensively.
00:04:18.511 --> 00:04:21.540
I would say that cueing clearly is huge.
00:04:21.961 --> 00:04:35.896
At Club Pilates, we have a cueing format called PEACE RR, which is a mnemonic for position to start, exercise name, action, concept cues and corrections, explaining the breath, return and repeat.
00:04:36.615 --> 00:04:46.276
You don't have to follow that exact cueing strategy, but you do need to make sure that you're cueing the exercises in a way that the people in your class can understand them.
00:04:47.985 --> 00:05:01.786
In addition to cueing with clarity, you're also offering modifications for exercises, both based on what clients have shared with you, the injuries, the limitations they have, any requests that they've shared.
00:05:02.235 --> 00:05:15.495
But also when you see a person struggling in class or confused or unable to perform a movement, you wanna make sure that you're offering some options to people.
00:05:16.636 --> 00:05:24.016
In addition to regressing the exercises, offering those modifications, also offering progressions In your exercise series.
00:05:24.225 --> 00:05:25.966
People like to be challenged.
00:05:25.966 --> 00:05:30.646
They want to push themselves in ways that they wouldn't push on their own.
00:05:31.185 --> 00:05:37.995
This is part of the beauty and the joy of teaching group classes, so making sure that you're providing your clients with challenges as well.
00:05:43.740 --> 00:05:49.201
A class is composed of a bunch of exercises kind of strung together.
00:05:49.261 --> 00:05:59.581
Those exercises are the building blocks of a class, so really being intentional about how those exercises build makes the class itself feel intentional.
00:06:02.610 --> 00:06:05.940
There's housekeeping that happens during the class as well.
00:06:06.360 --> 00:06:11.790
Some studios have a specific structure that you follow when you teach at that studio.
00:06:12.091 --> 00:06:14.971
Maybe it's an order of exercises.
00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:20.310
Maybe there's a specific way of moving the spine that builds.
00:06:22.425 --> 00:06:25.185
There's probably infinite ways of organizing a class.
00:06:25.185 --> 00:06:31.995
Some studios have a specific way that they do it, so if that's true where you teach, you have to make sure that you're hitting that brief as well.
00:06:33.091 --> 00:06:36.990
If you're saying to yourself, I don't have a set structure, I can kind of teach whatever I want.
00:06:37.350 --> 00:06:49.290
There's still other checklists that you might have in the back of your mind, like working all major muscle groups or moving the spine in all directions, or making sure to use certain pieces of equipment in your class.
00:06:49.860 --> 00:06:55.170
Whatever those requirements may be, you wanna make sure that your class plan is addressing it.
00:06:55.680 --> 00:07:02.031
And if you really don't have any structure, I would offer those as a kind of a structure.
00:07:02.031 --> 00:07:04.670
This is what's in the back of my head when I'm teaching.
00:07:05.091 --> 00:07:10.221
It's working all major muscle groups to make sure that I'm not just doing arms in my class.
00:07:10.221 --> 00:07:14.750
I've got a nice balance of front body, side, body, back, body, arms and legs.
00:07:16.641 --> 00:07:21.290
Moving the spine in all directions is something that's kind of unique to Pilates, which is a great thing to do.
00:07:21.290 --> 00:07:28.250
So making sure you're not only working flexion, but you're working flexion, extension, lateral flexion and rotation.
00:07:29.060 --> 00:07:38.000
And depending on the studio space that you're teaching in, I've taught at studios that were just reformers, so obviously we would just use the reformer.
00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:48.740
But if you have more things to play with, maybe it's incorporating two pieces of equipment or three pieces of equipment, or maybe the class is something like a jump board class where you wanna make sure that you're using the jump board.
00:07:49.161 --> 00:07:54.531
Again, whatever those requirements are, your class plan should check all of those boxes.
00:07:55.031 --> 00:08:06.190
Individual attention is a gift that we offer the people in our classes, and I wanna raise the bar on how much individual attention you're giving people in your group class.
00:08:06.656 --> 00:08:17.786
I believe that our ability to observe the people in our class and then having the knowledge to offer suggestions and give a correction is a huge part of teaching, like a massive part of teaching.
00:08:18.716 --> 00:08:25.735
Your studio may have requirements that every person in class gets one individual correction or three individual corrections.
00:08:26.235 --> 00:08:28.036
It may not be a requirement.
00:08:28.036 --> 00:08:36.735
It might just be something you're encouraged to do, but I'm gonna say that this is something that we should be doing as Pilates teachers.
00:08:36.735 --> 00:08:45.676
We should be looking at the people in the room, noticing where they might be struggling, if they're really confused.
00:08:46.291 --> 00:09:00.061
Offering that modification, but also if they're doing their best, but something's a little bit off, maybe it's a placement or an alignment in the exercise that we're able to intervene and make a suggestion, offer a correction.
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It's one of the most requested things by people who take group classes is that individual attention, and I think that that's something that we can all aspire to do.
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Caveat to that is balancing that individual attention with running the group class.
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So you have to be able to keep an eye on the group and program your class in a way that maybe they're doing something for a little bit of time so that you can make a correction.
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If you don't spend enough time in each exercise, giving corrections is really difficult, but if you intentionally build the exercises in a way that they can continue doing that exercise while you give an adjustment to someone.
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I think that that is a real great skill to have as a teacher.
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So building on that, there are aspects of teaching that aren't pinpointable to a specific moment, but kind of an overall thing, like being present, not being distracted, or checking your phone or that you're considering safety in your programming, and this goes to kind of that intentionality in your program, the way you carry yourself, that you are confident, you're projecting that confidence as you're teaching.
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I think that that sets a great Pilates teacher apart.
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Intentional transitions, that you're really mindful about how you get from place to place in your class and how much time you spend in each spot.
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That the class is balanced, it's well-rounded, it's level appropriate, which is again, very specific to where you're teaching.
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But if you're teaching a beginner class, you are teaching a beginner class, and if it's an advanced class, you're giving those advanced options.
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You're also starting and ending your class on time, which again, sounds like an easy thing, but is such an important thing.
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Great teachers start and end their classes on time.
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The punctuality problem can be solved by wearing a watch, but something like planning a class that's level appropriate, balanced, and with smooth transitions will probably take some planning and practice to internalize and execute, which is fine.
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It is totally fine that it takes time, but I do think that it's an important thing.
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As I mentioned, after the class is part of the class that's resetting the equipment, saying goodbye to clients.
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Being available to answer questions and connect with people for a minute after class are all things that you should do when you teach.
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And then just like every exercise in class, you just rinse and repeat that for every class that you teach.
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At first glance, you may see these skills and think that that's way too tall of an order.
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Some of the asks are simpler, like if the studio you teach at has music during class, you turn on music for your class.
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Done.
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But some skills, like those transitions being intentional, are much more involved.
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You have to think a lot more about how your class program is organized to make sure that you're making the most of every change of equipment or change of body position, to make sure that the class continues to flow smoothly.
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For example, you wouldn't teach sidekick on one side and then immediately flip over to do sidekick on the other side, and then go back to the first side to do a clam, and then go back to the second side for more clams, right?
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You would teach everything on one side and then you would teach everything on the second side.
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You may even do something in between the sides, like adding in a little quadruped series or something supine or prone to make the most of the transition.
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And now you have a cute little around the world series of side, middle, side.
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It can take a lot of practice to start thinking about your program in a way that prioritizes class flow, but it is crucial to teaching group classes.
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You may be surprised at how many of these things you're already doing when you teach.
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Each of these points I found to make a big difference in my overall teaching, which is why I'm sharing them with you.
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So instead of letting this list intimidate you if there are things that you aren't doing, I'd love that it encourages you to expand your skillset as a teacher.
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For example, if you didn't consider the minutes before and after your class to be part of your teaching, I really think that you should think of that as part of your work as a Pilates teacher.
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You know from listening to this podcast, how much I personally lean into those moments of community building and connection with the folks in my class.
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And I can tell you from my personal experience that it has made the biggest difference to not only the people who take my classes, who look forward to them so much that they've signed up weeks in advance to make sure they've reserved a spot, but also for me, because that sense of connection makes me feel very fulfilled in this job, and it is in a lot of ways unique to our job.
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As always, I want you to be the most successful and fabulous Pilates teacher that you can be, and I think developing these skills will set you up for great success in the profession of teaching Pilates.
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Huge thank you to all my supporters on Buy Me A Coffee.
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I'm so glad to be back recording episodes and I'm really looking forward to this month's Coffee Chats.
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I hope you all have a great couple weeks.
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The adventure continues.
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Until next time.
