Pilates is a Method.  It’s a way of exercising bound in history politics, study and passion 

Those of us that follow the system are bound by a set of clear principles set out by Joseph Pilates which should always be present in our work. The general public however, are generally unaware and I’m not convinced that interested.

At a recent Women’s health and fitness event I got to speak directly to about 350 people over 3 days, the truth is I would have been less exhausted doing 8 hours of Pilates, however, since I was the only Pilates representative there it seemed I was destined to become an impromptu Ambassador if only for  a few days.  I’m not in any way suggesting I have all the Pilates answers to all the questions but I do have 22 years’ experience of the technique in some shape or form, both as a student and teacher, so for the most part I was happy to face public scrutiny.

What came across most profoundly was the positive experience of Pilates most people were having.  Few knew where their teacher had trained (or even if they were fully qualified), however, all knew precisely just what an impact the classes were having.  Whether it was Pre Pilates, Clinical Pilates, Contemporary or Classical Pilates etc., what became apparent was most had no idea there were any differences between these descriptions.  From their perspective I’m not convinced it’s that important even if it is to those of us passionate about Pilates. Several years ago I was once fortunate enough to hear Liza Minelli say her mother’s advice had always been ‘surround yourself with the best, you will learn the most’.  I do and will continue to do so and regard myself both fortunate and blessed to be taught by truly gifted teachers.  For the general public however, when it comes to picking the right teacher it’s difficult to know what’s good or bad.  So after three days of input I’ve clarified a few things to expect from your teacher.

1. They must be passionate about their work
2. They must be a student too, learning never stops and being a student too reminds us how challenging learning can be
3. All questions and fears are valid, so feel free to ask as many as possible, a teacher that doesn’t listen is afraid of not knowing the answers
4. You should always feel positive after class that does not mean things won’t ache, hurt, confuse, frustrate or drive you crazy but you should never feel hopeless
5. Your teacher should be teaching not doing, if they are lying at the front of the class doing the exercises for an hour it is a workout for them and not for you

There are many other things I would hope to see in a Pilates teacher, but these are the qualities I expect to see regardless of training, qualifications or glossy websites and testimonials.  A teacher is very different from an instructor.  Pilates is not about just delivering directions to follow but how they apply the Method to the body or bodies in front of them.

So the choice is really yours, do you want to be taught or instructed?