A-Z of Teaching Pilates

Hello :)

If you've found your way here it's probably because you're either interested in Pilates or in teaching Pilates yourself! Well, I'm here to tell you that you can do it and to give you a few tips that might help you on your journey towards becoming an instructor.

A little background about me: I have been teaching Mat Based, Mixed Level Pilates Classes since January 2012. I completed my Level 3 Mat Pilates Instructor training course in November 2011.

However, this was certainly not the end of my learning. I've learnt a lot through teaching, taking part in other people's classes, observing, reading, writing, but most of all practising.

I wanted to share with you just a few tips that I've picked up from my own experiences over the past 4 years that you may find useful too.

A is for Animals

Some of the Pilates exercises are inspired by the look and movements of animals.

"... true rhythm and control is observed both in domestic pets and wild animals - without exception." - Joseph Pilates

'Swan Dive' is an exercise for thoracic spine mobility in extension. You can remind your students to keep their shoulders away from their ears so that their neck can be long like a swan's neck. You could also remind them to keep their gaze down so that the back of the neck is lengthened too.

Remind your students to ground down through their pelvis, gently pressing their hips and pubic bone down as their chest and spine floats away from the mat. It's always more difficult to engage the core muscles when lying prone, but imagining an ice cube underneath the belly button helps to activate the deep core muscles in this position.

Below you can see Joseph Pilates practising 'Swan dive' himself!

B is for Balance

There is Balance in the literal sense i.e. you can have a little fun with your lesson plans by integrating balance challenges that you may take from Yoga, such as 'Tree Pose'.

There is also Balance in an all-encompassing sense i.e. by focusing on the 6 Principles of Pilates in your classes (concentration, centring, control, breathing, precision, and flow) you can help your students to achieve balance, grace and fluidity.

And finally, it is important to find the right balance of exercises in your lesson plans by making sure to teach a variety of standing, seated, all fours, prone, supine, side lying, stability, strength, mobility and flexibility exercises.

C is for Co-ordination and Challenge

If you take a little time to either observe or take part in some dancing it could give you some fresh ideas to add to your classes. Movements that focus on co-ordination are great to add in to your lesson plan just to mix things up a bit.

You could begin with something simple like moving one arm in forward circles whilst moving the other arm in backward circles and gradually making the movement more complex by adding a stepping motion, twisting or turning motion into the exercise.

Make sure that your students are being challenged, if you are teaching a balance and co-ordination exercise and they appear to be finding it easy, get them to try closing their eyes or gazing in a different direction.

D is for Demonstrate

It is important to demonstrate exercises to your class with proper form. Students will be inspired by a confident instructor who can perform the exercises beautifully. Don't be afraid to demonstrate the advanced levels because even if your students cannot achieve it right away, seeing their instructor perform the harder levels will give them something to work towards.

Let's face it, it can be very daunting standing in front of a group of people and speaking, but truth be told, confidence is actually just an act.

A great handy tip for feeling more confident inside is to simply stand up tall with good posture, your shoulders back and chest open. Even if you feel shaky on the inside, it has been proven that standing tall can actually change how you feel inside.

To learn more about how to demonstrate positive and confident body language you can watch this very interesting TED Talk with Amy Cuddy who explains how practising a power stance in private for just 2 minutes before a performance has been proven to increase testosterone levels by up to 20% and decrease cortisol levels by up to 25%. These hormonal changes configure your brain to be more assertive, confident and comfortable.

TED Talk with Amy Cuddy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ks-_Mh1QhMc

E is for Elephants

I believe that we can learn a lot from elephants. In the fast paced, competitive world in which we live today it's easy to forget to breathe and focus on the present moment. Pilates really brought me back to the present moment during the end of my degree and helped me to move away from comparing myself to others, fretting about the future or mulling over the past and moved me towards a healthier attitude towards my body.

Elephants are like my mantra because they move slowly and with their own rhythm.

You may like to remind your students to go at their own pace and flow with the rhythm of their own breath. Explain to your class that in Pilates the slower you go the better and that even if they only do 1 repetition of an exercise with good form, it's better than doing 50 repetitions with poor form. Remember that it's about the quality of movement over the quantity.

F is for 'Find What Feels Good' :)

Artwork by http://www.thecrabandthemoon.com/

That's right my friends! :) Taken from one of my all time favourite Yoga teachers on the planet: Adriene Mishler. If you've not heard of her then in the words of Adriene "giddyup!" and go on over to check out her fabulous Youtube Channel 'Yoga With Adriene' a.k.a YWA.

I absolutely love this mantra 'Find What Feels Good'. It's all about being uniquely you and in the words of Adriene 'No yoga robots!' Or in this case 'No Pilates robots!' You could advise your students to listen to their body, rest if they need to at any time, and that if they feel any pain, to simply stop.

'Find What Feels Good' can also be an attitude that you could bring to your teaching style or to your own personal practise, for example, if you feel like teaching some alternate nostril breathing at the end of a session for relaxation purposes then just do it!

There's no law that says that every single thing you do in a Pilates class must come straight out of 'Return to Life Through Contrology' by Joseph Pilates - although I highly recommend the read.

G is for Greeting and Gratitude

Okay, so you don't have to know their favourite flavour of ice cream, movie or colour, but just learning a little bit about what your students want to gain from your class can give you a better idea of what kind of lesson plan you can create.

Make sure you turn up at least 5 minutes before a class so that your students can approach you if they need to ask any questions or let you know of any injuries they have before the class begins.

As your students enter the room greet them with a smile, say hello, ask how they are and if they have any injuries. Learning about your attendees in this way will enable you to offer the right modifications or alternatives to suit individuals and they will be very grateful that you have put the effort in to help them.

Gratitude is the key to happiness, so thank everyone for coming to your class because after all, without them you would be teaching to an empty room.

H is for Happiness and Helping yourself to Help others

Your students will pick up on the energy that you bring into the room, so be sure to make it positive energy. Happiness is infectious, so spread your smiles and happy vibes by making sure that you are doing things that you enjoy outside of work.

Obviously doing a job you love and have a passion for is going to make this a whole lot easier, but it's still important to take time to nourish your soul. By looking after yourself you will be better able to help others.

I is for Improving 'I'm a student AND I'm also a teacher' #UseYourAnd

'Use your 'AND' is an advertising campaign that encourages women to empower themselves by discovering their limitless 'Ands', to break through the limits of one-dimensional labels. It is a story of realising your true potential.'

You can watch the inspiring video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWrzOXj5pWY

Learn to love imperfections. We simply must accept that there is no such thing as 'perfect' and that you certainly cannot please everyone, however there is always room for improvement. Make sure that you are always open to feedback by actively making an effort to ask for it at the end of a session.

It's not always easy to take criticism, but if you focus on what you can learn from the criticism then you are more than likely going to improve in some way.

Learn to recognise when criticism is and when it is not constructive. If someone criticises you, but leaves you without any idea of how you can improve next time then dig deeper by asking questions such as, 'what in particular did you dislike about my class?' and so on.

Writing down all of the feedback that you receive into a notebook will help you to gain a balanced understanding of how your classes are being received. It's too easy to allow criticism to go straight to your heart and to forget about all of the people that have given you positive feedback too, so write all of it down.

To learn more about feedback and criticism you can watch Teal Swan's very interesting video titled 'Criticism (How to give and take feedback)' where Teal explains why people criticise, how to give feedback in a healthy way and what to do in order to stop criticising: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXBjUbZKo3A

J is for Journey and Judgement

Many people can often be judgemental of themselves and compare themselves to others especially when it comes to their body. Try to promote a healthy attitude towards the body, mind and spirit by reminding your students that it is not a competition and that we are all on our own journey.

As cliché as 'we are all on our own journey' may sound, it's the truth and it can help to cultivate compassion towards yourself and to others.

Take care with the words you decide to use when making corrections. Avoid using the words 'right' or 'wrong', instead soften your corrections by saying 'it may help if you...' and 'how does it feel if you...'. Once you have corrected a student be sure to give them some positive feedback, such as, 'very good', 'very nice', 'much better' and so on.

Remember that some people do not feel comfortable with being moved, so always ask them first. Before you move your student let them know how and why you are going to be moving them. This will help build the trust you need in order to move them in the safest way possible.

When assisting someone with a stretch always ask him/her to communicate to you when they want you to stop or when they want you to move them a little further. Remind them to breathe deeply so that they can relax into the stretch.

Never force someone deeper into a stretch or move someone unexpectedly as this is more than likely going to cause them an injury.

To summarise: When using tactile correction or assisting with a stretch always move a student slowly and mindfully whilst communicating with them clearly.

K is for Knowledge

Knowledge is confidence.

Make sure to top up on your knowledge by reading books, going to classes, watching videos, observing others teach, taking courses and so on. Whether it be about Anatomy and Physiology, the Benefits of the Pilates exercises, or the History of Pilates. The more knowledge you can have under your belt the better.

It will not only make you feel more confident, but also make your lessons even more interesting as you will be able to share your knowledge with others by integrating a few facts into the class.

Avoid lecturing your students however. Make sure that you are threading bite-size chunks of information into the class wherever you see fit, for example, whilst teaching a side stretching exercise you might explain that you are stretching the intercostal muscles between the ribcage that assist with lateral thoracic breathing (breathing into the sides of the ribcage). You might then go on to explain that this type of breathing technique is practised during the more intense core strengthening exercises, such as The Pilates Hundred.

Recommended reading:

'Pilates Anatomy' - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0736083863

'Anatomy and Physiology Colouring and Workbook' - http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0702053279

L is for Language

Notice the difference between these two sentences:

1. Just lift your hips and spine off the mat.

2. Peel the spine off the mat, slowly lifting one vertebrae at a time.

In the first sentence the word 'Just' meaning 'simply' undermines the action itself. In Pilates you want your students to move in a controlled and mindful way so that they can improve their own body awareness.

In the second sentence, the use of the verb 'Peel' offers the student a visualisation which can help them to better understand how to move. The use of the adjective 'slowly' sets a pace and being specific by explaining 'one vertebrae at a time' gives the mind something to focus on.

Now notice the difference between these two sentences:

1. Think about keeping your knees still.

2. Focus on stabilising your knees, imagining that you have wine glasses balanced on top of your knees.

In the first sentence the verb 'think' may prompt the mover to rationalise, objectify and evaluate and this can ultimately sway them towards a feeling of disconnect from their body which is the opposite of what you want to achieve.

In the second sentence the verb 'focus' prompts the mover to pay particular attention to their body and this time ultimately swaying them towards a feeling of connection to their body.

M is for Music, Mindfulness and Meditation

Choosing appropriate accompaniment (if you choose to use any) can be a difficult task. You don't want anything that's too distracting, sad or loud. It's also important to consider the tempo, quality of sound and even the lyrics (watch out for swear words).

It is also important to consider where you source your music from. If you are teaching in a gym that pays for a music license for you to legally use in your classes then all is peachy dandy, however if you own your own studio then you must pay for a PPL: http://www.ppluk.com/

If you're on a tighter budget however, there are other options, such as buying Royalty Free Music:

Here are a few helpful links where you can find quality music for your classes:

https://musicvine.net/browse/?fwp_keyword=pilates

https://musicvine.net/browse/?fwp_keyword=yoga

https://musicvine.net/browse/?fwp_keyword=meditation

http://www.davgarmusic.com/

Meditation is a fantastic way to begin or end a session. The type and length of the meditation is entirely up to you to decide, but I would recommend allowing at least 5-10 minutes. You could create a guided meditation or simply turn the lights out and allow your students to experience silence and the sound and feel of their breath. You could include some positive affirmations within your meditation or guide them through a body scan.

Here are a few useful links for meditation ideas:

Happi Empire Mini Meditations: http://www.thehappiempire.com/the-art-of-happi-thinking/mini-meditations/

Jason Stephenson Guided Meditations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytgL6slPNX8

Meditation will help your students to become present in their bodies by focusing their attention on the breath. As they become more familiar with meditation they may begin to use the breath and mindfulness techniques during the Pilates exercises and their Pilates practise may then become a moving meditation.

N is for Neutral Spine

It is very important, especially for beginners, to explain how they can find a 'neutral' spine position. This means to set-up good alignment and the natural curvature of the cervical (upper), thoracic (middle) and lumbar (lower) spine.

Here are a few examples of how you might explain 'neutral' spine to a beginner:

1. Standing - Imagine that your pelvis is a bucket of water. If you tilt your bucket (pelvis) too far forwards the water will spill out of the front and if you tilt it too far back, the water will spill out of the back. Try to balance your bucket of water in the centre. You can challenge this neutral position by practising lifting and lowering one leg into a table-top position.

2. All Fours Position - Begin by tilting the tailbone up towards the ceiling. Notice how the lumbar (lower) spine creates an arch shape when you do this. Now tilt the tailbone downwards. Notice how the lower spine rounds. Continue this motion, tilting your pelvis up and down until you find a middle point between the two extremes.

3. Supine (Lying on the back) - Place the heels of your hands onto the anterior superior iliac spine (which, for the sake of simplicity, we will call the 'hip bones'). Now bring the finger tips and thumbs together to create a triangle shape. Imagine that you have a marble inside the triangle.

Begin by tilting your pelvis forwards, imagining the marble rolling down towards the fingertips. Notice how the lumbar spine arches away from the mat as you do this and that you may be able to reach your hand underneath your lower spine here.

Now tilt your pelvis backwards, imagining the marble rolling upwards towards your thumbs. Notice how the lumbar spine flattens and you cannot reach any fingertips underneath the lower spine.

Continue this motion, tilting your pelvis forwards and backwards, imagining that the marble inside your triangle is moving upwards and downwards as you tilt your pelvis. Now try to find a middle point between the two extremes. Imagine you're trying to balance the marble in the centre of your triangle. Notice that you should be able to just about slide your fingertips underneath the lower spine, but not your whole fist underneath.

O is for Observe

Whether it be taking part in someone else's class or simply watching videos of other people teaching, observation is a fantastic way in which to learn from others. There is a world of information that you may choose to take note of, such as, the structure of their lesson, the way they describe an exercise, their tone of voice, volume, pace, body language, the music they play, and so on...

It might not even be a Pilates class that you observe. It could be anything, a dance class, yoga class, art class, simply anything that involves teaching or public speaking.

If you make a careful note of what you liked or disliked about other people's classes or their teaching style, you will be able to create a clearer picture in your mind of how you want to teach your own classes. You may choose to adapt your style or you may realise what it is that makes your style of teaching unique in comparison to others and how you might develop this further.

P is for Pre + Post Natal Pilates

There are many factors to consider when integrating a pre/post natal client into your class. Here are some of the Do's and Don'ts:

Pre-natal Pilates

Don'ts

1. Don't lie flat on the back. If your student is into her second trimester (week 13-27), advise her not to lie down flat on her back as this can cause dizziness and fainting due to the growing uterus compressing on the vena cava (a vein that returns blood from the lower part of the body to the heart), slowing circulation.

3. Don't perform flexion exercises, such as sit-ups. If your student is past her first trimester (week 1-12) advise her to avoid any crunches, sit-ups or oblique strengthening exercises due to risk of diastasis recti which is a separation of the upper rectus abdominis. Advise your student to check this with their doctor.

4. Don't teach advanced side kick exercises. Avoid the risk of your client falling forwards during the side kick exercises by making sure that she holds onto the floor with her hand for support and keeps her underneath knee bent for extra support.

5. Don't teach any prone (lying face downwards) exercises to a pregnant client for obvious reasons.

6. Don't teach developmental stretches. Opt instead for holding a stretch for about 3 breath cycles. During pregnancy a hormone known as 'relaxin' is released inside the body. Relaxin causes muscles to relax and stretch in preparation for child birth. It is important to avoid over-stretching especially in the hamstrings and adductor muscles during pregnancy as this can lead to instability in the pelvis and joints.

Do's

1. Do focus on breath. Exercises such as, breathing in for 4 counts and out for 4 counts and working up to an in-breath of 4 counts and an out-breath of 8 counts can help with relaxation. Cat stretch is also a great exercise for relaxation and focuses on synchronising breath with movement.

2. Do work on shoulder strength and stability. Strengthening and stabilising the shoulders and arms can help mothers-to-be prepare for lifting and carrying their baby. Exercises such as push-up can be performed against a wall to reduce impact on the wrist. Swimming kneeling is a great exercise to improve shoulder and pelvic stability. Dumb waiter and Corkscrew arm exercises can be performed to improve posture and shoulder stability.

3. Do teach Pelvic floor strengthening exercises. Exercises that focus on pelvic floor contractions, such as The Modified One Leg Stretch (which can be performed on the forearms) and Modified Scissors (on the forearms) can help to improve core strength and pelvic and spine stability. If you have a large exercise ball then you can teach pelvic floor strengthening exercises seated on the ball, such as knee marches, heel slides, and pelvic tilts.

4. Do teach Leg and Glute strengthening exercises. Exercises such as Side Kick, Clam, Squats, Heel raises and Lunges can be performed, however check that your student does not suffer from Diastasis Symphysis Pubis which is an abnormal widening of the pubic bones. Hip and leg abduction exercises can worsen the problem. You may teach squats to your pregnant client with their back against a wall for support. During heel raises your client may need to hold onto a barre, wall or chair for support too.

Post-natal Pilates

Advise your post-natal student to recommence classes after a minimum of 6 weeks in order to give the body time to recover and make sure that she checks with her doctor before returning to Pilates. If your student has had a caesarean advice her not to do any flexion exercises, such as sit-ups for at least 5 months.

Q is for Questions

Students often have many different questions to ask so try to arrive early and leave enough time at the end so that you are there to answer them.

Don't expect to know the answer to everything. You are a Pilates Instructor, not a doctor, not a physio, not a therapist. Put simply, you know how to stabilise, strengthen and mobilise.

What if I don't know the answer to a question? - Fret not because you can always offer to try and find out the answer for them. Don't be afraid to say 'I'm not sure about that, but I will look into it for you and get back to you'.

If you're in a rush to leave and a student is asking you a question that requires a long answer then hand out a business card with your email address and telephone number on.

R is for Rest

You are teaching your students to listen to their bodies and rest when they need to, so practise what you preach.

As a fitness instructor it is vital to get plenty of rest so that when you come to teach your classes you are vibrant, full of energy and able to demonstrate the exercises with good form.

Sleep helps your mind and body to heal and is just as important for your mind and body as food and water.

If you are a fitness instructor, chances are you teach classes on an evening and, from my own personal experience, it can be hard to switch off after teaching many classes throughout the day.

Here are a few things that may help you to switch off after a long day of teaching:

1. Dedicate at least 30 minutes to wind down before sleep

2. Leave all work related items outside of the bedroom

3. Put your phone on silent, or even better switch it off

4. Use soft lighting, such as battery powered candles or warm, gentle lamps

4. Drink a herbal tea

5. Read a good book/magazine

6. Do some sketching/colouring in

7. Pop a few drop of lavender oil onto your pillow

8. Listen to a guided meditation

9. Have a warm bath

10. Self massage or if you have a partner ask him/her to give you a massage

A few more helpful tips:

Avoid drinking any alcohol. Although it may get you to sleep quicker, it will also reduce the quality of your sleep.

Avoid looking at computer, laptop, mobile phone screens late at night as this stimulates the brain - the exact opposite of what should be happening at night.

Stay hydrated throughout the day so that you don't suffer the effects of dehydration at night i.e. a disturbed and poor quality sleep.

Make sure that you get the temperature of your room/bed right. Being too hot or too cold at night can seriously affect the quality of your sleep. Your mind will find a way of waking you up if your body overheats or becomes too cold i.e. nightmares. Sleeping with the window open helps to circulate the air in the room. Wear socks as cold feet will disturb your sleep. Bear in mind that it is better for your room to be a little cool rather than too hot.

S is for Silence

As in instructor it's easy to get carried away with instructions, descriptions and explanations and before you know it, you're rambling and not giving your students a chance to really enjoy their practise. Harness the power of silence in your lessons by integrating pauses that allow your students to feel the movement, focus on their breath and listen to their own body.

Create a steady rhythm at which you speak. Guide your students through the exercises at a smooth, flowing rhythm. If you are calm, relaxed and focused - your students are more likely to be too. Take time to pause between sentences, take a breath and take a moment to consider what you might instruct them to do or focus on next.

T is for Time

Be prepared for time to pass much faster than you might have anticipated during a class. It's not that time actually moves faster, it's simply because when you fully absorb yourself in teaching you forget about the time passing, so it appears to have flown by.

Time management is crucial when teaching a class as you only have a short amount of time to fit everything in. Plan your lesson so that you're able to fit in a short introduction (including injury checking), a 5-10 minute warm up routine, a selection of exercises (standing, all-4s, supine, prone, and side lying), and a short cool down that may involve stretching, breathing exercises, meditation and so on.

Avoid feeling rushed off your feet by planning a set amount of exercises. You might, for example, choose to do a short warm up, 8 main Pilates exercises and a short cool down. Decide on a number for the class, for example, you could say 'today's magic number is 10', so aiming for approximately 10 repetitions of each exercise.

U is for Unique

Be yourself!

Don't think that you have to teach in the exact same way as everyone else, just do it your way.

If you receive comments that your way is different to other's, take it as a compliment. It takes many different people to make the world go round and if we were all the same the world would be a very boring place.

For more information on being yourself, you can watch this video titled 'How to be yourself' where Actualized.org explains how to stop being a people-pleaser and start living your life true to who you are: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1JzhhDMcpw

V is for Visualisations

It is often difficult to see your own posture during the Pilates exercises, especially in a room without a mirror for guidance and so the use of visualisations can help students to improve their body awareness and posture without needing to look in a mirror.

Here are a few examples of how you might use visualisations to help your students better understand the movement:

1. Imagine a thread running up through the length of your spine and out through the crown of your head. Imagine that someone is pulling this thread up towards the ceiling/sky. (A cue for posture).

2. Imagine that your spine is like old wallpaper, slowly peeling away from a wall. (A cue for spine articulation - rolling down).

3. Imagine you're wearing a chunky belt that has 10 notches around your waist. Tighten your belt to the 3rd notch. (A cue for engaging the core muscles).

4. Imagine that your shoulders are melting like butter in the sunshine. (A cue for relaxing the shoulders).

5. Imagine you're standing on a beach, sinking your feet down into the soft sand. (A cue for grounding).

6. Breathe in for 4 counts, hold the breath for 2 counts, and exhale for 8 counts as if you are holding the tip of a balloon and letting the air out slowly. (A cue for breath control and relaxation).

W is for Why

Don't leave your students wondering why they are performing an exercise. Explain the purpose and benefits that an exercise can bring, for example, during The Roll Up exercise you might say, 'this exercise improves core strength, spine mobility and hamstring flexibility'.

X is for There is no X marking the spot

There is so much space, so try not to just stand in one place.

Make sure that you are moving around the room at a steady rhythm. This will enable you to take a look at your students bodies from different sides as they perform the exercises, for example, it helps to see the side view of your students when they are performing the side kick exercises so that you can check and correct alignment.

You might stand at the back of the room during Rolling down exercise, so that you can see if your students are articulating through their spines. If you notice that someone is rolling up and down in one block, you might then decide to offer some tactile guidance by walking your index finger and middle finger up their spine, instructing them to try to stack one vertebrae on top of another.

During the shoulder bridge, you might choose to observe from a front view so that you can check the alignment of the feet, knees and ankles. You may then take a side view to check the alignment of the spine, head and neck.

Y is for Yoga

So, if you're anything like me, then you'll love yoga. So long as the poses are safe and effective for your students, there is no reason why you cannot incorporate a few poses into your warm up or work out routine. You might choose to add a warrior pose, a hip opening stretch, a balance challenge, child pose, downward dog, goddess pose, and so on... Yoga poses are not owned by anyone, so it's not stealing. Have fun :).