As an owner of a successful studio and teacher training centre I love this topic!!! What does a pilates or yoga teacher REALLY look like???
I feel that image is so overrated AND also very shallow and skin deep❣️
Some of the best pilates teachers I know do not LOOK like a supermodel or a gym bunny, yet they are exceptionally good at what they do.
It’s often a topic of discussion on our pilates courses, in between a tea break or when someone opens up about their own self-doubt about becoming a teacher because they can’t do a particular exercise or they don’t look like the Instagram photos….
I do think times are changing and maybe 10 or 20 years ago fitness instructors most definitely had to LOOK the part!
HOWEVER, as we (as in society) are starting to acknowledge people of all sorts of shapes, sizes and disabilities, it’s becoming more common to see a teacher who is a few pounds overweight or a teacher who can’t bend herself into a pretzel…
I love that we are actually starting to accept teachers who are older on pilates courses and the best part is….🕺
SO WILL YOUR CLIENTS!!!
I often hear “I’m not thin enough” “Flexible enough” “bendy enough” when people talk to me about becoming a teacher.
And guess what …..
Just because you LOOK a certain way, does not mean you will have the skill and personality to make a good teacher! 🤛
Yes, it’s inspiring for people to have a teacher who isn’t a couch potato with ice-cream and cookies pouring out of their mouth – BUT it’s also inspiring for people who are perhaps overweight or older, to be in a class where the teacher “is just like them”.
What will go through their minds is…..
“If they can do it so can I”
And they will be in a class where they are not being judged.
At the end of the day being a GOOD teacher has absolutely nothing to do with how you LOOK, but everything to do with HOW you teach, HOW you care for your clients and HOW you show up…. Muffin top and all! 🧁
If you’ve been thinking about your teacher training qualification and you’ve been worried about this. It’s all about the passion you bring to the table and I would hate for this to stop you taking that step!
To be perfectly honest this has started to crop up in my own life over the past few months, as the menopause is starting to creep up and all of a sudden my knees have wrinkles and I’ve got fat rolls that have just appeared out of no-where!!!
A part of me has had a panic about “omg what will THEY think” when in fact…. Most of my clients secretly think “It’s nice to know she’s like us!”
and the other part of me thinks…. I am still the same teacher with the same skills (actually I’d like to think I’m a better teacher every day!) so the few extra inches around my waist (or arse) shouldn’t matter to me or anyone else when it comes to my teaching skills!
Can you imagine if ALL teachers were bendy Wendy’s and like supermodels….🙅♀️
🤜 I dread to think what most of the population would think about themselves as those “figures” are NOT attainable or healthy!!!
If you are a few pounds overweight or a bit older or maybe a bit more inflexible – DO NOT LET THAT STOP YOU FROM BEING A TEACHER. 💪
There are people out there who want a teacher that is just like them!!! 🕺💘🙌
Lots of love, Tanja Foy (Pilates Courses in Devon)
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