What makes a good Pilates teacher?
What’s stopping you from becoming a qualified teacher ❓
You love doing pilates/yoga and you love how it makes you feel after a class 💜
You’ve had a tiny little idea in your mind that perhaps you could become a teacher BUT then….
The little devil’s voice pops up saying
“You can’t do that move how can you even think of becoming a teacher”
And then you put the idea to one side and forget about it for a few months or even a few years, but deep inside is still that tiny little nudge to become a teacher.
My question to you is this…..
Do you think Usain Bolt’s coach can run as fast as he can? NO of course not or he would be the one winning the medals! In fact, I have no idea what his name is!
The coach’s job is to be a facilitator and to guide Usain to keep him on track (excuse the pun) and watches for any small changes that Usain needs to make to gain that 1 second advantage.
His job is not to be in the spotlight, his job is to empower Usain Bolt to WIN and I’m sure you’ll agree he did a very good job at being a coach!
You can be an amazing teacher even if you can’t do a specific move and it does not mean you cannot be a good teacher for other people.
👉 You can still teach if you broke your leg.
👉 You can still teach if you’re 8 months pregnant.
You have an injury or you not moving in a certain way doesn’t impact your ability to guide others.
In fact, your clients will actually appreciate your example if you have a physical limitation…..
They’ll say “it’s nice to see she’s human too!” 🕺
There’s nothing more off-putting than Perfect Pam in the corner that can do every single thing with perfect precision and I do know there are people that won’t even come to your class if you’re like Bendy Wendy!
Yes, I won’t lie – You do need to know how to do it – but just because you can’t do a few movements doesn’t mean you’re not going to be a good teacher!
In fact, when we take people through our Elite Pilates Teacher Training Qualifications, they get to see some things we can’t do – some days the body might be a lot tighter and it’ll restrict certain moves.
I’m quite happy to acknowledge to my clients that my hamstrings are tight and I can’t always touch the floor…. And they like that I have issues too – and it helps people to resonate with you.
AND…. We teach you how to modify everything. We teach you how to make the exercise fit the body – not the body fit the exercise!
So, if you want to become like Usain Bolt you’ll focus on running, BUT if you want to become an amazing coach you focus on teaching him to run so it’s the same for you, as a Pilates or Yoga teacher!
One of our most popular teacher training exercises, when we do our teacher training courses, is the “NO NAME / NO DEMO” skills exercise.
Teachers get the opportunity to experiment with lots of ways of explaining things, without demonstrating or saying the name of the exercise☺.
It’s a great listening exercise too and we always have lots of laughs 🤣
Being able to watch people while you’re telling them what to do and correcting them, being fully present with them, and looking after them is what makes you a good teacher.
And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
If you’re passionate about yoga and pilates and considering teacher training, what’s stopping you is not your lack of flexibility or inability to do a certain move……
It’s your expectation of what you think a teacher needs to look like or be like.
NOW you know that a good teacher is someone that is really good at empowering others regardless of what their own body can do!
You can do it!
We have a few courses scheduled for 2022 so if you’re interested then send me a PM and I’ll send you a prospectus and the dates 🙂
Lots of love
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