Which instructor ..... and WHY?

WOW what has education done for me!? A TON and if possible,( if I had endless amount of money) I would go back and learn even more. All in good time with the growth of clients this will be a possibility....Enough of my bibble babble...my point being without educating yourself you will NEVER know. (Noah first day of Kinder, 2008)

Not too many people when calling me up ask me educated questions about my studio or my background.

(niece, Haylee, calling asking educated questions :) )

After getting off the phone, I wonder, did they see my bio? Or are they mindlessly calling for the classes and prices? I'm sorry to have to admit, but I seriously think it's mostly mindless wondering for classes. I come to this conclusion for a couple of reasons.... I've had clients say things to me like, 1)" Yeah, you know maybe after so long of doing this I could go and get certified." 2) " Oh, you graduated from college,... where did you go?" 3) "Well, at the gym I can get a free mat class." ....

I know there is still a big MISUNDERSTANDING of what Pilates is, what it can and will do for you; but, most importantly what your instructor can do for you..... or can't do for you-

I want to walk you through all if this and hopefully, at the end weather you decide to come my studio or somewhere else, you have an idea of what all you should be looking for.

Firstly, to become a Pilates instructor- It is not a weekend get-a-way. For myself, it took me 6 months to finish my Pilates studies, I had at lest 215 hours total of observation and also so many hours of practice teaching. I had to take a test both practical and written. My cost, since you can just look it up yourself, I will say here, was about $3500.00 that was back in 2003. It has now gone up in price.... oh I left out my books about $30.00 each for my books and my Mat certification. Plus, once a year I got back into classes to further my education. In other words, no real instructor just wakes up one day and says, "I think I'm going to be a Pilates instructor." .... True story: I was in a class while in training with a girl who thought taking a year of Pilates was enough to become an instructor.... she ended up dropping out, because she didn't have a clue where her latissmus dorsi was. Ask where they got certified from. This also answers your question as to why Pilates from a studio is on the pricey side ... Quality vs. Quantity

Second, If you want real Pilates go to a Pilates studio NOT the gym. Sorry to be a diva in the next statement, but I'm practicing my freedom of speech in my next sentence..... The gym group instructors are weekend get-a-ways. How DO YOU know? You may challenge me with: I have had too many people come off the street and in my class who say, " WOW this class is NOTHING like my gym class." " Thank you for explaining to me how to sit up tall." and my favorite, " WOW! you really know what you are talking about!." or last but not lest, " it feels totally different here." At a studio you learn how and what you should be doing vs. just doing the exercises. If you do look into your gym find out where they got certified from...if it was there own certification chances are they don't know REAL PILATES.

Thirdly, Find out what the instructors background is. You want somebody who has a body knowledge background. For example, mine is dance, I danced all my life and I'm educated in it. Look for somebody who either was big in some type of activity all their life or has a physical therapy background..... and what is their education background. I got my degree in Dance at UC Irvine. And last thing that I like to look at is the instructors body- are they overweight? Do they look like they practice what they teach? How do they walk, and stand. Is that what you want to look like?


Some food for thought-... take minute and think about all that you read. This is your body, you only get ONE and you want to do what is BEST for it, right? Here is something to think about when picking your studio and instructor..... true story: After leaving her other studio after taking Pilates for 10 years there.... she came to me. After her session with me she was amazed at how different her Pilates session was with me. She feels things differently, her understanding of the exercises are better and she now knows the dynamics of all of it. The instructor that she had, had no real physical activity background, she was certified from a good Pilates program, but didn't further her education, her training was very much like a gym where, there was no rhyme or reason and form was never checked. Pilates is a method of movement yes, it will make you look great, feel great and give you a whole new body, but you want to find the best place to do at.

(Peter, Noah and I at Noah's Kindergarten graduation)

Now you are educated in finding the Pilates instructor and after 30 sessions you will have a whole new body and you will confidently be able to pose for your next picture!