Hats Off to All Passionate Reformer Pilates Instructors Out There
From the start it was obvious to me that our job as Reformer Pilates Instructor is to help clients to reach their health and fitness goals. I wanted to become better and smarter at class planning. I wanted my clients to reach their full potential but little did I know what “reaching your full potential” actually meant to someone that used to come to my classes many years ago.
Before we go to the point I want to say thank you for being a kick ass Reformer Pilates Instructor. Your work is IMPORTANT! This post is for all of you outstanding Reformer Pilates Instructors (and other fitness coaches alike) who day in and out put your clients first! Your impact as a Pilates Instructor is BIGGER and often more important than you know. Your presence, knowledge enthusiasm, kindness, patience, support and encouragement may have completely changed someones life for the better. Yet you may not even know it!
Now I want to tell you a short true story. I want you to understand how significant role you can play as Pilates Instructor and a Health & Fitness professional. Save this for a rainy day and read it again when you need a little pep talk! When I feel I am losing my patience or if I have to pump myself up to give my full attention and energy to my clients this story serves as a great reminder.
A Story About One Reformer Pilates Client To Remember
This young, super shy lady started to come to my group Reformer Pilates classes with her mom. This was back then when I did not have a full understanding or skill of how to chat to all clients in depth. How to get to know them and their goals well enough in group setting and be sure to give every individual the best experience possible. Yet I was really passionate about movement. And I always wanted to be remembered as a warm, kind and inclusive Reformer Pilates teacher. I wanted every person and every skill level to be welcome and taken care off.
So of course I welcomed her with open arms and tried to chat to her. She had one of the most slouched postures I have ever seen. She could not give me eye contact, not once nor she did not seem to want to chat or be part of the group. That was fine I understood this. And I respected it so I let her be.
I still greeted her with big smile every time. I kept trying to ask how she is going and always acknowledged her and her efforts during the class in 1:1 setting. Her body was awareness low. At the start it was evident she did not really want to try or put much effort in during the classes. I never really got anything back from her and there were times I thought she did not like me or my classes. I felt she really did not want to be there.
Months passed and she did start to talk a little more week after week. She was coming in without her mom more often than with her. Towards the end of her time in our studio she was completely different person. She was eager to engage in longer conversations. She was smiling and standing tall. I could tell she was getting stronger as she started to put more effort in. She moved fluently and knew her way around the reformer. Her eyes were smiling when she looked at me and I just thought wow I can barely recognize this person. I was puzzled.
Long story short she told us these are her last few classes before she embarks on a journey of her life. She stated she has finally found the courage to move overseas to study and travel on her own. This had been her dream for years and she had thought it will be never be possible. She said she had lacked confidence in her abilities to do life and had social anxiety. And that she had been bullied and did not have many friends.
Her mom also let us know that starting Pilates was the pivotal point in her daughters life and have given her the confidence she needed to change her life. She said she could not be more grateful to our team who despite everything made her feel valued, welcome and believed in her abilities. I still get emotional writing this. Because her story could have been very different had she chosen to go somewhere else where someone had a bad day and did not bother with her.
This is the power of movement and Pilates! It proves the benefits of movement reach far beyond the physical pros.
Empower and Support Your Reformer Pilates Clients
I have mentioned this before but here it comes again. When you make your Pilates clients feel confident in their movement abilities the rest will follow. They will become stronger and more capable. That translates to other parts of their lives too. Correct form is important and it is our responsibility to ensure the Pilates classes are safe and effective. But it is just as important to foster a culture that highlights fear free movement and playfulness. A culture where everyone is seen as an individual.
I used to have this obsession for in sync, graceful movement patters (hello ex dancer in me). In order to serve my clients better I needed to learn to stop myself for a moment when I had an urge to correct my clients to find that same form I could produce. The graceful, beautiful movement was so deeply integrated in me by previous dance teachers that it was hard to watch something different.
It took time to learn to understand that everyone will and can look very different when they do the same movement. They can still be safe and challenged. More bodies and clients you see more you learn. We are here to empower clients to move their bodies in safe and effective way. Most of the clients are trying their best and they are not dancers. Their mobility and skill level is very different to those professional dancers.
I have learnt my way slowly to encourage clients to explore movement rather than give them too strict orders on “how they should look like or feel in every exercise” as a group. Sometimes a client may feel great in their “not so graceful looking” position and are doing already everything they can. Respect this and pause for a moment. How could I help this client to explore the movement in supportive way? Or do I even need to interfere? Movement does not need to look pretty in order to be effective. Often it is the opposite!
This is where our positive, empowering language and choice of words can make a huge difference in building clients confidence in their abilities and break it. This does not mean we just ignore poor form but we work around it. We ask questions, we explore, we modify and keep moving forward.
And lastly YES there is time and place for in sync movement in some Pilates settings, in theaters and performance arenas. I absolutely love the feeling when I get lost in watching talented humans dancing or performing on stage. It is mesmerizing! But lets not mix that up with our general public Pilates clients. Let them move!
