Proud to be a Pilates Teacher!
It's a distinction from being a Pilates instructor.
At Pilates Now! Ltd we pride ourselves on the training and exams we have received from STOTT PILATES and other professional bodies; our experience of teaching for over 20 years, and our ongoing curiosity to learn more about how the body / mind works so we can provide a better service to our clients.
We provide really effective bespoke Pilates training, but it's more than that, which is why I am calling us teachers rather than instructors.
We want our clients to learn, so they can put the changes made in the sessions into practise outside the studio. We educate our clients so they can analyse and correct their own bodies, changing bad habits; poor posture; bad breathing technique and misalignment movement patterns.
Change happens from understanding how the body and mind work together; improving body awareness. We help you understand why pain happens and by modifying the movement patterns which trigger the pain, pain can be reduced or irradicated. It's a mind/body process, which is why Joseph Pilates called it Contrology - it's a two-way process - using the mind to control the body and the body to help the mind.
With the proliferation of Reformer studios offering fitness / dynamic 'Pilates' classes we stand out.
Did you know you can become a 'Pilates Instructor' and take a Dynamic Reformer 'Pilates' class with only 2 days training?! Some of these studios have 10 - 20 people in a class! Some training bodies don't even require any knowledge of Pilates to join their courses - you can join with a Personal Training qualification. It's shocking how potentially dangerous this is! Their instructors may give you an exercise, but will not understand what, when, why, how, and more importantly, when not to give an exercise! Most of them work on a class formula given to them by the company - it's a one-size-fits-all that doesn't take into account individual safety.
At the moment Pilates is an unregulated profession. The UK organisation CIMSPA, the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sports and Physical Activity, recognises the British standard of Level 3 Mat Pilates qualification, but has not yet formalised qualifications in any other Pilates apparatus. In order to become a member, and as MERRITHEW and STOTT PILATES is a Canadian body, we had to go through an extensive process to be accepted. Our qualifications are over and above the requirements of over 600 hours of initial training and ongoing annual professional development. In order to maintain our STOTT PILATES registration we must complete at least 6 hours of professional training per year.
Pilates takes years to understand the method and repertoire.
At Pilates Now! we have those years under our belts!
I am so glad you have shared this - it’s shocking to see the proliferation of these reformer studios - working with you has given a much stronger body but more importantly, has helped me to understand how my body works, so I can stay fitter and healthier for longer!
What you say rings very true, Ris. You and the rest of the team stand out from the crowd: your expertise, your deep understanding, your holistic thinking. It's a joy and a privilege and sound investment in my health to be attending your classes - as I have for 15 years or so now! Keep up the excellent work.