how i became a pilates teacher (part 2)

During my final year with the dance company, I fell into teaching barre fitness. It was a welcome surprise! I found I LOVED working with adults (previously most of my teaching experience, mainly dance, was with youth) and I appreciated making an impact in the lives of non-dancers. Also, it turns out a lot of the material I loved teaching was actually Pilates-based—go figure!

Then, my husband and I moved to NYC, fulfilling long-held dreams for each of us! For the next many years, I focused on performing. My days and nights were very, very FULL of auditioning, dancing, singing, acting, and working jobs I’m very grateful for that allowed me scheduling flexibility. When I was on contract, I was busy rehearsing and performing in musicals.

I knew I’d eventually have to carve out time and money to do my Pilates teacher training. Comprehensive programs are typically 600+ hours, taking 6-9 months or longer to complete, and cover all of the apparatus, history, Pilates principles, anatomy, and working with special populations, plus hours of doing, learning, observing, practice teaching, and testing.

I kept pushing it off for years until I was surprisingly gifted with a way to pay (with sacrifice on my husband’s part) plus a partial scholarship offer! So, I decided to take the plunge! I spent the summer completing my Pilates mat certifications and practice-teaching what I had learned. Meanwhile, I was invited to teach mat classes before I began my Classical Comprehensive program that September!

Good education is so important, but actually teaching people is also its own thing. I’m really thankful I was already teaching mat while working through my Comprehensive program, so I was informed by my real world experience and knowledge. I’m also now thankful for my pandemic experiences of teaching in various online formats and working with physical therapy populations, which I often draw from.

I look back on my journey to becoming a Pilates teacher with amazement and such gratitude for all of the mentors and teachers and trainers that planted seeds along the way!!