It is now the end of November I am getting my 2019 Pilates calendar set for my own travel to other cities and studios. I love this time of year! This is when I work with Pilates teachers and Pilates studio owners to plan and curate the workshops they want and need for themselves, their clients and their teachers.

Workshops provide an opportunity for the Pilates community to come together in one space and share the passions we all have for Joseph Pilates' work. We get to dig deep and absorb all those lightbulb moments. I think that is what I enjoy the most when I am teaching Pilates workshops, seeing those moments for Pilates teachers. When something connects and is seen in a new or different way for the teacher.

Chatting with different studio owners is key for these workshops. Finding out what they and the teachers in their studio are wanting, needing, asking for in their teaching or practice. Each studio has potential to build community and create that family of learning and sharing. I know for me when I am a student in workshops it is such a bonding experience with other participants. Meeting new friends and sharing our own experiences as teachers. Some of my very best friends I have met in workshops.

All my workshops are full participation!  This gives each teacher the time they need individually.  They can ask questions, move through it, give examples they have run into or just observe in their own way.  

My workshops are designed to be supportive. To create a positive environment for each participant to really flourish and get excited and feel challenged.  Students will feel they accomplished something and learned more than they thought possible.

It sometimes is hard to choose a workshop! Don't you agree?  And, so many factors. I like to connect with each studio owner and determine what workshops might be the best fit for them, their team and their community of teachers.

Here are a few of my workshops :

• Understanding the Connections to all the Pilates work- This workshop is all about deep understanding of Joseph Pilates works from the Hundred and all the connections leading from that exercise to all the work. Seeing and feeling the building blocks that get you to where your body can maintain the purpose of the exercise.

• How to "modify" Traditional Pilates for your client using Precautions and Contraindications- Some clients may have health conditions that we as Teachers need to navigate around. We need to be aware of and familiar with the Precautions and Contraindications as we teach and keep clients safe but, getting them as functionally moving as their body will take them. Learn and understand why you would omit certain exercises and how to assess for that client that day.

• Cueing for clients that gets them more connected in mind and body- As someone told me once Pilates is like learning a new language for our clients, I also think as teachers it is the same in terms of relaying that to our clients. I want my clients to feel and understand the full body as they move through each exercise and not one body part. So how can we cue for that? How can we keep it simple and clear? This workshop shows how to teach and not use those cues we sometimes can get stuck on "scoop", "use those abs or your powerhouse", "squeeze your glutes " and so on. Give your clients the power to figure out what is needed by the use of the springs an apparatus, an, of course, your cues.

• Using the mat to assess and where to go from there- Joseph Pilates used the mat and Reformer to really assess what was going for the client. It is probably the thing I love most about Pilates, seeing what "pops" up with my client's session each week.  This workshop shows how to see what “speaks or shouts” the loudest in terms of what is going on in the body in front of you. How do you take what you see in terms of the client's body and improve that pattern that you see? Learn how the exercises on the Mat can transfer in a different way to the other apparatus and help the connection and movement for your client. Then seeing how things changed for them back at the mat.

Every New Year opens up new opportunities and possibilities as a Pilates Teacher to get that Pilates workshop in! As certified Pilates teachers it is important for our continuing journey and to keep teaching fresh and for us as teachers to stay recharged and excited in the work.  As a Pilates studio owner, it is also a great way to build that Pilates community and give your Teachers a chance to learn and get CEC’s without having to travel.

For more of my workshops click here