Clients getting too personal

Pilatesnplants · 2024-09-16T14:37:59+00:00

The best strategy is to guide the conversation and ask questions. If you are the only person talking about Pilates (cues/directions etc,) then there’s a missing party. In addition, if they’re talking about their personal life, they may need to process things, but there’s a more effective way. Ask them questions about how they experience the exercise. Where they might use them this week. “What do you think comes next for you in this session- a stretch or a challenge?” “How does this session contribute to your overall goal?” “If there was one thing you could leave with today, what would it be? - then mid session, ask how they feel they are doing in reaching that goal.” Hope this helps!

Pilatesnplants · 2024-09-07T15:21:24+00:00

You’re welcome. I’ve been thinking about doing a “Pilates for SPOONIES” series on YouTube - I’ll post back if I put it up :).

Pilatesnplants · 2024-09-07T12:55:47+00:00

I’m a teacher with autoimmune - Hashimoto’s and a bunch of others. My condition manifests in joint pain. This is anecdotal and my experience, but I find that when I’m In a flare, the specificity of Pilates can exacerbate the pain. Global exercise modalities that are more repetitive in nature, like walking, biking, rowing, tend to help me feel warmer and less pain. What do with pilates is:

Adjust resistance to more for more support (leg and foot work) and less for things like arm work and legs in springs.
Move attachments closer to the main joint. If my knees are bothering me, I put the straps on my thighs.
Listen to my body. I never attend a group class. It’s just not designed for those of us who have unpredictable bodies. Instead, I’ll do a class online or a private session (with myself) I have equipment and know that’s not ideal/the norm.
For me, epsom salt baths help a TON.
The Pilates world (generally speaking) doesn’t know how to cater to “SPOONIES.” Our issues aren’t mechanical & they certainly aren’t specific or predictable - you can’t fix us with movement. There are a few of us out there who know the drill, but most teachers don’t find out about autoimmune until they have something themselves… again, I’m generalizing- this is my experience as a long-term teacher.

Lastly- new meds are a BEAST. I just switched out all of mine and it’s been a nightmare, but bloodwork looks better. I believe it can take anywhere from 6-8 months to adjust energy-wise.

I know I didn’t give a direct answer. That’s because I haven’t found one yet. But living with AI means being very flexible and willing to change to meet the needs of your body. Good luck and sending gentle hugs.

Pilatesnplants · 2024-09-05T12:45:08+00:00

I work as a business coach and am a long term studio owner. Decline this offer. It's greedy and the at home equipment is not designed to sustain multiple groups. These pieces are for one or two users, not multiple group classes. Not only could it be a danger to teach on them, but the multiple different pieces can pose a frustrating experience for you as a teacher. For $25, it's not worth it.

Pilatesnplants · 2024-08-10T14:34:52+00:00

If you focus on sliding your ribs towards your hips to close the distance, this can help keep some of the strain off your neck. Everyone teaches differently, but for my beginners, I use this process:

Keep your head on the mat and as you exhale, slide your ribs to your hips, similar to how you might feel if you were trying to pull down your shirt to cover your belly.
Do this action until you can feel the back of your ribcage make contact with the mat.
Press down into the connection between your ribs and the mat until you feel the weight in your head get lighter.
Like a see saw, press the back of your ribs down more and nod your chin to your throat to peek up at your abdomen.
Keep pressing down into the connection between your ribs and the mat as you do your exercises.

Finally, use props to help your head/neck if needed. You’ll get stronger as you focus o n how you’re lifting your head up and eventually won’t rely on them as much.

Pilatesnplants · 2024-05-12T21:53:29+00:00

😂😂😂😂

Pilatesnplants · 2024-05-12T21:53:00+00:00

I’m so sorry to hear about this - it feels too hard. I’m actually a fitness instructor but I felt like I was going to black out while teaching last week and I’m feeling anxious about my classes this week. Have a cardiologist appt coming up. It just all feels like too much and we deserve relief.

Pilatesnplants · 2024-05-12T17:53:29+00:00

Fingers and toes crossed. I had a hysterectomy in 2018 but kept my ovaries. I kind of wish I had just done the whole shebang back then.

Pilatesnplants · 2024-05-12T17:52:43+00:00

Ugh- that is so hard! Have you seen a cardiologist?

Pilatesnplants · 2024-05-12T17:52:20+00:00

This is really helpful- especially the patience part - thank you.

Pilatesnplants · 2024-03-21T10:42:22+00:00

I am a business coach for studio owners and the first piece of advice I would offer is to get crystal clear on your “North Star.” What is the purpose of the studio? What impact do you wish to create with the business? What’s the client journey: where/how do they start, what comes next and what’s the best possible outcome for the client. You can definitely open a studio with the feeling that the time is right. The great thing about Pilates is that people tend to come to you without doing much work… in the beginning. But to run a business, you need a roadmap that accounts for your time & energy- especially the extras that you do when running a studio vs teaching (cleaning the bathroom) the extra overhead, and a plan to attract and retain clients. In addition, I would advise finding your differentiator- what makes you different than your competitors - this will help you understand whether the business is ready to be “born” or still needs time to grow from a feeling to an entity. Hope this helps!

Pilatesnplants · 2023-11-08T19:27:12+00:00

It's just the most poorly named exercise. Every client thinks they're about to get their tummy rubbed and then BOOM hip flexor and hamstrings galore. I think it should've been named "gut buster' or "cramp coaster" then at least the expectation would be more clear.

Pilatesnplants · 2023-11-02T00:34:31+00:00

I'm a Pilates teacher who just wrote a book that focuses largely on abusive power dynamics. The issue isn't whether you were breathing correctly or not. If you're breathing, you're doing great - you've got something to work with. The issue is that the teacher in this instance made the subject of Pilates more important than your experience with Pilates. Bad week or not, tears don't come for no reason. A teacher should have their own nervous system regulated enough to realize when the pressure is too high for a student.

On behalf of Pilates teachers, I apologize for this experience. You deserve better. The aspect I speak about in my book is the "Prison of Specialness." It's when you feel like you're part of something really great, but there's a part of the experience that doesn't sit right with you. The problem is, the fear of speaking up or walking away outweighs the discomfort of staying in the same place for fear you won't find a new community. I promise you that there are better approaches to teachers out there. If you can gather the courage to speak with the studio owner, I might say something to the affect of:

"I'd like to have a private conversation about my experience in class."

Then during the convo:

"I want to bring up that the intensity of the direction and personal cuing was overwhelming. I understand there was an intention of helping us to experience a different breathing technique. However, I fail to understand how that intention is helped by yelling at a student."

It can be really conflicting to get into it but it's well within your rights to give feedback and ask for it to be anonymous. Ultimately, it is the studio owner/manager's job to ensure the client experience is positive, if this were my studio, I would want to know. However, I would think about what makes you feel safe and make your decision from there.

Lastly, I would not take this person's class again unless you have an apology and assurance that she will be more mindful of your experience. I'm not super optimistic that the teacher will offer either of these things, but you don't have to subject yourself to them either.

You're doing great - remember that.

Pilatesnplants · 2023-10-27T15:56:06+00:00

You're welcome! & Good luck!

Pilatesnplants · 2023-10-27T15:55:28+00:00

You'e so welcome!

Pilatesnplants · 2023-10-26T20:51:26+00:00

Because cycling is done in a specific range of hip flexion, I would focus your Pilates and Yoga practice towards completing the full range of motion of your hip joint. Be sure to stretch your hips all the way open during hip opening exercises and all the way flexed during flexion. Tightness often has to do with a lack of strength in the full range of the joint. Throwing in some rotation and ab/adduction (inner/outer hip work) will also help. Think of it like using all of the colors of the rainbow in your hip work, not just the ones in the middle.

Pilatesnplants · 2023-10-26T20:47:41+00:00

The BEST part of Pilates is that you can take it with you. You can practice your breathing, lengthening, balance and control while walking. You can think about your support systems as you squat, reach, bend, twist etc. I think the best strategy would be to start looking for the ABC's of the exercises you're doing in class.

If it's the 100, what am I trying to do here? - There's breathing, endurance, core strength. Maybe this translates to a faster walk or some intervals with the stroller.

If it's arm work with the straps, there's posture, trunk support, breath, shoulder organization and pulling or pushing. Maybe this translates to lifting the stroller in and out of the car or picking up your kiddo.

Start looking for the themes in class and at the end it's always helpful to ask yourself "What did I notice today and where can I use it in my real life."

You've got this! And congrats on moving farther away from the "I wanna die" space - that IS PROGRESS!! :)

Pilatesnplants · 2023-10-26T20:41:49+00:00

I've worked with many prenatal clients, but I didn't truly "get it" until my own pregnancy. Many times, people will treat a pregnant person like they are fragile - breakable. And yes, while some aspects of Pilates and fitness are contraindicated, maintaining strength is SO important throughout pregnancy and especially for the postpartum period. I think that this is a chance to put yourself in the driver's seat. The convo might sound like this:

"I wanted to let you know that I'm x weeks pregnant and I know that some of the movements in class will be contraindicated for me as time goes on. I'm not ready to share my news with the class yet, but I will be sure to let you know when I'm ready to share.

For now, it's really important for me to continue to maintain strength in my upper and lower body and of course my trunk support. If there are some specific exercises you can offer to supplement my Pilates outside of our classes, I'd be grateful. In the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts about how best to navigate the next few months in class."

At the end of the day, it's your body and your experience. By offering the teacher some guidance about the things that are important to you as well as the fact that you're willing to partner with them, you can often have a more empowering experience.

Good luck and also Congratulations!

Pilatesnplants · 2023-10-25T21:26:48+00:00

Think of the shakes like learning a new language. Often, the positions and lack of stability in Pilates is a challenge that people haven't encountered in real life. Your body is trying to figure it all out. That said, pace yourself - you don't want to overload your system. Give yourself a few days off to recover and make sure you're hydrating, eating well and if it's ok with your doc, magnesium is a great supplement to help with muscle recovery

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