Word of Advice is be your Authentic Pilates teaching self!
What would you tell your younger Pilates teacher self knowing what you know now? What do you wish you knew as a new Pilates teacher now that you have been teaching Pilates for a few or maybe many years? Is there some great advice that you now have to offer to help new Pilates teachers support a long and joyful career?
When we become Pilates teachers there are many things we must learn in order to develop in our Pilates careers. As we take on the role of Pilates teacher we transition from student and client to caregiver and leader. This position change can be both exciting and overwhelming.
Learning to take on this role takes time and practice, and everyone has different needs. But we've found the 4 basic truths that help us grow into our teaching role, which has become clearer to us over the years. In reflecting back on our previous experiences now we can learn from the past and continue growing as teachers.
So, what advice would we give ourselves as new teachers knowing what we know now?
In our podcast “ Words of Advice to our younger Pilates teacher selves” we look at what advice we would give our younger Pilates teacher-selves knowing what we know now as more experienced Pilates teachers. We discuss four individual and interconnected ideas.
In order in this episode, these four main ideas we discuss are:
1. Allow yourself to say I don't know, and realize it's ok to not know everything
2. Always continue to learn
3. Do not feel like you have to be like everyone else
4. Set your boundaries and stick to them
We found that #3 was probably the best advice any Pilates teacher can get is to be our authentic selves. This can be a lifelong struggle for everybody, but especially for Pilates teachers as we guide other people through their own struggles and journeys.
We also found as we chatted during this podcast that all the other tips feed right into being our authentic selves as we teach! Each one helps your teaching in a way that allows you that freedom and ability to be you. The teacher you are. How you relate to the client, verbalize and cue the client, and how you grow as a teacher in a way that is true to you.
One thing that came up in our discussion was how outside the studio every single person is an individual with their own preferences, how they relate to and deal with things and the way they speak to and connect with those around them.
This is the same in the studio, in our Pilates environment. Each Pilates teacher is their own individual. We all have our own habits and tendencies, the way we relate to the work, to our clients, and to ourselves, how we deal with the issues that occur for each client, and the way we cue and connect to each client. It is great to have that individuality in Pilates teaching in order to accommodate all different types of people in the studio.
It is always hard to not compare ourselves to others, and we all remember as new teachers how hard it is to not scrutinize ourselves to other teachers. We easily observe more experienced teachers, those who have trained differently or who have more education, or who have gone through more workshops or mentorships. We wonder if are we doing it right.
It is ok to not be exactly like every other teacher, and it is definitely ok to not know everything. We must honor what we know, and feel confident in that, and realize we can always explore and learn more. You don’t have to pretend to know what you don’t know.
When we can admit that we don't know something, this allows us to always continue to learn. It's vital to continue learning to keep updated with the most recent research. Especially as movement and therapy-based teachers, we have to work from an evidence-based approach.
By continuing to learn, not only do we keep our clients safe and interested, but we also keep ourselves more engaged in our practice and prevent burnout, developing deeper understanding and expertise. Being able to say that we don't know and then go research and learn builds confidence in ourselves, and it builds trust with the client to be able, to be honest with them.
Being honest about what you know as a teacher not only gives you confidence but also shows your clients your honesty and authenticity, and that you are comfortable with your teaching skills. Understanding what you need or want in your teaching skills also shows the true you as a teacher.
Take workshops, work with mentors, take classes, and always keep learning, to grow and experience new skills in teaching, not just to do what others are doing or become a different teacher.
It is important to realize very quickly that you don’t need to be like other teachers. You don’t need to talk like them, cue like them, do the same tactile cues, or have the same schedule they do. You are your own self. There is no other you.
This is one of the most challenging ideas around being confident in our authentic selves, not focusing on what others think of us, and not listening to the little judgmental voice inside our own heads. It's so easy to think we have to be like everyone else.
Building this confidence in who we are as individuals and as teachers is a difficult and constant process. By teaching in a way that is natural and authentic to ourselves, we can better maintain our energy level instead of trying to be something we're not, we attract the right clients to us that fit us as unique teachers, and we build trust with our clients.
Why is that? It can be much harder for Pilates teachers today with the constant competition of social media. There is continuous pressure we put on ourselves from social media, seeing other teachers, thinking we have to be like them, post like them, and sound like them. There are countless “coaches” telling us to do this and that, look at the analytics, etc. and it is overwhelming. Quickly we can get lost in that hamster wheel and lose the real authenticity of who we are as a teacher.
In the world, in social media, and in the studio be who you are. Be the true you. That authenticity and
honesty will shine through and bring the clients to you that are meant to be with you, learning from you and enjoying your personality, your ways, and your individuality. Build that confidence and ability to be free in your teaching, to continue to learn in the ways that are right for you, to not worry about what others are saying or doing, and do what you need to do to be confident in the teacher you are.
Finally, give yourself permission to let your personality and true self come out and guide others as you are in the studio. You will find that your teaching career can be long, full of inspiring clients, less stressful, and more joyful as the years continue. Embrace who you are as a teacher and focus on that.
