How is social media impacting the Pilates industry? Are all the exercises demonstrated in Instagram videos appropriate for teaching clients? How can we differentiate between what we see online as functional creativity in our exercises and unsafe choices that should not be taught to clients?

 

In this episode, "But I Saw it on Instagram," we revisited a topic we've discussed in previous episodes. Even though these ideas have been discussed before, they deserve a repeat as we see Instagram's heightened impact on our teaching community.

 

Every industry now has countless influencers on social media stating their opinions, and Pilates is no exception. Many Pilates and fitness influencers may not even have proper credentials on large platforms to give out opinions and advice, showing flashy exercise videos. We hope that Pilates teachers can take an approach of critical thinking when using Instagram to watch other teachers' videos, staying curious and open-minded so as not to negatively critique someone, but remaining skeptical to be able to analyze if what we're seeing is appropriate for our situations, clients, or sessions.

 

As we see more intense and acrobatic movements occurring on Pilates equipment, we wonder if teachers are best using their critical thinking skills to know what is just for show and likes on an online platform, and what is educational and informative to deepen their knowledge in the work and teaching skills. More often than not, we hear from new and experienced teachers alike, questioning themselves, their knowledge, and their teaching abilities because of the new things they see online. Many new teachers wonder if they were taught properly in their training programs if they don't do an exercise the way they're seeing it performed in a video, or they wonder how many exercises they were never taught since they've never seen this exercise before.

 

It is confusing for students going through their programs, thinking "But I saw this on Instagram, why haven't I learned this?" and from this, student teachers get confused about the foundations, what the work builds from, and how to learn properly within their programs.

 

But when we see stuff online we need to ask ourselves if this person is a certified teacher, if they have the proper credentials to give this advice, if they are showing something that is acrobatics and fun, or if is it actually Pilates, and if it is even safe.

 

As students go through their training programs they need to focus on the foundations before they can start getting creative with the work. While the Pilates industry has an unnecessary and continuous fight between teachers trying to decide what "counts" as Pilates, we each need to establish a proper foundation for the work as new practitioners.

 

As teachers gain more experience through more years of teaching, working with different types of clientele, and continuing to learn with mentor teachers and workshops, this increased knowledge, deepening skills, and growing intuition allows teachers to become more creative in their work. This isn't a discussion on what counts as Pilates, but rather what is safe for a client, what is appropriate to do on equipment designed for specific types of load-bearing and velocity, and how to build foundational knowledge before expecting to be creative.

 

It's helpful to take a step back from social media to cut out all the noise and flashy videos to reconnect to the foundations and our values as teachers. The foundations of Pilates should always be a touchstone to return to when we feel lost or overwhelmed in our teaching, being overly influenced by what we see others doing. Just because we see someone else doing something else doesn't mean we aren't doing the right thing. What we've learned isn't wrong just because we see other things on social media.

 

When we get overwhelmed by all the noise online we can ask ourselves some questions to recalibrate:

What is the purpose of this exercise I'm seeing?

Is it appropriate for this client?

Is it safe on this type of equipment?

Do I feel confident teaching it, or am I simply afraid of my client getting bored?

Is this exercise something to give a client, or is it meant to simply be fun to watch?

 

Our motto is: to always teach the body in front of us. This means that we give clients sessions based on what they need that day. From one day to the next, what that client needs might change, so we adapt to their energy level, recent injury history, confidence, and abilities.

 

For newer teachers, teaching the client what they need means sticking to the foundations of the work they have learned in their teaching programs, as they don't yet have the experience or understanding to make effective creative choices in the work. It is ok to stick to what we know best. We don’t have to look like all the influencers online. As we learn more and critically think about what we're learning, we can add more to our toolbox of what to teach clients. As we understand more we can make more creative choices, as long as it's for the client, not simply to make a flashy video for likes online.

 

Teachers often think they need to continuously give new exercises to keep clients entertained to return for sessions. If we're choosing to give an exercise we saw online to a client, is the exercise coming from a certified and established teacher? Being creative does not mean we are grabbing exercises off these flashy videos because we're worried the client will get bored and want to do something new.

 

So what does it mean to be creative in our teaching?

 

There are some great, educational posts we find on social media, and there is a lot that is not. But, being creative in our teaching means we are using critical thinking to evaluate the purpose of an exercise and what the individual client needs for their overall goals, abilities, and the session that day. It means we're using our deep understanding of Pilates, movement theory, and anatomy, along with personal embodied experience, empathy, and established intuition from years of teaching, to know how to adapt, modify, or add variations to someone's movement practice.

 

Teachers don’t always need to learn new exercises to keep clients entertained, but we need to learn critical thinking skills to establish what is appropriate for Pilates sessions and our clients. Learning how to think, not just what to do.

 

Some of the things we see are fabulous, but a lot of it is not. But if we understand the foundations we can get creative for a purpose, using critical thinking, expertise, and education to know the why and purpose for clients. It is important to understand the history and the foundations and the thread that connects these movements to the original work of Joseph Pilates, along with why we may choose to give other types of movement to clients in a session including functional work, rehabilitative exercises, or other practices.

 

Trust Mentor teachers, trust the teacher training programs, especially the fully comprehensive programs with directors who have decades of experience. That is the foundation and the touchstone to return to in our teaching practices. We each must stay true to ourselves as teachers, maintaining authenticity for ourselves and our clients. While it's so easy to second guess ourselves with everything we see online, just because we see someone doing it differently doesn't mean we're wrong. Trying to not get caught up in the comparison that is so ripe from social media, remember online views are not a metric of how good of a teacher we are.

 

More importantly, never stop learning, be curious, and ask questions. Use social media as a tool that is entertaining, a way to connect and have fun. Keep going back to the foundations and remember to critically analyze what is seen on social media.

 

Critical thinking is something that comes with constant learning, continuing education, and experience, in order to make the best choices for ourselves and our clients.

 

 

“Critical thinking is necessary for longevity in this profession.

Without it, one is doomed to mediocrity at best”

 -Kevin Bowen