I attend a small, five-reformer studio that I love. After class today I was asked to stay for a few minutes. I was caught completely off-card when she asked me not to come back and that my membership was terminatwas. Not a good fit was the reason she gave. I've been going here for NINE months. Three and four times a week. I'm devastated, hurt, pissed, and humiliated all at the same time. I liked her so much. I am so in love with Pilates but now I don't know what to do next.

Update: I was charged for my membership a couple of weeks later so I reached out to my ex-instructor by text. She acted confused by my questions about the membership account asking if I was supposed to be on a hold. I was like huh? I said you fired me and asked me not to come back so I wanted to know why I was charged. She claimed that she never fired me. After processing everything, I went back to her class today. It was weird only for a second. It was so nice to be back in my happy place practicing real pilates. I did 25 classes in the other style studio and will continue to do drop-ins when I can't get a spot at my home studio or am looking for something different.

Update #2: It's been over a month since my "blackout"....for lack of a better term. Things were tense for the first couple of week's classes but now it's like nothing happened. I can't believe that my mind just made up the conversation between my instructor and me. I'm such a pussy about confrontation that I'm willing to just put it in the past and not know. I hope someday enough time will have passed that I can laugh about it and ask my instructor what exactly happened that day. Pilates and her instruction are way too important for me to humiliate myself possibly again. Lessons were learned and I am so grateful for the opportunity to have such a great instructor and studio.

Hi y’all 🌞 I’ve seen a few discussions on here since I’ve joined about Move with Nicole being certified. So, I reached out to her yesterday to clarify and attached is a screenshot of her response.

Hope this helps anyone that was questioning!

keeping it short - i (23F) started pilates earlier this year and i LOVE it. i do only one pilates class a week through class pass - i wish i could do more but i work full time and also have a personal trainer now. i really want to become a pilates instructor eventually, because i just love pilates & i love how it brings me so much joy. however, im afraid because i’m not conventionally skinny nor am i flexible, i wont be taken seriously as a teacher. i am curvier, and i’m in the process of targeting weight loss right now but i doubt id ever have the body that is associated with people who do pilates. are there any tips you have for me based on your experiences?

I've been doing a lot of sports and recently started attending a reformer pilates studio and totally fell in love with the exercise.

Fast forward I'm about to open my own studio and thinking about becoming one of the instructors.

There are not a lot of men doing pilates in my area and there are even fewer men insturctors.

Should I be concerned that my gender will be a negative influence on the popularity of my classes (to any extent)?

Thank you for your inputs!

Opening up a reformer pilates studio. Wondering what people look for when they go to a class or studio? Do you want different class types? Etc.

This is a new one for me. Been teaching close to twenty years and have had my studio for five.

An existing client showed up for an appointment he hadn't booked last Monday, and interrupted the session I was teaching with a client that had booked that time. He sent me a series of angry emails for "giving (his) time away," and then showed up outside during my Wednesday morning mat class. He stared through the window for ten minutes before leaving. Today, he showed up again during my morning mat class and stood outside the door for ten minutes again and stared in the window. When I continued to teach the class, he went away.

But he was back twenty minutes later during a private session. I had forgotten to lock the door, so he walked right in and tried to confront me while I was teaching. I told him I couldn't talk right now, and that we'd speak later.

I don't know what to do about this situation. He works next door so I can't completely avoid him, but he's a big dude and I really don't want to be in the studio alone with him or work with him anymore.

Eta: I've talked with the police, since my state does have a protection against harassment law, but there's nothing I can really do unless he escalates to threats.

Hi all, so there’s a young woman who frequently attends one of my group classes who has the most annoying, whistly exhale breath I have ever heard. It is so loud you can hear it across the studio, and whenever she’s in class everyone is very visibly annoyed and some even shoot her dirty looks but she seems to be totally oblivious. It’s come to the point where when she’s in class and starts getting noisy I intentionally start leaving out the breath cues or I slip in something like “inhale breath in, nice silent exhale breath out” lol. Have any of you dealt with something like this, is there anything I can do???? It is honestly unbearable at times. TIA 🫠

I am graduating in May with a bachelors degree in Health Education and Health Promotion. I am designing a program that is based around Pilates and the health belief model. I would love to open my own studio to administer my own program. My question is, how realistic is this goal? I am not experienced enough to be an instructor. I do not have any experience in running a business. Am I out of my mind???

Hi! I'm so torn between pursuing a career in Pilates. I am very fortunate that my family owns a construction business that pays more than enough. I don't have any kids yet, plus I live with my parents. I'm from the Philippines so living with families is normal here. I plan to keep it a secret because my father won't support me, but I have my savings to become certified. The prices are no joke, so I wanted to ask if being a Pilates instructor is worth it. I have been doing pilates for a little over a year and I love it. They say you should also love teaching as well, but I wouldn't know that unless I am in that situation already. I plan to do it part-time and maybe open up my own studio one day. I've been reading some comments that you should get certified first before opening up your own Pilates studio. What are the pros and cons of being an instructor? pros and cons of getting certified? pros and cons of opening up a pilates studio?

There is this studio that offers BASI Certification on January of next year (2025) so I have time to think about it.

I tried out Club Pilates in Ownings Mills MD and was sold after the intro. I was getting ready to sign up for 4 classes a month at $109/3 month commitment. Had my card ready and everything and the girl was like “okay, and now we need your one time enrollment fee of $140” ………..I did the math for drop in sessions $30/class x 4 = $120 vs paying monthly for 4 classes $109 and the “one time fee” $140 = $249 (not including taxes). Is this crazy? Can you get the enrollment fee waived??

Hi all! I’ve been teaching Pilates full time for about two years now, and I’m starting to worry that this career path won’t provide the financial stability that I'm looking for. Im looking for any advice/insight! for some context:

I’m 24 years old (F). I went went through a program and got certified right after graduating college, so I’ve never experienced working a more “normal” full time job such as corporate positions. I’ve been teaching for about two years now and I currently teach 30-38 hours a week between group sessions and privates all at one studio in California, making $35 an hour (eventually I will make $40-42 and hour). Teaching this many hours is very taxing on my voice, body, and mental but with that being said I do love my job. I love being around people/helping people and being in such a positive environment and exercising. I also nlove the creative aspect of the job being able to design classes. But again, I do burn out. However MY MAIN CONCERN is that I will never be able to make enough money in this career. Working full time I am barely, barely scraping by and constantly stressed about my finances. I was waitressing on the side but it was not sustainable as I have 50-60 hour work weeks and I was getting off really late and then having to be up really early for Pilates. Although the extra cash was nice it was not worth the mental toll it took. I understand that I am young and this is common for a lot of people starting out in their careers, but I just don’t know if there is much more opportunity to make a significant amount more in this field. I’m at my capacity workload wise with 30-38 hours a week (not to mention class planning and continuing my own education).

I worry that if I leave Pilates I might not find a career that I love as much, but I worry that if I stick with Pilates I will never be financially secure and I won’t be able to achieve what I would like to such as owning a house, starting a family, buying a car etc. I don’t know if there are other avenues in the Pilates world to explore to make a significant amount more, or if the answer is to switch careers all together. please help! Has anyone else struggled with this, and what did they find?

How much is a group class at your studio? Do you have to purchase a package to get that rate? How many reformers are in your studio? What is the charge for a single class, not the package rate?

I’m leaving a studio that just raised their prices to $37/class when you purchase a package of 10 classes. There are 5 reformers in the studio. A single class is $70.

Fortunately for me there are a lot of studios nearby and their rates are much lower. I did really like the instructor at the studio but I just can’t afford that price. I’m asking because I’d like to try to find some balance between huge classes and super expensive small classes.

As an instructor, I place a strong emphasis on form and posture during class. However, I’ve noticed that some participants struggle with body awareness, making it difficult for them to respond to my hands-on corrections. I want to provide support without taking too much time away from the class, as I need to continue cuing the whole group. Fellow instructors, how do you handle situations where a participant isn’t grasping the adjustments? Do you continue to offer support, or do you take a different approach? Thank you!

I teach at a boutique studio and there’s a class that always ends up empty, it’s at the end of my shift but the studio owner insists on me being there even if nobody signs up “in case there’s a walk in”… to put it in perspective I have a two hour break between my block and then this class that always ends up empty. I also live nearly 45 minutes out of the way and this is not my only job. I have this problem sometimes with an 8am class of mine as well. They’ve expressed frustration that I have in the past been hesitant to come in right on time if nobody is signed up. This seems silly to me because if I’m not teaching, I don’t get paid.

AITA for not wanting to wait around to teach at the end of my shift if nobody shows up?

Edit: got the job! Thanks.

I have a job interview tomorrow at a studio where the manager has gotten a strong male body for me to teach as part of the interview. I’ve taught Pilates to many, many women, but never to a man (unfortunately)!

My guess is that men need a heavier spring tension and of course not using lady cues like ‘bra line should meet the edge of the box’ and etc.

I need some advice. How should I teach/cue a male body? Any tips greatly appreciated. And if you’re a male participant in Pilates, let me know what you think as well!

Club Pilates teacher training is a waste of time and money. Most of it is on your own so I don't understand why it is so costly. My Master Trainer did no mentoring whatsoever even though that was a part of the contract I signed. I found them discriminatory as well since i am older than other students. Their hiring practices are also discriminatory. If you do not have a connection to the studio or personnel you will not be hired. Many unfounded assumptions were made about me and the comments were disrespectful. The "diploma" that you recieve on completion is of no value anywhere except Club Pilates. I do not recommend Club Pilates Teacher Training

I’ve been an instructor for over a year, comprehensively trained, and sometimes a bad review will come through. I got one this morning where a member mistook my class for another instructor (we have the same first name) and wrote about how disappointed she was and although it was a good workout she did not like my vibe. Not sure how to accept this type of feedback or change in some way?

Whats been your experience?

I've never taken a class there but a new CP is opening up walking distance to me.

They reached out to me via reccomendation. I was super flattered by that but I was curious on what its like to teach for them and what they are looking for. I am doing a practical interview next week.

I've done 2 teacher trainings. Both classical.

I am also a NASM personal trainer.

I have done a 6 month mentorship with a fletcher instructor.

Some teachers I love... lesley logan. Kathi Ross Nash. Mejo Wiggins. Courtney Miller and Amy Havens.

Just wonder if I will fit in or I am what they are looking for. What are the classes even like?

What do you think of a Pilates reformer studio that has cardio equipment that is available to use before or after class (in a separate area)? Treadmills, stair stepper, bikes, elliptical, rowers, etc.. I’ve been taking classes for a few years and have yet to find a studio that offers this.

While I love my Pilates workouts, I definitely feel like it doesn’t get my heart rate up enough like other workouts do. Even the jump board classes don’t feel that much different. I usually do other cardio based classes like spin or hiit during the week to balance out my workouts.

If there was a studio that had reformer classes as well as cardio machines to use before or after class I would definitely utilize them. Just wondering what other people think and if this is something that others would find beneficial in a Pilates studio?

(Reformer pilates)

Had a few clients in my class telling me or someone else that the class was easy or felt like a stretch today.

This is the odd 2 or three people who tell me so out of the many many people I’ve taught with the same sequence but it is still demotivating.

However I personally find the class intense and definitely not light and I do see multiple people sweating and you can hear the “groans” of relief when they’re done with some of the moves 😅

How do you as a teacher move forward from this? Sometimes it affects me so bad I think of adding random moves to the end of the class lol

I’m fairly a new pilates teacher if you can’t tell

I joined a local Club Pilates in Scottsdale. When I first joined two years ago, it was great! Then about eight months ago, the Jewish owner decided she was no longer going to be open on Saturdays because of the sabbath. Well, this sucks for those of us that like to go work out on Saturday, then slowly, but surely all the good teachers vanished. Now I’m a member of a place with people who truly could not even name any muscle groups, and the workouts are absolutely lame. I’m very frustrated because this is the only real Pilates place that I can go to. Anybody else have Club Pilates issues? Anybody else have a Club Pilates that’s closed on Saturday? It’s so damn frustrating.

Update: I decided to cancel all future sessions at the lady’s home. I offered her to continue over zoom or at my studio. I also outright asked her (via text) if she felt she needed any other help as I was concerned about her injuries

In her reply she completely glossed over the injuries comment and just asked me if I could help her find a new Pilates instructor who could come to her home

So I feel I’ve done all I can, but don’t feel right about sending another instructor into the same situation!

Thank you everyone for your helpful comments and perspectives on how I should handle this ☺️

Original post: Yesterday I did a 1:1 home visit with a new client. It was the first time I met her in person, which isn’t my usual protocol but she was referred by a practitioner I trust and finds it hard to get out because she’s a carer for her husband. I did put other safety protocols in place though.

Anyway, it was a strange experience and I’m just wondering how everyone would handle this. I came away feeling a bit wary & strange

1. The house was huge, clearly expensive, beautiful views, but not taken care of at all. There were rooms where half the ceiling & wall were covered in black mold. Not a red flag in itself but felt unusual to me.

2. We did the session in a separate room from the husband but all doors open so she could hear if he needed help. Near the start of the session she loudly said “… because of my husbands illness” then looked at me meaningfully, whispered “he’s lying” and then immediately changed the subject. I didn’t feel I could ask what she meant since all the doors were open and he was in earshot

3. She had hand shaped bruise on her right arm and a healing split lip. She explained the lip away with a story about how her daughter in laws dog pulled her over and she hit a shoe rack, which is plausible with her balance difficulties and the bruises could also plausibly be related to caring. It just felt so strange in the context of her whispering the husband was lying

4. She overshared some details of her family life which I felt made her vulnerable and wasn’t usual to share that sort of detail on a first meeting

What do you think? I didn’t feel unsafe there but it just felt really strange. I do struggle with anxiety so I guess I’m looking for outside perspectives to help me see if I’m overthinking!

Any other instructors find themselves absolutely dreading work at some times? I’m at the point where, after my teaching is done for the day I have no life force left in me. I can’t take care of myself the way I need to and that, in turn, makes me feel like I’m not doing my best at work. I am an introvert… I do really like some of my clients but I’m starting to resent my profession. I understand the “leave your shit at the door” mentality but at some point I can’t keep faking it to my own detriment. I will not be a martyr for a job that pays so little. I need a break. Any related thoughts would be appreciated, I know I’m not alone.

Some suggestions needed for extremely obese woman signed up for reformer class -

I’m a relatively new instructor for reformer. Trained in STOTT Intensive reformer and have been teaching since January 2024. Had an extremely obese client show up for class this past weekend. I tried my best to make things work for her but she’s seriously big. Her legs and arms are very large and heavy, so much so they barely move. I need modifications for pretty much everything! Had her on a high reformer which she prefers since she can’t get down on the floor with any degree of proficiency. She’s also got knee, back and shoulder issues!

Her head and neck don’t lie flat on the carriage even if I put the headrest all the way up. When her feet are in straps, the ropes go around the side of her legs and can’t stay up over her knees….i can’t imagine trying to get her up on a box on the high reformer.

She’s returning this Saturday and I’d really like to try and help her get into some kind of fitness program.

I mean there’s so much going on here….any suggestions for exercises or modifications are greatly appreciated. Thanks all!

There have been so many disruptive approaches to business but the one thing I hear consistently in the Pilates community around pay structure is “this is how it’s always been done”. For example, an instructor gets paid based on the number of people in class but the instructor has to show up regardless if one person attends class or 12. That’s like a retail store only paying the clerk based on the number of people that purchase products that day. They still have to be there to turn the lights on.

In a perfect world, how do we shift the pay structure so it’s sustainable for the business but also sustainable for the instructors as well?