Teaching in Bangalore, India

I arrived in Bangalore on December 1st, after finishing an Intensive Reformer training in Mumbai. I was scheduled to start teaching an Intensive Mat Plus course at the Zone Mind and Body Studio in Bangalore the next day. It was a long drive in from the airport to the hotel and the traffic was intense! This city has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade, but the roads have yet to catch up with the increased traffic! I was staying in a very nice condo hotel that was an easy walk to the studio. My hosts, Anjali and Sharat Sareen picked me up the next day and took me to their beautiful studio. This was an oasis of calm and beauty after the noisy atmosphere of the Gold’s Gym in Mumbai. I enjoyed hanging out in the lounge or on one of the open air balconies before and after the training.

Most of the students in the IMP course had been training with Anjali and Sharat for a couple of years. It really helped to have some experienced students in the group and of course to have Anjali co-teaching with me. That was a first for me and it took me a while to get used to having someone else there to teach. Anjali made it very easy though and we had a great time together.
They were also extremely generous in taking me out to dinner several times and of course on our whirlwind shopping extravaganza! I had such a great time that day and really found some gorgeous things to take home with me! I only wish there had been more time for seeing some of the area around Bangalore. This was a whirlwind trip in more ways than one! The course went by so quickly that in no time we were at the end of the course, practicing those difficult intermediate exercises!

Fortunately, this was not on the day when we went out to eat the giant paper dosas! What a delicious food this is, but as you can see, it is not small in size!

I had such fun working with this group. I hope they continue to practice and improve their teaching skills. It is fortunate that most of them have Anjali and Sharat to observe and work with while they prepare for their exams.

The Ultimate Girl’s Night Out…in ITALY!

Posted by Trisha Hatfield Graves
In early 2007, I received an email from the owner of a “Learning/Wellness Retreat”, The Cascina Papaveri in Italy. They were interested in having me serve as the Featured International Pilates Instructor for two weeks in June. This retreat was the dream child of a retired British / Kiwi couple in their 70’s, conceived from their dedication to health, their love of Italy, a mutual enjoyment for farming…and their 20-year relationship with Pilates. They also possessed an insatiable interest in people, so, several years ago founded and purchased “The Cascina Papaveri” (The Poppy Farm), consisting of a huge historic farmhouse on an organic farm and vineyard, perched on a hill overlooking miles of rustic northern Italian countryside. This not only became their new home, but was remodeled to provide 10 beautiful 5-Star guests rooms, each with its own private bath. The lower floor of the farm house became an open-breezeway gym, lap pool, sauna / steam rooms and the largest fully-equipped Pilates studio in Europe. They had contacted me because they wanted to bring something different to the retreat for “Women’s Week” and saw that I taught Pole Dancing as well as Pilates.

I was quite honored because this retreat is recognized as featuring “best of the best” in international Pilates instructors. Most of their featured instructors can boast of having DVDs, books and TV spots…and “a following”. I simply owned The Pilates Center of Olympia, a small local studio, and my ‘followers’ consisted of several handfuls of loyal clients, most of whom could not afford the $2499 to take this trip. The pole dancing facet, however, really intrigued the Cascina’s owners, and the philosophies around providing women with an avenue through which to connect with their sensuality seemed like something their guests might enjoy.

I explained that the pole dancing was a package deal. My daughter, Cally, and I co-teach the classes together; spotting, assisting and guiding women. Five months later Cally and I were on our flight to Milan, Italy with two rifle cases containing our heavy-duty removable commercial poles capable of extending to their fourteen foot ceiling. The rifle cases had been revamped a bit, embossed with an aluminum veneer and butterfly pattern, which did not detract from their 60 pound weight!

When we arrived at the Cascina we found waiting for us, three British women; one working for the office of the Prime Minister, a lawyer from London, a woman training to become a Pilates instructor; and 3 Americans. One of these comrades was my client and two were a married couple from Chicago. All looking for a good time to relax, get healthy; and “let their hair down” so to speak.

Guests received multiple amenities, among them, unlimited daily Pilates (both apparatus and mat; taught by me), unlimited use of the gym, lap pool, and sauna/steam room; daily Culinary Arts classes, all meals beautifully prepared using market fresh ingredients and organic produce from the farm; unlimited Private Label wine from the Cascina’s own grapes, trips to local village markets and an added bonus with Cally and I there…unlimited Pole Dancing for Fitness!

Cally and I were put up in a gorgeous little apartment in the village and walked the three miles to and from the retreat each day. It was the most incredible mother-daughter adventure, and with our philosophies around “Women Empowering Women” this represented taking our ‘show’ on the road! The British women loved the liberating experience of pole dancing and while playfully cheering the ladies on one day to “smack their fanny”, one diplomatically explained to me that …ahem…“fanny” means something quite different in Britain.

Out of literally thousands of Pilates instructors worldwide vying for an opportunity to serve as the retreat’s featured instructor, I am humbled and ecstatic that they chose to feature me again last summer. Cally couldn’t go, so I brought another of my instructors, Heather Christopher and 7 clients of my own. We had another wonderful visit. For more info Email Trisha Hatfield Graves:trisha@pilatesatplay.com or Visit: www.cascinapapaveri.com

Mumbai Impressions-A Pilates Instructors First Trip to India

I arrived in Mumbai around 2am on Friday November 20th after leaving Portland at 8:45am on November 18th. Once our plane had landed in Mumbai we were shuffled from one line to another to go through customs and through a special Swine Flu checkpoint. Then began a very long wait for our luggage. It seemed to trickle out one bag at a time and by the time my bag finally turned up it was close to 4am. I almost missed finding Samir who was hosting the course and had been outside waiting for me for 2 ½ hours. Fortunately, we finally made the connection and he drove me to my hotel in the Malabar Hill area of Mumbai.
After a good 7 hours of sleep I awoke and ordered the vegetarian “sumo” meal from the hotel restaurant.

It was delicious, and “sumo” enough to last me for two meals! Samir picked me up later and took me the few blocks to Gold’s Gym where the Intensive Reformer course would be held. We finished assembling the SPX reformers before heading back to the hotel. I discovered that the hotel was “dry” which is fairly common in India. Fortunately there was a “bottle shop” just down the street where I could get a beer when needed! It took me several days to get over the jet lag and I think I would have recovered sooner if I’d been able to get to sleep earlier on my arrival. As it was, I would come back from the course every day around 4pm and be utterly exhausted and would then take a short nap. This was a terrible idea as I would then wake up each morning around 3am and be unable to go to sleep again. I finally broke that cycle, but it took almost a week to feel completely adjusted.
The Gold’s Gym was just a few blocks from the hotel, so after a nice buffet breakfast I would walk down there each morning to do a little workout/warmup before the class started at 10am. Malabar Hill is a very prestigious neighborhood that was originally developed by the British.

Since it is up on a hill it tends to get more breezes and be slightly cooler than the lower parts of the city. If Malabar Hill was the coolest spot in Mumbai, I wasn’t looking forward to venturing out from there! The temperatures during my first week in Mumbai hovered between 92 – 94 degrees and the humidity was intense. I can’t imagine what the city would be like during the hot monsoon season!
I had seven students in the IR course and they were all new to pilates for the most part. A few had done some mat classes, but I was really starting from the ground level with all of them. The first day we went through the principles of STOTT PILATES and learned how to set up and use the SPX reformers. At the beginning with a group like this I always feel that it is going to be a real uphill battle to get through all the elements of the course and really get them to understand the subtleties of the pilates repertory. As we progressed though, things got better.

Everyone really worked hard to learn these new concepts and movements. I always want to have more time too, and it is hard to let go and leave them to practice on their own. I hope that they will keep in touch with me as they continue their pilates training.

A hard thing to get used to in Mumbai is the abrupt contrast between the well to do and the very poor. Even in an affluent neighborhood like Malabar Hill there are constant reminders of extreme poverty. Unlike the US, which tends to keep it’s wealthiest areas quite distanced from any sign of poverty, India mixes everything together. A billionaire’s home will have a squatters hut built on the outskirts of the estate. One side of a road will be filled with wealthy mansions and condos and the other side will be filled with shacks made of corrugated tin. What is even more bizarre is that no one seems to notice this dichotomy.

Mumbai is filled with these contradictions. It is what makes the city such a crazy, adrenaline filled circus! After a few days here, your rhythm changes and you start to feel the honking, screeching, tabla beat of the city get inside of you. Whatever you do here, don’t miss the thrill ride of taking a taxi or a autorickshaw around town!

My Success Story! Teaching in Dublin, Ireland

Success as I see it is arriving safely in Dublin, making it to my bed and breakfast, remembering that people do speak English here and that I actually should understand what they are saying, getting a bus to town and back! That is success. I think I should be entered into the contest. My challenge was arriving and finding out that I am teaching one more day than I knew about (it was discussed but not confirmed to my knowledge, and now I lose my travel time with Kevin. The extra day was on my confirmation notice but I missed it….. did not start my day well).

Melanie

Job shadowing a pilates instructor

This was emailed to us, but we thought others might be interested!

My name is Hannah Walker and I’m a high school Junior interested in talking with you about teaching, your training, and your experiences owning a studio, to find out a little more about working as a Pilates instructor.

I am planning on coming to your studio for my Pilates certification and would like to learn more about your instructors as well as your thoughts on the STOTT PILATES method versus other teaching styles.

A little background about myself. I was a serious ballet dancer from age 4 until 15 and discovered Pilates through my dance studios. I stopped dancing ballet but have enjoyed taking some modern classes since then and I still continue with Pilates at Pilates Plus Northwest as well as Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis at Center Gyrotonic. My objective is to obtain my Pilates certification before I graduate high school, and eventually obtain my Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis certifications as well.

I know you are very busy, and don’t always have the time to meet with people. I thought that perhaps it would be more convenient if I emailed you some of my questions, and you can get back to me at your leisure.

Hi Hannah:

Actually, I didn’t choose STOTT PILATES, it chose me, and I am feel very fortunate about that. I decided to begin taking pilates classes after acquiring a dance injury (a stress fracture to my left tibia) that wouldn’t heal. It is a long story, but, in essence, I ended up missing nearly a year of my dance career while I was at Oregon Ballet Theatre. During that time, one of my co-workers (another dancer) suggested that I go with her to do pilates. The instructor had also been a dancer and she was a certified STOTT PILATES Instructor Trainer. Well, I had studied pilates in New York City many years before, so this particular style was unfamiliar to me, but as soon as we started going to classes, I fell in love it. I especially liked how anatomically- based it was. My teacher had been educated to work with injuries, and she worked very specifically with me on my imbalances and weaknesses; I began to realize that many of which may have instigated my injury. After I finally returned to dancing after being off for months, I was shocked at the amount of strength and over-all control I had gained. Even my co-workers were amazed.

It is difficult to find positions available that offer full-time work and benefits for pilates teaching only. Typically, in the United States, pilates instructors are self-employed. Nevertheless, those jobs do exist. At large gyms, clubs or resorts, you can find salaried or set hourly positions like this. Sometimes workers have multiple roles to acquire this employee status. For example, you may be a pilates instructor at a large gym and also do personal training or administrative work. At any rate, I think one of the benefits of pilates is that it can be taught in your own home. Because the equipment and initial investment is relatively low, compared to many start up businesses, a certified instructor can do really well. Also, many studios rent space and equipment to certified pilates instructors to run their own business within.

Depending on where you live, pilates can be very competitive or relatively unknown. Certainly, it is more popular than ten years ago, but that can also work to a new instructors advantage; the public does not need to be educated about what pilates is or its benefits like teachers had to do a decade ago. I think an instructor that is considering a career in pilates should do some homework about the region that they intend to work in prior to acquiring their certification. He or she should look seriously that the region’s demographics and if it can support a teacher. Also, I have seen excellent pilates teachers thrive in areas that are not typically supportive of a business like pilates, but because of the individual’s personality, talents and skills as a teacher he or she excels anyway.

Income varies widely depending on the region in which you live. An instructor that I know in Los Angeles makes over $80,000 per year. She doesn’t work at a studio but instead has built a business catering to the affluent people in that region. She requires her students to purchase STOTT PILATES equipment, and she teaches them in their homes. She is an excellent instructor and uses word-of-mouth referrals to gain new students.

I am not sure that this same kind of business could thrive in a city the size of Portland. There are people in this city with this same level of affluence, but compared to population there are fewer. Also, the Portland mind-set is completely different than L.A.

In a city like Portland, an excellent, hard-working, full time teacher (30-35 hours per week) can probably earn about $45,000-$60,000 per year, depending on their circumstances (if they are a business owner and how many hours they work.)

I think an Exercise Science Degree could be helpful to someone interested in pursuing a career in pilates. In fact, I have met many college students getting a degree in Exercise Science or Physical Therapy pursue the pilates training as a means to be employed while in school. Because of the ability to have a flexible schedule and be self-employed as a pilates instructor, it is a great job option that is complementary to their academic pursuits.
Business courses are definitely helpful to individuals considering opening a studio.

Yes, word-of-mouth referrals are the primary way that we acquire new students. Initially, when we opened our studio, we had to invest money into print advertising, conventions, and offer ongoing specials and discounts etc. After about four years in business, we found that most of our clients were finding us through referrals and on the internet. After seven years, we discontinued all of our print advertising. Having excellent instructors and keeping our clientele happy has been the best way to build loyalty and a consistently positive reputation in our area.

Thanks, again, Hannah, for contacting us. I wish you the best of luck, and I look forward to meeting you one day.

Thanks much,
Leslie

A slice of pilates heaven in Puyallup, Washington

Just spent the weekend in Puyallup, Washington (just outside Tacoma) teaching a STOTT PILATES level one Barrels Module at lovely Studio Malulani www.studiomalulani.com

Because of the flooding on I-5, I had to fly to Seattle and then drive south to the studio. Of course, the second I arrived, all signs of stress disappeared as I was warmly received by Johnette Schiesz, the owner of Studio Malulani, a STOTT PILATES instructor and Reiki practitioner. The studio is like a slice of pilates heaven.

The girls learned all the essential and intermediate level one barrel work this weekend, and they did beautifully. Each year, Studio Malulani hosts Pacific NW Pilates to teach one or two courses or workshops. In fact, the studio has already trained about ten students to become STOTT PILATES instructors. This spring Melanie will be going there in July to teach the STOTT PILATES Injuries and Special Populations course- I’m jealous!

STOTT PILATES® RMR1 in Vancouver, Canada

Melanie

STOTT PILATES® Teacher Training in Korea

I arrived in South Korea on Friday April 25th, and jumped into teaching the STOTT PILATES Intensive Cadillac, Chair and Barrel course the next day. Of course, I was still jet lagged, not to mention stiff as a board after sitting in a plane for 16 hours, but since I had woken up at 4 am, I had plenty of time to stretch out! I was staying in a hotel for that first night as the “guesthouse” was still occupied by the Instructor Trainer from Toronto, Karen Sullivan. I was lucky to find that my hotel room included a large whirlpool tub which definitely helped un-kink my spine!

I got to meet Karen briefly and we went over to the pilates studio to assess a student who was having some re-occurring injuries from an auto accident a few years ago. We did some basic stabilization exercises with her and determined that she could take the course if she sat out and observed the more challenging exercises. I met Min, my translator, and started teaching the 12 students in the ICCB course. Learning names is always one of the challenges of meeting a large group for the first time and becomes even more difficult when the names are not familiar to you. Trying to remember who Ji-Sun was and getting her mixed up with Ji-Eun or Eun Jung was one of the difficulties that first week!

Teaching with a translator is also very challenging as you need to get through all the material in the set amount of time, but everything you say takes twice as long since it needs to be translated. This is the 5th course I have taught with a translator and Min has been doing a very good job. The group is doing great too and we got through all of the STOTT PILATES Cadillac section of the course with plenty of time for some practice teaching. I took a very artistic video of the student’s practice teaching, but somehow I was only on preview mode, not record mode, so a photograph will have to do…

They were all very hard workers, but also had a good sense of humor. When we took our lunch break, the studio always provided a lunch for all the students. It was usually a roll of gimbap, which is like a Korean sushi filled with vegetables, egg and ham. Today’s lunch was rice cakes in a spicy chile sauce.

I finished the ICCB course on May 4th and then we jumped right into the Advanced Repertoire and finished with the STOTT PILATES Injuries and Special Populations Course by the end of May. Some of these students had already taken the IMP and IR courses before I arrived, so they literally were in intensive pilates training for over three months!

That is a lot of information to take in especially when the manuals are written in english. Most Koreans have at least some english skills, but I’m sure it is still challenging for most of them to read the training manuals, especially the Injuries and Special Populations manual! Here we all are at the end of the ISP course ready to go out for a little wild Korean karaoke!

Everyone was so sweet to me during all the courses and really made me feel welcome in their beautiful country. I hope to go back one day…