How To Become a Pilates Instructor

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If there is one question I receive more than any other question it’s this:

‘How do I become a Pilates instructor?’

So today I’m going to lay out the process to becoming an instructor for those of you who may be interested.

Pilates is one of the top fitness trends in the world and has steadily grown in popularity over the past 50+ years. Due to its effectiveness and staying power, I wouldn’t call it a trend. Pilates is here to stay. Which is good news for those of us who have chosen this career path and those who are looking to dive in.

Becoming a Pilates instructor takes time, commitment and money. There is no doubt about that. I think many people make the mistake of lumping it together with general ‘group fitness.’ Group fitness instructors can be certified in one weekend, for a reputable Pilates certification that’s not the case.

6 Steps To Becoming A Pilates Instructor:

1. Take class

Immerse yourself in classes to learn the exercises, learn about your own body and observe other teachers. Take as many as you can and practice consistently. Take from a variety of teachers so that you can determine which style you are drawn to and what kind of path you want to follow. Ask lots of questions and inquire about your favorite teachers’ training and certification.

2. Ask yourself the following questions:

  • Do I enjoy teaching? (you won’t be doing Pilates yourself, you will be teaching others)
  • Do I have an interest in body mechanics, anatomy and exercise science?
  • Do I enjoy speaking in front of large groups? (you will essentially be on stage!)
  • Am I self-motivated?
  • Am I okay trading job stability for job flexibility? (you will find your own healthcare, benefits, etc.)

These are just a few questions to consider. There are many more that I may dive into in a separate post.

3. Decide if you want a mat or comprehensive certification

A mat certification prepares you to teach group mat classes, which is what you will find in most gyms. A comprehensive certification prepares you to teach and train clients using the traditional Pilates equipment (reformer, chair, trap table/cadillac, etc.) in addition to mat. If you are hoping to teach ‘full-time’ or train private clients a comprehensive certification is the way to go. It is very, very hard to make a living on mat certification alone.

4. Research and select a Pilates certification program

There are a lot of good programs out there so I encourage you to ask your favorite teachers about their path and recommendations.  You will want to determine if you are drawn to the classical or contemporary style of teaching.

A mat certification may cost $100 – $300. For a comprehensive Pilates certification you can expect to pay at least $3,000,  quite possibly more.

A reputable certification program should include:

  • 500+ hours of training, practice and student teaching (for comprehensive certification)
  • recognition from the Pilates Method Alliance
  • modules that take place over a period of months (not just a weekend or two)

A few that I highly recommend:

  • Body Arts and Science International (contemporary) – this is my training
  • Balanced Body University (contemporary) – I currently teaching in a BB studio and absolutely love it
  • Polestar Pilates (contemporary)
  • Physical Mind Institute (contemporary)
  • Peak Pilates (contemporary)
  • Power Pilates (classical)
  • Stott Pilates (contemporary)
  • Romana’s Pilates (classical)

There are many others but these are some of the most widely recognized programs that can be found across the country.

5. Complete your certification process

A mat certification can take a few months, while a comprehensive certification will take 12+ months. Most programs offer flexibility so that you can make it work with your schedule and goals. Your program will require tests and an opportunity to “test out” at the conclusion which will most likely include a written test plus a hands-on practical teaching assessment.

Ideally you’d also find someone to mentor you work through your certification and begin student teaching.

I went through my certification process while working full-time as a project coordinator in a commercial real estate firm. It was busy, but it can be done.

10 Yoga or Pilates Teacher Red Flags

Our therapeutic Pilates instructor course is the essential yoga teacher training tool for all physiotherapists and health professionals. You might want to steer clear of a yoga or Pilates teacher if you encounter any of these ten things in class:

1. They don’t start the class with some sort of centering: mentally, physically, and emotionally. This is essential for students not just of yoga but any fitness realm to help create more awareness of the body and the movements they are about to engage in. The more mindful someone is during ANY movement the less chances of injury.

2. They offer options in class like “beginner” “intermediate” and “advanced”. Hello! What do you think your students are going to do. The last thing someone wants is to be the beginner, and he or she will usually do anything to prove not to be left behind. And to top it off the instructor does nothing about this and just leaves them be. Can you say INJURY!

3. Your class is your teachers’ workout, too. They never leave their mat the entire class. I’m sorry but in a “fitness” class where people are coming in and know nothing about what you are teaching them and on top of that have NO body awareness (and from my experience most people do not have much body awareness when they start), this behavior is a serious red flag. I had a teacher that when she would get off her mat, we would have to stay extra-long on that side so she could “feel the burn too.”

4. Your teacher never demonstrates anything. Hello, I’ve never done this before and want to see what it looks like too please. And sometimes it’s the teachers’ responsibility to show what it shouldn’t look like as well to help students know where not to go.

5. Their cueing sounds something like this: “Inhale….Exhale….Warrior II….Down Dog….” And so it goes. Mind-body based classes need more than just the bare minimum. If that is the case I might as well do my “performance based” DVD by Rodney Yee and not pay you to teach me yoga.

6. They don’t do mirror image and they turn their backs to you. A good instructor will teach mirror image, a way for the students to mimic what you are presenting. Think back to when you were little, how did someone older teach you to do something? By getting you to mimic them. And when you don’t do mirror image and turn your back to your students, who’s watching them and keeping them safe?

7. They know nothing about the body.  Anyone and I mean ANYONE who is going to teach anyone anything related to fitness MUST know about the body. Yes, there is a learning curve, but if yoga is a “preventative” medicine then how can you prevent if you know nothing about what you are keeping safe. Other than choreography based flow, does your instructor ever offer cues like: “Lift your toes and spread them wide on the floor, offer traction to the feet to activate all three arches of the foot — from your life-filled foot notice how the ankle is held active… and so it goes.” Now I bet you are wondering, “we have three arches?” And if your Pilates teacher is trying to work your core enough to do the Roll-Up, you just might have the tightest hip flexors in town after that class.

8. Handed down phrases used in class like: “navel to spine,” “press your back into the floor,” “flatten your back” or “squeeze your butt.” If you are a teacher and reading this, what is the value these cues hold? What are you trying to achieve from these? Most people don’t have an answer except “it’s what my teacher says.” Simply put, it’s an uneducated form of cueing to try to teach something they don’t know enough about.

9. They don’t tell you how. Yes a push up can be good but not when the person looks like a wet noodle going down and coming up. And if you are being told that a push up (Chatraunga) is all about upper body and arm strength, you have been misled. A Straddle Forward Bend, simply folding forward could lead to disc issues or hamstring injuries. What part of my body is working and what should I focus on while I’m here?

10. If you can’t tell me why, then why are we doing it? Functionality is a huge focus for me and I have re-evaluated much of what and how I teach because of this notion. And this “why” will let you know if your instructor is really ready to teach. As we get older the #1 thing we all want at the end of the day is to be healthy and to be able to do the things we enjoy, and if our calves are so tight and we have no awareness of our feet and core, how are we really better off than when we started? The why is all about functionality off the mat. If this will help me in my everyday life, then bring it on. If not, what’s the point?

Clear Your Acne Scars at Home

Kim Kardashian exquisitely sculpted face and cheekbones because of the best skin tightening treatment she get. Acne, the most common skin condition, affects up to 80% of people in their teens and mid 20s and later in their adult life. While most acne heals without permanent effects, some does not, leaving various grades of acne scarring ranging from mild to severe. Tackling acne scars treatment that works for you can be a rewarding experience because you’ll know every detail. Yoga Neutral Bay focuses on core-based style of yoga they combine the strength-building aspects of Pilates with the flow of vinyasa. I did a fat reduction treatments Melbourne using a process of liposuction the result was effective, there is no need for me to do exercise.

Acne scars can generally be classified into 3 types, they are –

Icepick Scars – narrow sharp pits or cracks in the skin, usually narrower than 2mm and can extend into the dermis and deeper into the subcutaneous layer. Traditionally very hard to treat, usually combination in-clinic treatments are required to obtain satisfactory results.

Boxcar Scars – are indented, round or oval scars with steeply angled sides. They can be shallow ranging to deep scars. Shallow boxcar scarring can be treated with homecare skin needling, deeper scarring may require in-clinic treatments.

Superficial Soft Scars – indented, round or oval scars with more gradual angled sides than boxcar or icepick scars. They can range in depth from shallow to deep. Shallow to medium depth soft acne scarring can be treated with homecare skin needling, deeper scarring may require in-clinic treatments.

History of Skin Needling

In 1994, Dr Philippe Simonin, a Swissfrench Dermatologist, published his results in Baran’s Cosmetic Dermatology. In his study of 600 patients, he examined results for 2 patient groups, one with Skin Ageing and the other with old Scars. In the patient group with old scars, 60% improved with 5-6 treatments. Best results were obtained for old fibrous and depressed scars.

His ground breaking technique, which he named Electroridopuncture (ERP), remained largely unknown to the wider medical community.

Another pioneer of skin needling, Dr Andre Camirand, a Canadian plastic surgeon, made a chance observation of improvement in the texture and colour of the scars of his facelift patients, who had undergone tattooing for scar camouflage. These patients exhibited both indented and hypochromic (lightened) scars.

He experimented with tattooing facelift scars without pigment. He performed his needling procedures using a high speed tattoo gun, under local anaesthesia and treated each scar to pinpoint bleeding.

In 1997 Dr Camirand reported that one to two years after treatment the appearance of the scars was remarkably improved both in texture and colour.

He postulated that the insertion of the fine tattoo gun needles into the scars managed to breakdown scar collagen and stimulate the synthesis of healthy collagen and hypochromic skin repigmented through the transplantation of melanocytes from normal skin into the hypochromic skin during the needling procedure. He also reported the flattening of hypertrophic (overgrown, raised) scars.

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s various doctors experimented with skin needling, developing skin rollers whereby numerous microneedles, of the same gauge as acupuncture needles, were mounted on rollers so as to efficiently deliver the skin needling procedure to larger areas of skin. These doctors also observed that shorter needles dramatically increased the transdermal penetration and thereby absorption of creams and serums into the skin.

Skin needling is an exciting new treatment for acne and all types of indented scarring. Skin Needling can be safely performed on all skin colours and types. There is no risk of post inflammatory hypopigmentation or hyperpigmentation (lightening or darkening of the skin as a result of skin trauma) as the melanocytes (pigment skin cells) remain intact, like the dermis, during Skin Needling. This is the major distinguishing safety feature when comparing Skin Needling and other invasive procedures that are used to treat deep line and depressed scars, ie. laser resurfacing, deep chemical peels and dermabrasion.

Skin needling gives similar results to in-clinic treatments such as laser skin resurfacing, chemical skin peels and microdermabrasion but is far less invasive which translates to a far lower risk of complications (such as infection and/or pigmentation) and significantly reduced down time at a fraction of the cost.

Skin needling has been shown to –

  • improve the appearance of acne, surgical and all indented scars including stretch marks
  • improve the appearance of boxcar and superficial soft acne scars, not suitable for ice pick acne scars
  • smooth lines and wrinkle
  • improve skin texture
  • improve hypo and hyperpigmentation
  • relax scars

Skin Rollers are designed to perform the technique known as skin needling or Collagen Induction Therapy (CIT) where needles pierce the skin to create micro channels, stimulating the upper dermis and the bodies wound healing response to produce collagen and elastin and thereby naturally infilling acne and all indented scars, lines and wrinkles. These micro channels also radically increase the absorption and effectiveness of serums and creams used to assist the skin’s natural wound healing response. Creams and serums are applied after rolling.

Skin needling delivers the critical ingredients that will assist in naturally infilling mild to moderate boxcar and soft acne scars in the privacy and comfort of your home.

Generally, deep ice pick acne scars and deep facial lines will need to be treated by a medical professional using a medical face roller in combination with the homecare rollers or other in clinic treatments. However, not as deep wider acne scars and other depressed scars, aging, sun damaged and pigmented skin can be treated using homecare rollers.

Skin Needling can be performed for whole face rejuvenation, and when combined with tretinoin (vitamin A cream) or copper peptides, can deliver equivalent results to laser resurfacing with a no risk profile.

Skin needling can also be regularly repeated as a patient ages to replenish collagen and elastin, there is no limit to the number of procedures/treatments undertaken.

Skin needling has been shown to –

  • improve the appearance of acne, surgical and all indented scars including stretch marks
  • smooth lines and wrinkle
  • improve skin texture
  • relax scars

To view our Clearskincare Acne Scar Solution

In 2005, to meet the needs of her patients, Dr Philippa McCaffery of Clearskincare developed her homecare skin roller range after 2 years of research, design, development and patient trials to bring an effective and affordable skin roller to the public and clinicians.

The Clearskincare Acne Scar Solution –

  • Clearskincare Skin & Scalp Roller
  • Clearskincare Copper Peptide Serum

The Clearskincare Skin & Scalp Roller was designed for the homecare treatment of indented scars such as acne and chicken pox scars, advanced sundamaged and ageing skin.

Using the Clearskincare Skin & Scalp Roller is not painful and there is no down time. The roller is used daily, there is no bleeding (minor spotting may occur), reddening of the skin, scabbing or pain.

Results will be noticeable from the Clearskincare Skin & Scalp Roller after 2 cycles (80 days). Significant results should be evident after 4-6 cycles (5-8 months).

Clearskincare CP Serum –

1. assists skin renewal – reduces the appearance of scars, wrinkles and fine lines; an

2. reduces the appearance of skin ageing – firms the skin, reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles, reduces blotchiness and blemishes, improves elasticity, skin plumpness and texture.

Every client who has undertaken skin needling has improved the appearance of their scars.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Dr_Philippa_McCaffery/299606

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7930696