It's been a while since I've taken time to write.
Sometimes, all it takes is a little thorn in your side to get the creative juices flowing.
It just so happens that I had read this blog post from Carolyne Anthony's blog:
http://www.thecenterforwomensfitness.com/blog-1/bid/53650/We-are-all-created-equal-in-the-Pilates-world
Carolyne is a master instructor with an amazing understanding of Pilates AND a genius with its pre and post natal applications.
A few days later, one of the regular students of our studio came in and related to me a tale of her experience when she decided to try a different location, one that she decided to try when she got what I will call a "groupon like certificate." Everybody just calls them all "groupons" whether they are from Youswoop or Living Social or another entity.
I digress.
I had told this student, as I have tried to tell all my students, that my main goal at the studio is to create an unpretentious environment in which everyone can comfortably experience Pilates' work under the guidance of knowledgeable instructors. We all come from different backgrounds: From the Center Pilates, Power Pilates, Village Pilates, Fletcher Pilates, and STOTT Pilates. I think that we actually are better for it. Essentially, at the core, no pun intended, we teach the same exercises, but sharing our different experiences with each other has given all of us entire new bags of tricks. It is also way more than different cues and imagery. We learn from each other how to solve the mysteries of when student X does an exercise, she can't quite get this part right. We learn to tweak our spring tensions, gear bars, and body positions to help an exercise make sense to a student. The same equipment and body adjustments can be made to completely challenge and boggle the mind body connection of a student. We look at our differences in philosophy and technique not as something to argue about, but as something to illuminate a deeper understanding of the work, and we always ask. "Why?"
So, when this student told me about her experience at this other place, I was a little chafed. Her first instructor was strict and authoritative in the worst sense of the word. She also made sure to mention that she learned her Pilates in New York years ago, repeatedly. Although my personal bias is that it shows your "age" as a Pilates instructor as well or your complete disconnect with the Pilates educators of today to tout your "New York" training from a long time ago, I will say that it is possible that this woman had a wonderful comprehensive education from one or many Pilates elders. Based on the rest of the story, I doubt it. The coup de grace with this instructor is that she left this student feeling like she didn't know anything about doing Pilates, even though this student has been working out at PPP since June. The instructor repeatedly informed her,"You're doing that wrong" and never really told her how to do it "right." Her biggest failure was that her attempt to win over the student by trying to prove that we had not taught her anything backfired.
I've never been comfortable teaching from the negative. Maybe it works.
The second experience is a real kicker as well.
My dear, sweet student decided to give another instructor a try. This time it was a man. He asked about her previous experience, and she told him she'd been coming to PPP since June. He then proceeds to warn her that at PPP, we are "classically" based and that his approach was contemporary and going to be a lot different. She said when all was said and done, it wasn't that different. He maybe had her turn her leg into parallel when she had it externally rotated through the hip. What gets me about this guy is that he has never met me before in his life. He has never set foot in my studio, and obviously he hasn't even looked at the website. So how can he claim with authority to know what I teach?!?
I understand the compulsion to build your credentials by criticizing someone else's, but I think I learned early on that if you don't have anything to back it up, you just look petty when you criticise someone else.
And yet, here I am criticizing someone else, but it's okay, because I'm criticizing their being critical....right?
What it all comes down to is an affirmation that the formula I teach by is working:
Be honest
Don't guess
Know your work
And continue to get to know it
Have an open mind
Remember that it is about the students, and not yourself.
Remember also that it's Joseph Pilates that invented the work, not you.
And for today, that's all she wrote.
