In any movement practice that you teach, you will encounter students of all levels and ability. The Pilates industry caters to many different class settings, environments, and sizes. I used to teach group mat classes that had both seasoned movers and an elderly lady that could not get on the floor without assistance. Currently I teach mostly semi privates; the differences in any two bodies, even roughly at the same level, are vast. How is an instructor supposed to handle these differences? How are we supposed to keep our clients safe and still meet their goals? How can we teach the same class to so many different bodies? Here is a way you can make make multi–level classes work.
I have a magic phrase that I use multiple times a day: “…if it’s available.”
When I am cueing through an exercise and need to make it more challenging for one student but not the other I use these words. It does a couple of things for me. First of all, it makes the client have to take initiative in their own practice. They can choose separately if the next level is in fact available to them or not. Secondly, I’m not drawing attention to them by saying, “you on the right do this, and you on the left do that.“ Thirdly, I am often shocked who chooses the harder way. Several instances come to mind when my “lower level” client executes the progression seamlessly and with ease and grace. It’s an awesome surprise and it makes me rethink how I initially looked at that person. On the other hand, the more “advanced” client sometimes chooses not to take the progression. Regardless of why, maybe they’re tired, don’t feel good or it‘s simply too hard for them, these clients don’t feel like they are regressing, and instead are honoring what feels good for their body.
Here is an example of how I use it. Let’s say we are doing thigh stretch on the tower. I have set up the exercise and we have done a few rounds and when one or all look clean and ready to progress, I say: “If it’s available to you, scoot two inches forward towards your tower. It will create less spring tension and you will have to rely on your body more to come up to tall kneeling. Or you can stay where you are and repeat.” Sometimes everyone moves, no one moves, or they try to move forward, see it’s not for them and move back to the original spot. Wording it this way creates an environment of choice and independence.
I didn’t realize I said this phrase so often until after class one day a new client came to talk to me at the end of a session. She told me that she appreciated my choice of words. This person had come from another studio and was always the one that the instructor verbally pointed out and made modifications for. It made her leave Pilates feeling disempowered and a little embarrassed, even though the other instructor was probably doing only what they thought was best.
Now don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t work in every situation and sometimes the clients choose the progression a little too early for their body. But it’s a good stepping stone to work with multi–level classes. Try it and see if it works for you, only if it‘s available!
Written By Polestar Graduate and Practitioner Becky Phares of Lafayette Louisiana.
Find Becky on Social Media: @the_body_initiative
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Workshop Objectives:
The process of planning this mat class involved adopting a filter of empathy and sensitivity towards domestic trauma abuse victims. As one of my clients who is an MD said, “We all have suffered our own trauma at some point in our lives.” Although this is true, I have never personally experienced the level of trauma as that of a CORA client. I reached out to a few friends and colleagues who have, as well as to Pilates teachers on “The Contemporary Pilates Haven” Facebook group who have had experience working with victims of domestic abuse. Excellent advice came from all of these sources.
One member of this Facebook group recommended the book, The Body Keeps The Score, by Bessel Van der Kolk M.D. This excellent read was particularly helpful in understanding the current neuroscience research involving trauma and pointed towards the successful use of Yoga and Pilates as tools whereby the individual can experience the self as finally being seen and heard, a state of being that often disappears from the psyche of the abused.
In other words, just to be, as opposed to not be, (think Shakespeare), is an essential step for the individual to experience as she/he negotiates a path towards freedom.
I had to design a Pilates Mat class that delayed supine, prone and quadruped positions on the mat as these positions would likely be triggers that could land the participant in a real moment of re-lived trauma crisis. These positions would need to be introduced in a manner where the participant felt an organic sequencing that got them there with a sense of self efficacy and power.
As opposed to a list of exercises to teach, here is where the six Polestar Pilates Principles of Movement helped me to design an appropriate class. Breath, Axial Elongation and Core Control, Spine Articulation and Mobility, Head Neck and Shoulder Organization, Alignment and Weight Bearing of the Extremities, and Movement Integration.
The class started sitting on stools where we mobilized the feet using blue mini balls, and breath and spine movement exploration using Therabands. We progressed to standing for mobility and balance exercises in the spine and extremities using the wall and the floor for support, followed by supine, prone and quadruped exercises with feet against the wall. We returned to standing in a circle with some group movement, folk dance style. In one of the groups we also did an improvisation using the mirror exercise where, working in partners with palms held up and facing each other but without touching palms, the duo moves together as if looking in a mirror. Many of us movement teachers may have done this sometime in our past, but none of the CORA staff members had ever done this exercise before. They loved it!
Aside from the stools, blue mini balls and Therabands, the only other small props I used were partially inflated squishy balls for proprioceptive feedback through the hands, and upper and lower back while doing exercises standing at the wall and in supine. The use of balls for the wall exercises was important because it brought an element of play to the experience and would hopefully avoid a trigger experience of abuse.
We addressed all of the Polestar Principles during this class, and as is so often the case, each exercise hit on many Principles simultaneously.
During the discussion afterwards, I asked the staff members for feedback as to how, or even if, they thought what they had just experienced might be beneficial for their clients. They all commented on the awareness of breath as a huge benefit for bringing the self into the present. I had introduced the statement, “breath is a tool, not a rule” to the group as we explored mobility through all the movement planes, changing where to inhale and exhale. They found this particularly on point as it facilitated each of them to feel positive change in their movement where there had initially been some discomfort. They commented that this might be a first concrete step for many of their clients to feel less invisible. After all, the successful change was generated by the self and not an outside force. Not surprisingly, they also saw the value for their clients in the group and partner generated movement at the end of class as it provided community support.
As of this writing, the CORA Safe House Curriculum Director has indicated that she would like to find a way to incorporate Pilates into the early evening programming. Some of the therapists are considering ways to bring Pilates into their group sessions. These are a group of dedicated, underpaid non-profit organization employees working to improve the lives of their clients. Although no ongoing relationship between myself and CORA has been established, and it may take awhile to solidify some plans, I believe that we will find a way to make something work. Stay tuned!
BP: What type of supportive systems are used in a home that you design?
K: They are all wood framed houses so normally wooden beams, columns or structural walls.
Sometimes when we want a long span of open space we use steel beams.
BP: How do you determine how many beams to put up in your house to keep the roof from
caving in?
K: So over 20 feet and under normally requires some sort of wooden beam. Over 20 will
require a bigger/stronger beam.
BP: What would happen if you have to little support?
K: Well the structure would fall, obviously.
BP: What would happen if you have too much support?
K: Too much… nothing would happen to the structure, but it would be a waste of resources.
BP: What other things make your job fun but challenging?
K: It’s fun because it’s creative and each family I design for is unique. It’s challenging for 2
reasons:
1. When the lots are small but people still want to build a big house on limited space.
2. Trying to accommodate everything they want but sometimes those things conflict with each
other physically. For instance, you want a window in the bathroom, but the desired location of
the bathroom is not on an exterior wall. So we either have to move the room, or not have
windows.
BP: Based on this interview I have supported the reasoning for why the quote, “as little as possible, as much as necessary” is important not only in Pilates and architecture but in life in general. Using too much stuff during a job wastes resources; using too little doesn’t create enough support. I have also realized that my job and Kally’s have more similarities than I once imagined. We both have to figure out what is best for our clients through creative and critical thinking. She describes her process of designing a house like putting together a jigsaw puzzle. Kally knows what they want, but it is not always a quick fix. Similarly, when a new client walks into my door, they may have a goal for their body, but I know it will take multiple sessions to make that goal a reality.
Becky Phares, PMA®-CPT is a Polestar Pilates Graduate, Practitioner and contributor to the Polestar Life Weekly Blog. With more than 10 years of teaching Becky teaches at her studio The Body Initiative Pilates Studio in Lafayette, Louisiana. Find Becky and her Studio on Facebook: 