A thoughtful teacher reflecting on how experience shapes learning and the humility of mastery. After years of teaching, it’s easy to slip into certainty. You’ve seen hundreds of clients, corrected thousands of spines, and heard the same questions a hundred times. Yet somewhere in the comfort of experience hides a trap. It’s called the Dunning–Kruger effect. The Dunning–Kruger effect describes how people with little knowledge often overestimate their ability, while those with

Controlled lateral flexion strengthens obliques and promotes spinal mobility and balance. The Side Bend on the Ladder Barrel is one of those movements that looks graceful and effortless but demands deep strength and precision from every muscle along the side of the body. It’s an ideal exercise for improving lateral stability, strengthening the obliques, and enhancing spinal mobility. You begin with the hip positioned over the apex of the barrel, feet securely anchored against

A humanoid robot assists a focused Pilates client guiding movement on a Reformer machine. As headlines shout about robots taking jobs and AI replacing humans, it is worth taking a breath and looking at where Pilates teachers stand in all of this. The good news is that we are safe. Our work depends on what AI still cannot understand, human connection. When I was in China last week, I saw incredible advances in AI. Robots were taking orders in restaurants, scanning faces for pa

A Pilates teacher stands in front of a focused group, guiding attentive students. Every Pilates teacher faces the same question: how many people in a class is too many? Logic tells you that the more participants, the harder it is to give each one real attention. Fewer clients usually mean better teaching, but the definition of a “group” depends on context. Within most national standards, a group  is defined as more than six participants . Anything six or fewer  is classed as

Focused control in the Pilates Hundred, building strength, breath awareness, and deep core engagement. The Hundred is one of the most talked-about movements in Pilates history. Everyone has a theory. Everyone has a reason. Yet no one seems to know for sure why Joseph Pilates made it the first exercise in the mat sequence. What we do know is this: it’s the odd one out. While most of the mat sequence moves through clear flexion, extension, rotation, or control, the Hundred is l

Woman sitting by a window, reflecting quietly with calm, thoughtful expression and soft light. Sometimes we take the simplest thing and twist it into something unrecognisable. A movement, a thought, a plan. We overthink. We add layers that don’t need to be there. In Pilates, it shows up when we keep adjusting, tweaking, and analysing instead of breathing and moving. Other times, we face something complex and, instead of letting it overwhelm us, we simplify. A client arrives w

A warm bowl of golden vegetable soup sits in sunlight, symbolising nourishing winter self-care. As we head into the season of colds, flus, and all those unwelcome bugs, self-care takes on a new level of importance. This is the time to be deliberate about how you treat your body. A strong immune system doesn’t happen by accident, it’s built daily through your choices, your movement, your food, and your rest. Here are some ways to give your immune system the best support this s

A glass of water with sunlight behind, a banana and salt symbolising balanced hydration. We all hear it. Drink more water. Stay hydrated. Carry a bottle everywhere. Yet somehow, even after guzzling litres, people still feel tired, get headaches, or cramp during class. The truth is, hydration isn’t just about water. Your body also needs electrolytes to make that water useful. Electrolytes are minerals like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium. They help your body hold ont

A Pilates practitioner performs an advanced inversion on the Reformer, balancing strength, control, and stability. When a client asks, “Is this an advanced class?” what do they actually mean? Are they asking about the difficulty of the movements, the pace of the session, or whether they’ll be pushed to their limits? The word “advanced” gets thrown around so easily that it’s worth stopping to ask if it still means what Joseph Pilates intended it to mean. In Pilates, “advanced”

Group performing standing side lunges on Reformers using long boxes to build leg strength and control This version takes the classic Skater and gives it a twist. The box adds height, support, and a serious challenge to balance and control. One foot stands on the box, the other on the moving carriage. As you press the carriage out, you are not just working the legs, you are asking your hips, core, and stabilisers to hold everything together. The setup makes it safer for some c

Forearm muscles engaged during a Reformer pull, highlighting the connection between grip and core strength. Grip strength is often overlooked, but it tells us a lot about how the body is functioning as a whole. It reflects not only the strength of the forearms and hands but also the efficiency of the nervous system, muscle coordination, and even cardiovascular health. Research consistently links grip strength with longevity. Lower grip strength has been associated with reduce

Detailed session notes reflect mindful teaching, ensuring every Pilates class remains purposeful and fresh. Teaching one-to-one Pilates sessions demands constant focus. When you work with the same client twice a week, the routine can easily become repetitive for both teacher and client. The challenge is to keep your teaching sharp, your mind alert, and your client inspired. Here are some ways to stay fresh and focused in your teaching. 1. Revisit the Basics Regularly: Even ex

Silence becomes power as she listens, holding steady in control and self-awareness. Every day, things come at us fast. Conversations, opinions, traffic, emails, people talking over us, small frustrations, and sometimes bigger ones that hurt. We cannot stop what happens, but we can choose how we react. That is often the only real control we have. Our reactions are habits we build. When we practise stillness, calm, or curiosity in place of anger or defence, we start to reclaim

Maintaining pelvic stability, the client performs the Frog on the Reformer with precise control. The Pilates Frog is one of those...

Controlled Roll Up on the mat showing smooth spinal articulation and precise tempo in movement. Tempo in Pilates often gets ignored until...

Clear instruction and positive intention help guide every Pilates movement toward mindful, confident practice. In Pilates teaching,...

Controlled shoulder strength and balance in the traditional Semaphore Reformer exercise with smooth precision. The Semaphore is one of...

Calm focus on the Reformer, showing gratitude through controlled, mindful movement and gentle breath. Gratitude gets thrown around so...

Close-up of teeth showing how bite alignment may influence cranial and hormonal balance. As Pilates teachers, we often remind clients...

A crowded Reformer room shows how Pilates precision fades when numbers climb too high. Over the years I have taught many different types...