A cracked laptop screen pierced by an arrow shows how harsh online comments strike. Social media hits hard. It lifts you, teaches you, and then someone you have never met fires off insults without signing their name. That is the part that gets to you. An opinion is fine. Hiding behind “anonymous” while throwing that opinion at people is weak. We have been planning this classical Pilates debate for a long time. Gill Cummings Bell and I wanted a real conversation. A space where

Pilates Movement Monday: Bicycle on the Shoulders The traditional Bicycle on the shoulders looks elegant until you try to keep everything lifted, steady, and calm. It challenges your strength through the centre and your control through the hips, and it becomes a lot more manageable when the breath leads the movement. You begin on your back and lift into a supported shoulder stand. Your hands support the pelvis so you stay high through the centre without dumping weight into th

Close up dragon eye symbolising sharp teaching focus and precise Pilates alignment awareness. Eye contact is one of the most effective tools a Pilates teacher has, yet it is rarely taught, practised, or even acknowledged. You can say ten cues in a row and still lose half the room, but one look at the right moment pulls a client back into their alignment, their breath, and their focus. It works because eye contact communicates presence. It tells the client that you see them, y

Teacher explains movement choices while the client listens with steady attention. People question you all the time. In Pilates classes, in meetings, even in casual chats. The real test is not the question. It is how you handle the moment. When you react fast and defend yourself, the atmosphere changes. You feel it. They feel it. The room feels tighter. Confidence drops. You look like you are fighting to hold your ground. A calm approach does the opposite. It shows you are ste

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

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 mischievous monkey explores an open suitcase in a Sanya hotel room, paradise outside. There is always a moment at the end of a convention when you stop and realise how much you have absorbed. This past week has been a reminder of how far the Pilates method has reached. A tropical island filled with passionate teachers and dedicated movers, a mix of languages, laughter, and learning, and even a few monkeys who decided to join the adventure.   Teaching Reformer, Cadillac, Mat

Strengthen your obliques and deepen rotation with precision using the Pilates circle. Today we tackle the Criss Cross (yes, that twisty stomach move) and add a prop: the Pilates Circle (aka magic ring) to sharpen its effects. Because if you’re going to work, you might as well make it count. Why this matters 1. The Criss Cross introduces rotation of the upper body around the spine, the transverse plane movement that many core routines ignore.   2. Using the circle places addit

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

Laughter connecting generations, showing the bright energy and warmth of shared happiness. Children laugh around 300 to 400 times a day. Adults average about 15 to 20. Somewhere along the way, between responsibilities and routine, we seem to lose the rhythm of laughter. Yet it is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to improve how we feel and how our bodies function. When you teach Pilates, you guide clients through mindful movement, breathing, posture, and muscle engag

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

Warm-toned illustration showing sensory pathways and receptors through the soles, highlighting foot awareness in Pilates. When was the last time you really  paid attention to how your body felt in motion? Not just “am I balanced?” or “is my core engaged?”, but the subtle shifts in weight through your feet, the pressure under your fingertips, or the way your eyes guide your spine. That’s sensory training, and it’s quietly becoming one of the most important frontiers in movemen

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

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

Detailed visual of the human nervous system showing the brain, spinal cord, and neural pathways. Breath is both automatic and voluntary,...

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

Using the ball to challenge control, balance, and precision while maintaining alignment. Walk into most Pilates studios today and you...

An woman struggles to hear, highlighting the silent challenges of hearing loss. Hearing loss often creeps in without notice. It is not...

A Pilates practitioner performs controlled leg springs on the Cadillac, focusing on pelvic stability. I spent the weekend with a group of...

Swan Dive on a fully inflated stability ball builds thoracic strength, control, and balance. The Pilates Swan Dive is a powerful...