How Target and Ana Caban inspired the start of my Pilates career…

Ana Caban

Little did I know, that a videotape that I picked up shopping at Target would change my life.  As a personal trainer, those workout videos that Target puts on the ends of the aisles, always attracted me, and one day I picked up a Gaiam Beginning / Intermediate Pilates Mat Work videotape with Ana Caban.

My journey started in my living room in Pennsylvania watching the video and doing mat work on the living room floor.  I was 24, a runner, a personal trainer and I wanted to try this Pilates thing that people were talking about.   I remember how I enjoyed Ana’s VCR video class.  I was able to add it in to my workouts on a regular basis and it made me want to do more.  I honestly had no idea how much more there was.  As a personal trainer I thought, ‘This is good stuff and I can do it pretty well – I should learn how to teach it so I can share it with my clients”.

[tweetthis remove_hidden_hashtags=”true”]How did @Target and @AnaCaban inspire the start of my #pilates career? [/tweetthis]

I did a little research (the internet was not quite as developed way back then) and found an instructor training course in Philadelphia near where we lived and I signed up.  It turned out after I signed up there were requirements you had to do before the class started.  Who knew?  One of the first requirements was taking a certain number of classes or lessons from qualified instructors.  So I figured I’d better try to find somewhere to take a class or a lesson if I wanted to be able to take this course I paid for!  It turns out there was a studio a few miles from our house that offered classes.  I stopped in one day and asked about the class schedule.  The woman at the front desk explained that usually they recommend everyone starts with a private introductory lesson before a class. I of course told her I had been practicing regularly with my video at home and was a personal trainer and she agreed I would probably be fine in class. Thank goodness as I really didn’t want to have to pay for a private lesson-they were expensive!

I remember taking my first class with Mariah and doing fairly well (or at least in my eyes I did) and I really felt like I recognized most of the exercises as I had done them on my video.  So I started attending on a regular basis so I could get ready for my instructor course (or so I thought…).  It turns out Mariah was an apprentice instructor in the Body Precision instructor training program at the studio and we became friends.  When she found out I was a personal trainer she asked me about trading personal training sessions for Pilates sessions, which of course sounded great for me.  As much as I had been loving Pilates, it was expensive and so if I could do it for FREE I was all in!

This is where the fun really began.  It turns out there was sooo much more to this Pilates thing than I had even imagined.  After a few private sessions with Mariah I realized I had no idea what I was doing (and no business trying to teach) and quickly cancelled my reservation for the Pilates training course I originally signed up for.  I realized I might need to learn a little bit more first before I entered a teacher training course. I also started to get to know the instructors at the Body Precision studio where I was taking classes and sessions and really wanted to train with and under them if I was going to pursue this Pilates teaching thing.

I continued to take sessions with Mariah and signed up for the Body Precision training program as soon as I possibly could (and as soon as they gave me the approval!).  Looking back I probably could have used more time practicing Pilates before jumping in to teaching, but I was anxious to learn and an eager student and it all worked out!  Teaching Pilates was exactly what I was looking for in my life.  I have always loved to move and exercise and the Pilates method made so much sense to me.

Even though I was a certified personal trainer when I found Pilates I felt like I really was not very qualified to teach and train people.  I had read the personal training book, studied the materials and took and passed a test.  I worked out myself but always felt a little unsure of my ability to train others.  I had no experience working with clients and really didn’t understand the body and how it moved.  I had no idea how to adapt exercises for different bodies or how to truly help people move better and make progress in their bodies.

When I found Pilates as a profession I knew it was for me.   I was so, so excited by the extent of the comprehensive training program.  This was not a program where you read a book, take a test and you’re certified.   This was a program with workshop time and I would spend hours (& hours & hours) watching trained instructors and learning from them.   I would have to take private lessons and classes and learn the work so deeply that I could pass a performance test at the end, and I would have plenty of hours to practice teach.  Then as a bonus I could actually make money doing all of this!!

Little did I know 16 years ago, that watching that video would lead me to a new career I love, an opportunity to own my own business and teach at my own studio, and most of all, the opportunity to do what I love every single day.    I’ve not ever met or taken a real session with Ana, but I am grateful for her video that inspired me in my Pilates and life journey!!

Interested in exploring Pilates as a career or maybe just a part time passion?  Learn more about the Body Precision Pilates instructor training programs that we offer at Rivercity Pilates by clicking here!  Maybe you are pretty new to Pilates and just want to try it out?  Check out our Youtube Video Library and you too can try this Pilates thing out in the comfort of your living room!