One of the things that originally drew me to Pilates was the science of it.  You see I was an engineer before teaching Pilates and my brain often thinks very logically and using reason.  I have spent a lot of time over the years learning about why we do exercises, what muscles we use and what the best form of each exercise is for each body.  This process has lead me to figure out that as an instructor one of my best skills is my intuition.  Yep, that’s what I said intuition.

Intuition, a phenomenon of the mind, describes the ability to acquire knowledge without inference or the use of reason.^[2] The word “intuition” comes from Latin verb intueri translated as consider or from late middle English word intuit, “to contemplate”.^[3] Intuition is often interpreted with varied meaning from intuition being glimpses of greater knowledge^[4] to only a function of mind; however, processes by which and why they happen typically remain mostly unknown to the thinker, as opposed to the view of rational thinking.

Of course its important to know the science of the exercise, it important to know the exercise in your own body and to know the anatomy of each exercise but I have to tell you once I started following my gut in my teaching I really feel like my teaching went to a different level.  My clients progressed quicker and they connected more with me.

Let me give you a quick glimpse into a intuition type of a moment for me.  I’m working with a client and she’s doing her hundreds with her legs extended in the air.  There’s nothing “wrong” with what she’s doing but my gut tells me if she were to take her legs just a little bit lower and really reach all the way through her tips of the toes she would be able to engage the backs of her legs more, open her hips more, curl her spine more and just plain get more out of the exercise.  So I ask her to try and check in that she is not straining or feeling any pain.  BINGO! She gets more engagement, feels more whole body work and just plain moves better!!  I know there is some scientific and anatomical reasons behind why this adjustment is where she needs to be but quite frankly in the midst of teaching I don’t have time to analyze each muscle group and give an explanation why.  Sometimes the engineer in me goes back after our session and figures this out to a T just because I like to know –  but really I don’t need to!

Now I can remember being a young apprentice teacher and watching other instructors do this type of teaching and really wanted to know how I could learn to do it.  At the time I don’t even think I recognized it as a skill but I knew the instructors I was observing or taking lessons from were amazing teachers who always made just the right adjustment or cue.  They really embodied the Pilates work and movement in general and were able to easily pass that information on to clients.  So how do you fine tune your own intuitive teaching skills.  Like any skill you must practice!

Here’s a few tips that help me when I want to hone in on teaching how and what a client needs on any given day:

1. Observe and don’t try to change anything.  Let your client move and just observe.  Try not to over correct and just see how their body moves.  See if you notice anything or what stands out to you.
2. Ask your client.  This one seems pretty obvious but I think sometimes we forget to ask clients how the movement feels.  Use what your client tells you to help you get an inside look of what’s going on in their body.
3. Try different things.  When you have an idea or want to change something about a movement don’t be afraid to stop and try something new or change something.
4. Follow your gut!!  If you think your client could stabilize better, move more freely or curl just a little more-they probably can!  Don’t be afraid to act on those gut feelings and find a way to share that appropriately with your client!

Learn more about our Pilates instructor training programs and mentoring opportunities with me at Rivercity Pilates by clicking here!