When I went through my training we had no acess to any written training material/ that included pictures like the manuals that are available today. (Physicalmind had stuff but it was not available unless you were going through their program) There was the friedman/ Eisen mat book, but that was out of print and we shared a well worn studio copy. it's back in circulation now I think.

During the workshops, we watched someone perform the exercise while the instructor explained what was happening. I wrote fast and furious to keep up with the action and drew stick figures with arrows indicating, energy flow. It was a lot of stuff to hear and see and remember. Of course we had to do 100 hours of practice with a trainer and observe, ( 100 hours) but it was still a challenge.
From a friend I was able to get a New York school (Sean Gallagher)1995 manual with photo's of the exercises, and I can't tell you how many of my fellow students ran to Staples to get copies that thing. ( this was 1999 before the lawsuit was settled)


The variety of training material available now is really amazing. Every major training organization has at least one book or Dvd for every peice of apparatus, from mat to chair, barrels, spine corrector etc, as well books on how to deal with conditions and injuries, that are very informative and helps to lay out the order and sequence for all levels include lot of anatomy help to take the guess work out of where to start.

Stott has manuals and even if you are not in Stott training they offer alot of great information.

Peak Pilates has a wonderful series of Dvd's and the Power Pilates manual is really thorough. ( but pricey) And the newer manuals that just came out from Physicalmind are great.
Ellie Herman also as a decent series of manuals for the apparatus and mat with props..that are reasonably priced.

Did anyone happen to see 60 Minutes last night? One of the segments was about research that is being conducted that demonstrates where information is stored in the brain and can track neural responses to input (through MRI scanning) and can tell what the person is thinking. It was just amazing to watch and see that the brain senses and reacts to input not just in place but many.
Interesting stuff and food for thought when we give cues like powerhouse, or scoop,if there is no recognition in the brain of those words or phrases, how will the nurons react to make an action happen in the body

I have been a student of Pilates since 1997. I became an instructor in 2002 and was certified by Romana through Pilates, Inc. I have had a lot of great teaching experiences but had several stops and starts due to health problems, pregnancies and relocations. I am now ready to up my game and teach more than a few classes per week.

One question is regarding community. I have felt the need to Bridge because I am not associated with an organization since Pilates, Inc. no longer exists. What are your thoughts on this? Does it matter?

If it does, any suggestions on my next steps? I want more education to improve my skills. Of course there is always continuing education. Should I simply seek out courses that fit my need at the time or go through another certification to really refresh myself on everything? I do think of myself as a very good teacher. However, I haven't been around other teachers and much of the equipment in two years. I have a reformer, mat, spine corrector and small barrel. I teach out of my home for privates and at another location for the mat classes. I will be teaching on all the apparatus again at this new place (a wellness clinic) in about six months.

So I guess my questions are: is it necessary to be part of a specific organization like Power Pilates or other, or should I just go to trainings with various well-known instructors? What classical programs do you suggest for someone like myself who is already classsically certified and spent my first two years teaching for one of my mentors and surrounded by stellar teachers? I need to go to the next level, right? Any thoughts on how to draw more teachers to my area (I am the only classical teacher in my city but live 20 miles outside of a big city where there are several)? I used to live in LA where driving was expected but in my current location, people prefer to stay on their sides of the hill. Finally, have any of you started a community in your area with meetings, events, continuing eds, etc.? If so, how did you do it? There doesn't seem to be anything like that here. I think it would be beneficial.

Thanks so much! Sorry if this seems like a rambled mess. I only have a few minutes before getting back to the kids. :-)

Hi all.. thought I'd start a topic that might generate some interest and spark some good natured sharing of info and ideas!

How do you teach the concept of powerhouse? What exercises, cues, touch techniques do you use? How and when do you introduce it, and what challenges do you have if any, in getting the point across? Perhaps many instructors don't even use the term these days?