Can a Yoga Teacher Teach Pilates?
To teach Pilates you must have the specifc certificate even if you are a certified yoga teacher. Having experience as a physical exercise teacher (which Yoga teachers certainly do) might help in obtaining this certificate if you haven’t got it.
Pilates is the practice of physical exercises invented by a pioneer in physical fitness – Joseph Pilates in the 20th century.
He considered Pilates as a workout that focuses on flexibility, strength, focus, and control of one’s body.
There are many similarities between Yoga and Pilates, and they share a lot of benefits for your health, both mental and physical.
So what exactly is this certificate we are talking about? Why should you even consider it in the first place, and are there any other ways to expand your career as a yoga teacher?
Let’s find out!
What certification do you need to teach Pilates?
This may vary depending on where you’re from and your source of certification.
If you live in the US, it may cost anywhere from $3000 – $6000 and take anywhere from 5-12 months.
(Keep in mind that these figures may vary significantly, and they are just to give you a rough idea.)
Not sure where to get your certificate? On Peak Pilates or Pilates, you can find one near you.
Why you should consider teaching Pilates as a Yoga Teacher?
Here are some reasons why you might want to consider adding Pilates to your lessons:
Because Pilates is more focused on body transformation
Some of your clients and students might be purely after physical goals. Yoga involves deep meditation and a spiritual mindset; while very appealing to some, it may put others off.
If this is their preferred goal, being a certified Pilates instructor will add more tools to your tool-box and allow you to present them with a practice that matches what they are looking for.
This is mutually beneficial: the client won’t need to search elsewhere to fulfill their goals, and you secured yourself a potentially long-term customer.
Pilates can help your students recover from medical conditions using special equipment
This part involves clinical Pilates, which uses equipment to help people rehabilitate and heal from various medical conditions.
After the patient is successfully treated, the doctor usually prescribes some kind of rehabilitation – depending on the nature of the medical condition, you could be the one this person visits to receive professional help.
For example, someone with a broken leg that has healed can rehabilitate using clinical Pilates under your supervision. With your assistance, this also requires equipment to help them exercise the portion.
This requires patience and consistency, which means that the patient will visit you frequently, thus securing a long-term customer.
So you have a chance at better pay and a broader field of expertise
It is a fact that when you can teach Pilates AND Yoga, you simply are more capable of increasing your income.
Let’s compare it with the knowledge of language: If you know more than one language, you are more likely to improve your carrier and open new possibilities.
This also increases your value in the eyes of your current or future customers – when someone is an expert in more than one field of expertise, the person is seen as more reputable, which will make them value your services even more.
Because Pilates tends to be more individualized and personal
This is primarily true because Pilates classes take on fewer students at once. This lets you, as the instructor, stay very individually focused on each one of your students.
You can also use this to make your students more at ease as they can make closer bonds with each other much easier.
This also allows you to spend more time helping to improve your students’ exercises and provide better, personalized constructive feedback.
Wanna know more? 👉 Here 7 Ways to Make Money as a Yoga Instructor?
Because Pilates tends to be more individualized and personal
This is primarily true because Pilates classes take on fewer students at once. This lets you, as the instructor, stay very individually focused on each one of your students.
You can also use this to make your students more at ease as they can make closer bonds with each other much easier.
This also allows you to spend more time helping to improve your students’ exercises and provide better, personalized constructive feedback.
6 Things to consider if you want to become a Pilates instructor
Here is an example of a route you can take if you have decided to get yourself the certificate.
These tips will help you navigate through the whole process – from necessary decisions to receiving your certificate.
1. Understand what Pilates is and how it is different from Yoga
This is very important. While Pilates may have a lot in common with Yoga, there are some key differences.
The most significant one might be that while Yoga focuses on spirituality and reaching a particular state of mind, Pilates is all about the body.
This focus is clearly seen when you put the exercises side by side.
2. Try it out for yourself
There is nothing like a hands-on experience. Since you know your way around yoga, getting into Pilates should not be that hard. Visit your local Pilates gym or find one near you online and sign up for a trial class.
Many Pilates gyms provide an introductory class for people who want to find out if they would like to do it. This will give you a clear idea of whether Pilates exercise is something you would like to teach along with Yoga.
3. Decide what kind of Pilates teacher you would like to be
There is not a single type of Pilates exercise.
- The most basic one is mat Pilates – the only thing you need here is a mat and a good attitude
- Other types include reformer Pilates – which uses a machine called a reformer; this adds more resistance to the exercise
- Clinical Pilates – this type focuses on healing and rehabilitation from an injury, helping to manage post-pregnant, post-surgery stages, or chronic pain.
You can also decide to either teach one on one or lead group training sessions.
4. Find a good certification provider
There are many providers of courses that lead to your certification, and choosing the right one requires you to evaluate the following:
- Price – some providers may overprice their services; make sure you compare the price with other sources.
- Length – to avoid an unpleasant surprise, check the length of the course – some courses are given out in one block, others in parts or levels.
- Frequency – how often will you have to attend the course? Some may be twice a week, others once a month – this could interfere with your other activities, so it’s vital to know.
- And also if they provide both lessons and guidance as well as the actual exam you need to take. Make sure you get the whole thing – assignments, feedback, and also the exam.
You can take the courses online, which is usually cheaper but less personalized, or face-to-face.
5. Study, practice, and nail the exam (and get certified, of course)
This one may be obvious, yet we think it should make the list. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect.
Studying for the exam is essential to succeed and eventually get certified.
Be prepared because this will take time and effort, so only sign up for the course if you are willing to give up some of both.
Any reputable certifier will provide you with all your study material, so you won’t have to do heavy research yourself (if you don’t want to, anyway)
In the end, you will take the exam, and provided you pass it; you are a certified Pilates teacher. Congratulations!
6. Make sure to keep yourself up to date
Many instructors and teachers take this matter lightly. It is crucial not to fall behind when it comes to practicing the art of Pilates.
Once you are certified, you may feel like nothing new for you to learn and master. This notion is very limiting, and one should be careful to avoid it.
Make sure you keep close contact with other instructors and teachers to share your knowledge.
Other ways to expand your career as a yoga teacher
Don’t like the sound of Pilates? Nevermind! Here are some other alternatives you can expand on your career.
Martial Arts instructor
Your expertise in Yoga can be beneficial if you ever considered becoming a martial arts teacher as both areas involve body movement awareness.
Examples of Martial Arts that share similarities with Yoga:
- Aikido – parts of training include controlled relaxation and movement of joints, hips, and shoulders. Trainees also learn how to fall or roll safely.
- Tai chi – meditation is part of the training, and it is considered a soft-style martial art. Traditional Chinese Medicine is sometimes taught to experienced practitioners.
Martial Arts add physical contact between your students, which may make things interesting for a particular target group (Think men or women who want to learn how to defend themselves)
Not only do the students learn from you, but they also learn how to teach each other.
Health and Fitness coach
Coaching is much like teaching; except that you learn how to let your students teach themselves, you work primarily as support.
This also involves learning about diet and how food and eating habits affect an individual’s overall health.
You need to be prepared to aid in achieving various types of goals in fitness; some may seem counterintuitive to you.
Rehabilitation specialist
In addition to clinical Pilates, you can also go even further and get yourself certified as a rehabilitation specialist.
This involves intensive care about a rehabilitating patient who is recovering from a medical injury or condition.
You normally work closely with a doctor and usually need to consult them about the approach unless you have a degree in medicine.
Conclusion
So – we found out it can be worthwhile to get yourself certified as a Pilates instructor, even if you already teach yoga classes.
We have explored how to obtain a Pilates teaching certification, how long it should take, and how much money to prepare.
We’ve also looked at the benefits of expanding your expertise and considered other complements to your yoga teaching, apart from Pilates.
Whatever you decide to do, we wish you all the best and good luck!
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