Ruling Class
Pilates Style|July - August 2016

Making mat classes fun, dynamic and effective will help you attract clients and enhance your bottom line.

Anne Marie O’Connor
Ruling Class

“For Joseph Pilates, the matwork was what we should all aspire to do, and do well,” says Joy Puleo, education programming manager for Balanced Body. “In his book, Return to Life, he boasts of the profound positive physical transformations that occur through the matwork,” she notes.

“For a while, simply offering Pilates mat ensured a full roster, but the classes are no longer easy and guaranteed sells,” says Puleo. “Time, rote repetition, and the rise and fall of other fitness fads have made them harder to market.”

For the studio owner, it can be hard to convince clients who can take mat classes for “free” at their gym to sign up for studio-based mat sessions. Instructors at health clubs and those who teach other open classes face another issue: “You have people who’ve been taking class for eight years in the same class with someone who has never taken a class before,” says Blossom Leilani Crawford, the owner of Bridge Pilates, who also has taught a mat class at the Mark Morris Dance Center in Brooklyn for 12 years. “In my class, I have everyone from young dancers to 65-year-old ladies.”

For advice on overcoming these obstacles and teaching mat classes that are enjoyable, interesting and challenging, we asked four highly experienced teachers for their best tips.

1. MIX IT UP.

“If you simply repeat the same exercises in the same order every time, you run the risk of becoming too monotonous and boring,” says Puleo. “Making classes dynamic, with a sense of light spontaneity, can liven any class situation. The most popular classes I have ever had are the ones which I make diverse and fun.”

Denne historien er fra July - August 2016-utgaven av Pilates Style.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra July - August 2016-utgaven av Pilates Style.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA PILATES STYLESe alt
Pilates Style

Finding New Momentum

Overcoming obstacles caused by the pandemic, the virtual version of this popular festival still achieved its goals.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2020
Carola Trier's Extraordinary Journey
Pilates Style

Carola Trier's Extraordinary Journey

In his authoritative biography of the first woman to open a studio, Reiner Grootenhuis delved into her personal papers to tell the harrowing story of her time in a prison camp during World War II.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2020
Racism in the Pilates Industry
Pilates Style

Racism in the Pilates Industry

Incidents of police brutality and the ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shed a bright light on systemic racism in the U.S., including in the Pilates industry. Here, Black instructors share their experiences.

time-read
10 mins  |
September - October 2020
For Self-defense
Pilates Style

For Self-defense

Moves of the Month

time-read
8 mins  |
September - October 2020
Comfort Food Made Healthy
Pilates Style

Comfort Food Made Healthy

This fall, cozy up to tantalizing comfort food that’s also healthy. A new cookbook from Kristin Cavallari shows you how.

time-read
9 mins  |
September - October 2020
Pilates Postcard
Pilates Style

Pilates Postcard

A Pilates teacher shares how the method is making waves abroad.

time-read
2 mins  |
September - October 2020
The Ultimate Gift
Pilates Style

The Ultimate Gift

One year ago, Kahley Schiller’s life was completely upended by an extreme health crisis. But thanks to her 20-year Pilates practice, the 40-year-old was able to recover quickly.

time-read
9 mins  |
September - October 2020
Revelations
Pilates Style

Revelations

For Sarita Allen, a star of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and a protégée of Kathleen Stanford Grant, Pilates was key to her decades-long career.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2020
Pilates Style

Meaning WITHIN THE Movement

The Five Elements of Chinese Medicine help you go deeper into your practice, promising plenty of play along the way.

time-read
10+ mins  |
September - October 2020
PILATES IN THE HOOD
Pilates Style

PILATES IN THE HOOD

Though she’s trained many top stars, Kim Carruthers says she’s most proud of her work as the founder and director of a nonprofit bringing the method to underserved communities.

time-read
3 mins  |
September - October 2020