How To Avoid Burnout As a Pilates Teacher

Before becoming a Pilates teacher, you were a student of the Method. Not a casual student, but an obsessed one. After all, you discovered how Pilates makes you feel more connected to your body, the way it moves and its potential for movement. It was exciting to realize that you could feel like an athlete at any age, weight, shape or size; even if you had no prior exercise experience. And if you had previous pain or injuries, Pilates may have accelerated your healing and helped you to recover. Whatever unique transformation you experienced from having a consistent Pilates practice, that’s what inspired you to become a Pilates Teacher! You knew that this exercise system, albeit created in the early 1900s by a guy named Joe Pilates, changes lives.

But after the intensity of your 600hr Teacher Training program, or feeling depleted from years of teaching, it’s easy to let your personal practice lapse. Instead, you dedicate all of your energy to your students and/or running your business. Plus, you have to have a life outside of the studio! Ahh, that elusive quest for balance. But like any self-help expert would tell you, “you can’t pour from any empty cup”. Somehow, you have to figure out how to prioritize yourself! Because, when you stop practicing Pilates, the energy behind your “Why?”dissipates and that’s a fast-track to burnout. You unwittingly begin teaching on auto-pilot; counting reps and regurgitating the same ol’ cues. And when your mind isn’t focused on observing your students closely and offering them fresh new ways to find the details of each exercise, they’ll begin moving on autopilot. They may keep showing up out of habit but they might be bored. Are they actually learning, progressing, getting stronger and feeling more confident in their movement?

We Pilates teachers need to maintain a consistent Pilates practice under the guidance of experienced teachers in order to maintain our initial “obsession” with the work that inspires our “why?”. Yes, teachers need teachers!

Being a student…

• is a constant reminder of why you chose to teach Pilates
• gives you a practical vs theoretical understanding of Pilates as a system
• keeps the “how” and “why” of each exercise at the forefront of your teaching
• makes it easier for you to teach with clarity because you’re constantly experiencing the details of the work in your own body
• reminds you of what it feels like to be a paying client that wants results

Burnout is far less of a threat to your teaching career when you’ve got a consistent Pilates practice that constantly challenges your mind, your body and your understanding of the Method. Your “Aha!” moments become your student’s “Aha!” moments. And their successes become a source of real fulfillment for you. It’s an energizing cycle of learning and growth that keeps you and your students motivated and “obsessed” with Pilates.