Why You Should Share Your Pilates Journey
Are you afraid to write about your Pilates journey because you are worried about judgment from other teachers? I was terrified about what other teachers and clients might think about my experience with Pilates. I was worried they would say negative things about my body and my form. I thought, “Isn’t that what the internet is for? People to judge you?” I am happy to report that did not happen. Instead I’ve found support, friendship and more business. Besides that, sharing my Pilates journey on Instagram gave me a different motivation to do Pilates. I liked capturing my workouts and sharing little bits of it, with the insight I gained from doing more Pilates.
When you share your journey with Pilates, this helps people to see what Pilates is! At least here in the US, there is a lot of mystery around Pilates. People are still afraid of the equipment. Or they think Yoga is the same thing. They don’t think it does anything for you or if it does it’s totally unaccessible for them. The truth is the equipment is supportive. Once you use the equipment and learn it, it’s not scary. Truly, many people that know what Pilates is still find it mysterious. Yoga and Pilates are a little similar but they are very different. Really, Pilates is accessible to all but many people not realize that. If we share our truths and the truths of the people we work with, people get a better idea of what it is. And what the truth is! I choose to share my Pilates journey with writing.
Sharing my journey makes me more real to potential clients. They see that I have struggles too. They see I do not make myself out to be perfect and I did not expect perfection from them either. They see me working on my own movement goals and achieving them. Most importantly, they see me practice what I preach. I give them the opportunity to see themselves in my journey. I let them in on my client’s journey also. They see the types of clients I like to teach. They see with their own eyes that Pilates looks different for everyone. Everyone that does Pilates is different. Pilates does not need to be cookie cutter and I share that.
There is so much power in sharing how you have helped yourself and your clients. The journey of transformation is the most powerful. You see the work and the results. When you share a client transformation, you allow your students to see their work. This can help them see for themselves how Pilates has helped them, beyond how they feel. They can see their strength for themselves and that is so empowering. Sometimes they will even share this with their friends and family.
As Pilates teachers, we know Pilates works because we see it everyday. We are so lucky to have those moments. The moments where after struggle and working hard there is the moment of effortless accomplishment! The moments where one touch in just the right spot on the back helps the connection happen. The moments when someone once afraid of the Teaser, lets go of the fear and nails it. Even in our own practice we have these moments. Some are better kept for ourselves. But there are so many things we think mean nothing but are major breakthroughs for the person reading.
Yes, you run the risk of judgment when you put yourself out there. But if you are being yourself and people are negatively judging you, then you don’t want those people in your life anyway. I share my authentic self, my true thoughts and teaching philosophy. Through sharing who I really am, I was able to make space for clients that I truly love to teach. When I created that space, those people showed up. Sharing your journey can be scary but its worth it. You give yourself the opportunity for more of the good stuff. If you need a confidence booster with this process, I can help. Just send me an email and let me know what’s holding you back. I genuinely want to know. Happy writing!
