A Little Treat for Myself: Why Pilates Instructors Need to Put the Work Back Into Themselves
After a morning of moving other people, it feels pretty good to put the moves back into me. I regularly spend roughly 10 minutes at the end of my shift (generally filming and editing and posting on social media — sped up x3 to keep the audience engaged!).
Ten minutes.
That’s all.
And yet, there is something incredibly satisfying about taking the time to move my own body after spending the morning thinking about everyone else’s.
It got me thinking about something I see far too often in our profession: Pilates instructors who are brilliant at encouraging their clients to prioritise movement, but who struggle to prioritise their own.
We know the benefits.
We talk about Movement for Life. We encourage our clients to find time to move, to notice how their bodies feel, to build strength, improve mobility, develop coordination and create a better relationship with their bodies.
But when was the last time you did that for yourself?
Remember when you were qualifying?
Think back to those days leading up to your Pilates qualification.
You were moving for hours. Three or four hours a day wasn’t unusual. You were practising exercises, being observed, receiving feedback, teaching, learning, refining and repeating.
Your body was constantly receiving information. You were developing your movement vocabulary, your understanding of your own body and your ability to feel what you were asking of somebody else.
And remember how good you felt?
There was something about being immersed in movement every day.
Then you qualified.
And suddenly, the demands of being a Pilates instructor took over.
Teaching classes.
Seeing private clients.
Writing programs.
Doing assessments.
Running a business.
Answering emails.
Creating content.
Marketing.
Professional development.
Managing cancellations.
Managing your diary.
Managing everyone else's bodies…
And somewhere along the way, your own body seems to disappear from the priority list.
The irony of being a Pilates instructor
One of the strange things about being a Pilates instructor is that our work is incredibly physical — but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are moving our own bodies.
We demonstrate.
We cue.
We watch.
We modify.
We teach.
We walk around the studio.
We use our hands.
We get up and down from equipment.
We might demonstrate an exercise once or twice, but we’re not necessarily experiencing the full practice ourselves.
There’s a huge difference between teaching movement and receiving movement.
And I think we need both.
Our own self-practice is where we get to stop thinking about everybody else.
No client to observe.
No exercise to explain.
No pathology to consider.
No cue to formulate.
No one asking, “What should I be doing with my shoulder?”
It’s simply you and your body.
And that can be incredibly valuable.
Your body deserves the work you’ve put into everyone else
As Pilates instructors, we spend years learning.
We learn anatomy.
We learn movement principles.
We study bodies.
We explore pathology.
We learn how to modify exercises.
We develop observation skills.
We learn how to work with different populations and different needs.
For those of us working in therapeutic Pilates, that learning can become even more complex.
We spend so much time helping other people find better movement that it’s easy to forget that our own bodies deserve the benefit of all that knowledge too.
You have spent years developing an extraordinary movement toolbox.
Use it.
Let your own body experience the exquisiteness of Pilates.
Explore the movement you love.
Explore the movement you avoid.
Move into the places that feel delicious.
Challenge yourself.
Slow down.
Get curious.
Notice what has changed.
Notice what feels different today.
Your self-practice doesn’t have to be a perfect hour-long workout.
It doesn’t need to be filmed.
It doesn’t need to become content.
It doesn’t need to be posted on social media.
It doesn’t even need to be particularly structured.
Sometimes 10 minutes is enough to reconnect with yourself.
And perhaps you need to put yourself back on the list
I often wonder whether Pilates instructors would be more motivated to prioritise their own movement if they thought about it in the same way they think about their clients.
If your client told you they hadn't moved their body properly for weeks because they were too busy, what would you say?
If they told you they were constantly giving their energy to everyone else, but never themselves, what would you say?
If they told you they were feeling disconnected from their body, tired, stiff or uninspired, what would you recommend?
You probably wouldn’t tell them to keep putting themselves at the bottom of the list.
So why do we do it to ourselves?
Self-practice is professional practice
For Pilates instructors, self-practice isn't simply about keeping fit.
It is part of our professional development.
When we move ourselves, we continue to develop our ability to feel movement rather than simply observe it.
We experience transitions.
We discover sensations.
We notice effort.
We understand what a cue might actually feel like in a body.
We become better at recognising the difference between “this feels challenging” and “this doesn't feel right.”
And perhaps most importantly, we remain connected to the experience of being the person on the other end of the instruction!
That perspective is invaluable. Especially when working with people in therapeutic Pilates. Because every client who walks into our studio is bringing a body that is constantly changing.
And so are we.
Our own practice keeps us curious.
It keeps us humble.
It reminds us that movement isn't always predictable.
And it reminds us that our bodies are not projects to be fixed — they are bodies to be experienced.
So here's your little reminder
If you’re in the Pilates game for the long haul, make your own body part of the equation.
Put the practice back into your week.
It might be an hour.
It might be 20 minutes.
It might be 10.
It might even be five minutes between clients where you lie down, breathe and move in a way that feels good.
It all counts.
Because movement for life includes you too.
And if you happen to be feeling like you need a little more motivation, inspiration or connection while navigating this crazy career that we all adore, that's exactly why I created mentorME.
Because sometimes we don't need another qualification.
Sometimes we need a place to talk, question, share ideas, be challenged, be encouraged — and remember why we started doing this in the first place.
So go on.
Put yourself back on the list.
Your body has spent years helping you move others.
It's time to put some of that movement back into you. 💚
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