THE BRILLIANT FILAMENTS OF AN INNERSTELLAR TEACHER TRAINING
By the Innercore Pilates Teacher Training Instructors, Ruthie Wahlborg Scott, Rebecca Vasile, Lila Heller & Marisa Kelly

As our minds, bodies and Spirits are so deeply connected, exploring movement is about so much more than cues and exercises. It becomes a journey of self-reflection and discovery, often of gifts and inner wisdom that has been hidden under layers of self-doubt and criticism.

Whether or not you ever intend to teach yoga or Pilates, signing up for a teacher training is a life changing decision and one that deepens your practice and self-knowing exponentially. Committing the time to learn and dive deeply within yourself is a bold statement of your desire to evolve and grow. At Innerstellar, we believe that choosing a teacher training program is about more than finding a studio nearby or the movements you’ll learn. Finding a teacher or team of teachers with the wisdom, experience and commitment to their own ongoing practices of evolution as teachers and humans will profoundly impact your experience.

This year’s Innercore Pilates Teacher Training brings together four such teachers, each with their own unique skills and backgrounds to create a learning experience you won’t find anywhere else. Hear what they have to say about our autumn training, starting this September 23rd!

WHAT WILL YOU BE TEACHING DURING THE INNERCORE TRAINING? WHY ARE YOU EXCITED TO SHARE THIS TOPIC?

RUTHIE WAHLBORG SCOTT (Lead Innercore Teacher): I will be teaching tons of Pilates movement repertoire as well as confidence, which is one of my favorite topics. Joseph Pilates left us with such a great skeleton of movement and many times I’m delighted to find that when I explain the Pilates method, the physical cues also resonate as an emotional or philosophical epiphany.

REBECCA VASILE (Lead Innercore Teacher): I’ll be focused on the Art of Teaching and communicating effectively, including dynamic cueing, demoing, hands on assists, et cetera. I’m really excited to help our trainees find their true voice — so they learn not to mimic other instructors but to speak as themselves and be leaders from their own experience and feelings. That, backed up by a deep understanding of the Pilates repertoire, is invaluable for a Pilates instructor and any movement teacher.

LILA HELLER (Functional Anatomy Teacher): I will be teaching the Functional Anatomy modules of the training. I’m excited to share not an just an overview of our joints and bones but to lead our trainees through an experience them moving. Learning anatomy with our kinesthetic brain online not only increases our understanding of the body but completely changes our movement practices and teaching.

Although I learned some Anatomy in my first Pilates training, it’s only been through hours of study, many many workshops and Continuing Education Trainings, practicing and moving my own body and several certifications that I have learned what I will be teaching in these modules.

MARISA KELLY (Pilates Entrepreneur Business Course Teacher): As the full-time studio manager here at Innerstellar, it is such a joy for me to be able to share with our trainees the skills and knowledge necessary to blossom as a Pilates professional. We discuss the common pitfalls of being a new Pilates teacher, from overcommitting and burnout to navigating new and different studio cultures. I am here help our trainees create a clear action plan for moving forward with their teaching career with confidence and purpose.

WHAT SETS AN OUTSTANDING PILATES TEACHER APART? HOW WILL THE INNERCORE TRAINING GUIDE TRAINEES INTO BECOMING CONFIDENT AND COMPELLING TEACHERS?

REBECCA:  Learning how to cue movements and alignment is the easy part. What sets great teachers apart from the rest is their ability to teach from a grounded and embodied place. Unfortunately, this skillset is quite often overlooked in teacher trainings, in my experience. I’m looking forward to guiding our trainees on their journey to connecting to their individual gifts and experiences that will enable them to teach in their unique, powerful, authentic voice and connect more deeply with their students.

LILA: To teach "exercise" or any methodology which claims to help reduce/prevent injuries, heal back problems etc, it is necessary to know how the body actually functions and works. If you don’t understand how the body parts actually move it will become very challenging to teach people good alignment and help them to move with ease in their bodies.

MARISA : Creating an enticing atmosphere that keeps people coming back is such a powerful and vital skill. The Innercore Teacher Training gives you the framework and practice you need to walk out of this training confident as a new teacher. We fill your tool belt with skills like how to structure engaging sequences, how to speak in your authentic teaching voice, and how to see your students in a way that keeps them feeling safe and supported in your classes.

WHAT KEEPS YOU IN LOVE WITH PILATES? WHY DO YOU TEACH THIS METHOD?

RUTHIE: I’ve been teaching Pilates as a Certified Instructor for 15 years and continue to do so because this method is a powerful way to take control of our bodies and health. It provides clear education and instruction for moving functionally. It eases pain. And as proper muscle sequencing kicks in, strength and flexibility are balanced, making dynamic movement accessible to tired bodies.

Besides all that, Pilates is fun. It makes you breathe big which is energizing and soothing and provides grace to all the moves you make. It’s the fountain of youth. Current culture tells us we weaken as we grow old and Pilates provides the platform for us to get stronger as we age instead.

LILA: Our bodies were designed to move. It is my greatest wish that through teaching people how to use their bodies effectively and with joy they will live happier and healthier lives and affect the world in a positive way.

ALTHOUGH THE MOVEMENTS REMAIN CONSTANT, IT’S FASCINATING TO SEE THE VARIED WAYS PILATES TEACHERS SEQUENCE AND CUE A CLASS BASED ON THEIR BACKGROUNDS, KNOWLEDGE AND PERSONALITY. WHAT OTHER STYLES OF MOVEMENT OR HEALING HAVE YOU STUDIED THAT YOU LAYER INTO YOUR TEACHING?

RUTHIE: I layer dance, yoga and gymnastics into my teaching. They’re my foundational movement background and nostalgia is a powerful thing. Advanced pilates can feel like slow motion gymnastics and it’s inspiring to build from the fundamental Pilates movements into an advanced trick. I love taking people through the full repertoire over time and it’s so delightful to see a person who thought they could never be advanced make that journey. Then we go through the method again, unearthing even deeper and more nuanced skills. It becomes a quest within, pushing you past fake barriers you may have created about what you can actually do or not.

REBECCA:  I’ve been a dancer most of my life, performing and choreographing a variety of styles but my love is bellydancing. I’ve also extensively studied how to work with injuries, and tailor the Pilates practice to populations as diverse as athletes and pre- and postpartum women. I’m passionate about helping people feel wonderful in their bodies and I bring my background in dance, yoga and Pilates together to assist others in feeling more connected to their bodies and revel in the fun, curious ways in which we can move.

LILA: I love movement and I love teaching people how to feel free and at ease in their bodies. I’ve studied many approaches to health and wellness which I layer into my training to best meet the needs of each client including Strength & kettlebell training, MET (muscle energy technique), Body rolling, SmartFlow yoga, Z-health (brain based fitness), Functional Movement Patterns, dance, and mindfulness training.

IN MANY WAYS, THE END OF THE TRAINING WILL BE JUST THE BEGINNING OF THE JOURNEY TEACHING PILATES. WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

RUTHIE: Teaching Pilates is a lifelong journey and continuing education keeps happening as you go along. Sometimes you take a workshop or work with a master teacher and other times you simply look up from teaching across the studio and pick up a new piece from a fellow teacher. However, it is important to have a strong foundational understanding of the Pilates method and the basic repertoire on each piece of equipment, which will be the foundation of this training. Too often I see a new teacher go deep into variations on the repertoire without understanding why and they become confused about what they are actually trying to teach which can stall a client’s progression. The method is very sound and you can rely on that when you begin teaching. Joe set you up for success!

MARISA: Through the Innercore Business Course I will teach you how to become successful as a Pilates Teacher, however you define success. From aiming to teach a few classes a week to wanting to become a full time Pilates Teacher, all Innercore grads can leave this training feeling confident about the next steps from Apprenticeship to attaining your goal Pilates teaching gig.

Our Job Placement Assistance Program is taking off. Eighty percent of our graduates have a paying job within three months of completing their classroom hours. I have more requests coming in from gyms and studios needing to hire teachers then I have ever been able to fill. A job teaching Pilates is virtually guaranteed following your classroom hours and homework (don't worry, it really isn't that much homework). As early as December you could be getting paid to teach Pilates. We are here to help you make your goals happen. We have the infrastructure and an awesome reputation in the bay area as THE Pilates Teacher Training school that businesses want to hire graduates from. Literally as I am writing this right now a studio in Oakland just called wanting me to refer our graduates to them for two new job openings. The abundance of opportunity here is really quite profound.

GET TO KNOW OUR INNERCORE PILATES TEACHERS:

Ruthie Wahlborg Scott is a certified Senior Pilates instructor with 15 years of teaching experience. She has been leading teacher trainings since 2009 as well as 12-week mentorship programs for new teachers. She additionally served as as the Education Director at EHS in San Francisco for two years.

Rebecca Vasile is an Innercore Pilates teacher training graduate, Pilates instructor, Belly Dance choreographer and instructor, Stellarflow Yoga teacher, a pre- and postnatal specialist and owner of The Body Loom in Petaluma, CA. Visit Rebecca at www.TheBodyLoom.com

Lila Heller is a senior Pilates instructor with 12 years of teaching experience, a Z-health (brain based fitness) practitioner, SmartFlow Yoga instructor & NASM certified personal trainer. Visit Lila at www.LilaHeller.com

Marisa Kelly is an Innercore Pilates teacher training graduate, Pilates instructor, Stellarflow Yoga teacher, & Innerstellar’s General Manager with a MA in integrative health specializing in integrative wellness center management.

Artwork credit: Tara Shorey