A little Pilates Paranoia is a good thing. Assume everything you hear is flawed, until you've thought it through for yourself...
I watch a lot of crime dramas. Any good detective knows, you never take the word of a witness at face value, no matter how trustworthy they may seem. No matter your source, QUESTION EVERYTHING…
There’s a certain loyalty in Pilates. Everyone thinks their teacher is the best teacher. Everything that teacher says is gold, and must be incorporated into further teaching or practice.
The problem is this: If a teacher or student doesn’t understand the cue, who it was intended for, what it means, when it needs to be said (and when it doesn’t!), where it came from, and why it exists in the first place, what’s the point? This goes for touch and modifications as well, anything we may have picked up from someone else.
Who, what, when, where, and why. The 5 W’s. The most basic of information gathering questions. As Pilates teachers, as Pilates students, clients, and trainees, we should all be constantly asking ourselves these questions. It’s ok to not always have an answer. Finding the answers is, after all, most of the fun! It’s when we stop asking that we get into trouble...and boredom and complacency kick in.
My last post was about fundamental assumptions and the problems that can fester in an industry if those assumptions are inaccurate or misunderstood. The way out of that fester is to question those assumptions. And question them often. The results will either lead you to a different conclusion, one made of your own thinking, OR it will solidify your current assumption. Quite often the assumptions we make are accurate, but questioning them all the same allows us to understand them more deeply, more thoroughly. It makes us much better.
Teachers, think of your most used cues. Students, think of your most used self corrections (“shoulders back” comes to mind!). Ask yourself: Who is this for? What does it mean? When is it appropriate? Where does this come from? Why did you say/do it?
Let these questions spin around in your head during your next class, workout, or lesson. And I will be back shortly to help you sort them out!...Pilates Detective Style 😉
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