Teaching to Learn

By: Emily Floyd

For as long as I can remember, I have been a teacher. As a kid while many youngsters played dress up, or played with their dolls, I was busy teaching classes with my dolls and stuffed animals. There was never a dull moment. Assignments were always due, corrections were always applied, and feedback was always given to my students. I’ve always known that teaching has been the driving force within my passion for movement, and living well. The desire to teach Pilates and connect with clients came rather simple and I’m so inspired by how teaching Pilates has influenced me.

My Apprenticeship at Body Balance Institute has allowed me the privilege of working with a variety of clientele at all times. Some advanced and some beginners in their pilates practice. I’ve had the opportunity to teach privates, semi-privates, and classes at both BBI’s main studio location and also work at PGA Tour Headquarters and PGA Entertainment. I teach Pilates Mat Classes, as well as other mixed apparatus classes (Reformer, Chair, Barrel, and Trapeze / Tower). From the start of my journey into teaching Pilates, I knew that I wanted to learn it all. Having the knowledge and experience and working with the four main pieces of equipment that Joseph Pilates engineered and created was important to me. Each piece works in a different way, yet preserves the integrity of the method and pushes the physical body to different degrees. This opens the form up to a variety of individuals with different fitness and wellness goals.

Last August, is when I began my journey as a Pilates Instructor. It was July when I officially decided

to move back to Jacksonville, Florida after living in New York City for two and half years. The decision did not come easy. Packing up and leaving my community and everything I loved about the culture of NYC, only to return “home” was not how I pictured pursuing my dreams. But I wouldn't have it any other way at this point. I can remember emailing BBI for the first time and asking about enrolling in education programs through Balanced Body. I knew before I decided to move, that it was integral to my education that I connect with the Pilates Community in Jacksonville. For months I researched for the best option in Jacksonville to begin my training. That search led me right to BBI. Not long after I emailed BBI to get more information about registration for training. Later, I receive a call explaining that the studio was starting an Apprenticeship Program. Vicki Sullivan, the studio owner then interviewed me and that's when I knew this was just the community I was looking for!

A few weeks into August I emailed my “Apprenticeship Application” into BBI with the hopes of being accepted into the program. I was called back for a second Interview and then packed my bags and moved to Jacksonville. (Fun fact, before moving back to Jacksonville, I went straight to Atlanta, GA to complete my first Pilates Certification Course - Mat 1!) Little did I know, I would be the first to officially be a “BBI Apprentice”. Along with many perks, such as free BBI Pilates Classes, Workshop Discounts, a part time job, and Mentor currently working as a Master Trainer in Pilates, the Apprenticeship has come with it’s challenges. Always being under the eyes of outstanding instructors, taking time to study and complete personal practice hours while teaching full time, and fully funding my education and apprenticeship not so easy... It has all come at a steep price, but I have worked very hard to save money so that I could pursue my Full Comprehensive Pilates Certification.

One of the biggest take-aways from being an Apprentice is to always give yourself permission to “mess up” and continue to learn as a teacher. No one, not even the greatest teachers, will ever be perfect. Whether you learn something from your failures, or you learn something from another teacher or course you take, they are both just as valuable. There are so many wonderful continuing education courses out there to delve into once the “main chapter” of the Pilates Certification Coursework s complete. In fact, through Balanced Body, we are required to do at least one continuing education course annually. As Joe used to say (according to PMA). ”Remember Rome was not built in a day.", and "Patience and persistence are vital qualities in the ultimate successful accomplishment of any worthwhile endeavor." Giving oneself permission to “stop and start” regularly is so important, and a key part of growth. All things typically begin as merely a thought or idea, then transpire into

reality after a great deal of planning and discipline combined. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy and critic. With being a dancer and semi-perfectionist, it’s been hard at times to allow myself permission to make mistakes. It can be VERY intimidating working under the same roof as some of the incredibly intelligent and experienced Instructors here at BBI. There is most definitely a standard, and fulfilling that has always been a priority for me. Just a few months ago, I was humbled by my expectations that I had placed on myself and hit a learning curve. I am grateful for having a great relationship with Balanced Body Master Trainer, Kristen Sullivan. Her guidance and mentorship throughout this process has provided me with perspective and encouraged me to always push myself as an instructor. Among many things, I will always remember her saying “Look at the body in front of you”. That’s where you begin. Everyday we learn something new about the practice through our amazing clients! We are so lucky to work in a field where we get to truly listen and see each other. Every session and class is an experience for both the teacher and the client. You build relationships, and it’s so refreshing to really get to know your clients. Pilates is so much more than just exercise and that’s one of the main reasons I absolutely love teaching it. It changes people’s lives.

It’s hard to believe that July is already here and that by the end of August, it will be a year since I started the process of becoming a “Certified Pilates Instructor”! If all goes as planned I hope to be finishing up my Apprenticeship and complete my Final Certification Test Out by September. I will then take the PMA(Pilates Method Alliance) online test so that I am also PMA certified. My hope for the future with Pilates is to be able to travel and teach Pilates to communities around the world that need it. I have an interest in working within the scope of the Medical Field with “special populations” (those with either Motoneuron System Disorders, those that may deal with body image issues, and also athletes and dancers). I am hoping in the next three years or so to begin my journey into Graduate School in pursuit of developing programs for those populations of people. I would like to provide them with better access to both Pilates and Gyrotonic® practices. I’m not sure where life will take me next, but I am so glad that Jacksonville has and will always be home for me. I highly recommend the Apprenticeship through Body Balance Institute. I was able to immediately begin my teaching hours and the facility has been incredible to practice and teach at. The community of clients and teachers is one like no other and energy is truly uplifting and so encouraging every day! Getting to work right alongside and take class regularly from Balanced Body Master Trainers and other professionals has been such an inspiration to me, as both a student and a teacher. 

According to Pilates Method Alliance (PMA), “ First generation Pilates teachers, who knew Joe, maintain that he and Clara would be very happy and proud of the popularity and growth of Pilates. However, it is less clear how he might feel about the influx of "quickie trainings" available for would-be instructors wanting to be trained in a weekend or two. Joe worked at length with his own teachers, allowing them to assist and then finally teach after sometimes as long as 2 or 3 years of training and apprenticeship." Having the opportunity to jumpstart my Pilates Instructor Career through a program like the Apprenticeship through BBI, was everything I was looking for when I started my search for coursework. It’s so neat to me that in many ways this is the way Joe intended for Pilates Teachers to learn the method and become teachers. My last workshop will be July 23-24th, can't believe it! I feel confident with the material I have learned over the past year and am thrilled to see what’s on the next page of this Chapter!

Monthly Focus - June

Rhythm and Flow

One of the underlying principles of Pilates, Gyrotonic®, Elevated Movement and Qi Gong is moving with a sense of rhythm and flow.  Flow creates smooth, graceful and functional movements.  It decreases the amount of stress placed on our joints and develops movement patterns that integrate our body into a smooth flowing whole.

At Body Balance Institute every movement has a specific rhythm attached to it. The goal is to maintain continuity from repetition to repetition and from exercise to exercise. Creating smooth transitions helps our body learn to move with grace and efficiency, which improves performance and decreases injury. It is also the way our bodies were designed to move naturally and intuitively.  This is the state of being 100 % mentally and physically immersed in the moment of the movement.  In flow, the emotions are positive and energized, which leads to increased endurance.  While connecting precise movement, intention and rhythm, creates flow.

“Contrology (Pilates) is complete coordination of body, mind, and spirit. Through Contrology you first purposefully acquire complete control of your own body and then through proper repetition of its exercises you gradually and progressively acquire that natural rhythm and coordination associated with all your subconscious activities.”

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–Joseph Pilates

GYROTONIC® Training

By: Kristen Sullivan


I began my GYROTONIC® journey in 2007 during my MFA program at Florida State University with Anjali Austin. After years of Pilates training through my BFA and MFA programs, I was completely enlightened by the experience of the GYROTONIC® method. It was a totally different way of moving. Where Pilates was more linear and centering, GYROTONIC® was 3 dimensional and expansive.

Upon graduation of FSU in 2008, I continued my education first with my comprehensive Pilates certification as I had had many more years of experience in this method. After teaching Pilates for 6 years and becoming a Master Trainer for Balanced Body I was ready to expand my teaching and moving vocabulary. I then began my level 1 GYROTONIC® pre-training and foundation course in 2013.

Recently I had the opportunity to take the Level 2 pre-training course work for GYROTONIC® with Anjali Austin. This course was absolutely amazing on so many levels. The level 2 material takes the body through a complete movement experience like no other. The movements are full, expansive, and spiraling.

Day 1 of the training started with the Arch and Curl series which is usually done seated facing the handles. In level 2, the Arch and Curl series is done standing facing the tower. By standing I could use the power of the earth to feel the full connection from the foot all the way up the spine. This groundedness allowed me to open all my centers and express more fully through the movement of the torso and arms. I felt long, free, light and effortless, as if I were a bird sailing through the sky. There is some choreography to the foot positions that can be challenging, but it provides different movement experiences for the spine throughout the various exercises.

We then moved into the level 2 work for the hamstring series. There is already quite a bit of material and complexity in the level 1 hamstring series so I was interested to see what level 2 had to offer. A lot! Wow, I had no idea that my legs could move through so much dimension and range of motion. The level 2 hamstring series uses the foundation of the choreography set in the level 1 exercises. This helps the brain and the body understand how to start the more complex choreography in level 2. It often combined several exercises from level 1 to create more of a series for the legs rather than just 1 individual exercise. The hips move through their full range of motion and more! From flexion to extension, internal and external rotation, and abduction and adduction, all with the fifth line energy reaching from your sit bones out to the heel and beyond so that your legs feel inches longer. Every single muscle in your legs is used. I felt such a lightness and mobility to my hips, knees, ankles, and toes when I finished as opposed to fatigue and tightness or soreness.  We then ventured back to the upper body work with the Arch and Curl facing away from the handles.

This work is very detailed and brings an awareness to the relationship of the spine, ribcage, scapula, arm, and head that is like no other. You can really feel how if one part of this chain is tight or closed off, it affects the ability to move efficiently. Though it is complicated, the series starts simply in order to prepare the body for what initiates the movements and what is needed to properly move though the exercise. This series in level 2 is different than in level 1 in that it expands on the choreography. It adds single arms spiraling continuously and changing directions instead of staying on 1 side. This motion creates a whirlpool sensation for the body. I no longer knew where the beginning or ending of the body or the movement was.

Day 2 began with a review of everything we had covered as we had been

though a lot of new material. We then added more choreography to the Hamstring series which consisted of some inversion choreography with the legs. In level 1 the hips stayed grounded for most of the series so this addition of lifting the hips added a whole new dimension and strength required for this series. The level 2 Hamstring series has 4 parts with around 27 exercises. After completing the material I realized that along with the added material and new choreography there is also a rhythm and breath that must accompany this series in order to keep the initiation from the center and the flow throughout the body and sequencing. Rhythm helped to find the power and expressiveness through the lower body in difficult choreography. If I thought too hard about what the exercise was or broke it down too much I could no longer execute the exercise.
The next series we tackled was the standing upper body series. This series added on to the seated upper body series in level 1 and also added the element of standing. I felt more power by standing. I felt less of my arms and more of my entire body moving through the series. It’s amazing how the same exercise can feel completely different just by changing the body from the seated position to the standing position. This standing series was very dynamic. It also added an element of cardio because of the way the body is continuously moving. The series started in a more familiar way and like the Hamstring series as we got further along added on more complicated choreography. The exercises began to combine a few of the level 1 exercises so that it felt more like a series. Ultimately the series begin to feel more like you are doing an activity out in life, like tennis or swimming or even cleaning house. This is due to the fact it’s not linear or singular but 3 dimensional and continuous.

The 3rd and final day I felt a sadness as I was driving to the workshop. I did not want it to end. Often as instructors we spend so much of our time teaching that it can be hard to find time in our schedules to take 15 hour workshops like these. But when we do finally carve out the time it is so special and re-energizing. It gives us new inspiration and ideas to take back to our clients. We experience different ways of movement to keep our own practice alive and growing and everyone benefits. This sadness soon turned to inspiration and excitement in that I had almost completed the course and would soon get to move forward with truly understanding it through my own practice. I was eager to begin to introduce this material to clients to enhance their physical movement experiences.

There was no new material to learn this day on the equipment, which was good because I could feel my brain filling up. Ha! The review of the entire course was very comprehensive, and by this accumulation of material and series throughout the 3 days I felt like I had it in my body. We ended with some standing nerve strengthening exercises. These are much more subtle and about moving energy through the centers. It was calming and a perfect way to end such an intense course. These exercises are a good reminder that we don't need equipment or an instructor to connect our minds to our bodies and find a way each and every day to center ourselves through quiet movements of energy and spirit. We ask a lot of our bodies and minds throughout our daily lives and we must also find a way to restore and re-energize them continuously.