Personal Pilates Practice Benefits

In my latest self-care tutorial for PilatesAnytime.com, I spoke about my personal Pilates practice. I still make sure to go to my instructor’s studio four to five days a week for my own Pilates session. A personal Pilates practice benefits more than just your own functional movement. Keeping up your Pilates sessions will also benefit your business, help you maintain your sanity, and inspire your teaching. But, how do you keep up your own practice when life gets busy, you don’t have easy access to a Pilates instructor that challenges you, and your life and family need a change of scenery?

Rock Your Personal Pilates Practice

This week let’s talk about several options that will rock your personal Pilates practice, benefit your business and keep your clients coming back week after week!

Where to Keep your Pilates Practice Up

1. Online Pilates Classes: These days are many online Pilates options that will help you maintain your own practice. Pilates Anytime has over 2500 Pilates classes available for only $18/mon. You can enjoy classes on all kinds of equipment and with instructors who have a variety of teaching backgrounds. You can slip on some blue tooth headphones and move along with the class. If you need the accountability of a set time (like our clients do) try weekly online mat classes at my other site designed to get your practice in 30 min doses and they disappear every week.
2. Trade-off with a fellow Instructor: Networking is a great thing. Knowing other teachers in your area helps you when you need to take a break, need to refer a client that isn’t right for you, and for getting eyes on your personal practice. I recommend setting set times where you two can sharpie in your session times and protect them from other clients scheduling during what is supposed to be your personal Pilates practice.
3. Take a Pilates retreat! A weekend away or a long weekend of Pilates outside of your normal routine and combined with touring, meeting other people will allow you to enjoy your Pilates practice and leave all distractions behind. A Pilates retreat abroad gets you out of your comfort zone, sometimes in a time zone so far from your own that you literally can disconnect from the world, your business, and focus on Pilates and what you can discover. For inspiration on future retreats, you can go to check out my retreat to Siem Reap, Cambodia, Maui, Hi, Denver, CO, and one specifically dedicated to teachers in London UK.

So, how does a Personal Pilates Practice benefit your Pilates business?

1. Client Retention: Simply if you become bored your clients will become bored. Regular sessions with other instructors give you a new set of eyes, perspective, and insight different than your own. Retaining clients is the most cost-effective way to run and grow your Pilates business. And giving your clients new exercises every time they come isn’t the answer to keeping them inspired. But, finding new ways to cue them, to help them dig deeper into their own bodies will ensure your necessity in their lives.
2. Converting First Time Clients: when new clients ask how often they should come to Pilates they can be shocked when we tell them that the ideal is 3-4x a week. And, sure, you can quote the 10, 20, 30 quotes from Joe. But, when you say that you too do Pilates 3-4x a week it makes the commitment seem possible.
3. Gives you insight on ways to run your Pilates business: if you are struggling with creative ways to take on challenges in your business you can hop on your Pilates reformer. When you come up to an exercise you are struggling to figure out how to connect you’ll look at it from different angles, break the exercise down and maybe even play with props or a similar exercise on another piece of equipment. This same process will help you take on a challenge in your business. Nicole Martin’s blog post dives deeper into this tip. She moved her studio from San Franciso to San Diego and discovered that by keeping up with her personal Pilates practice she was able to create new ways to grow her business.

This week grab your calendar put your Pilates practice sessions in with a sharpie or if you’re using an online scheduler block your practice hours out so no client can snag them. Your mind, body, and business will thank you for it!

Share how you find time to get your own Pilates practice in with us! Write it below in the comments, email us or tag us online when you are taking time for yourself!