I love to introduce every guest blogger! And, I know I always say I am excited to share the words of the author but on this day I am beyond honored and grateful to share the words of this week’s guest author. She is a brilliant woman, artist, incredible Pilates teacher and dear friend to me. I

could go on and on about all the things that Anula does that make me smile. Her generosity knows no bounds. And, perhaps that is why she is the best person to talk to you about building a community. I’ll let Anula Maiberg take it from here!

Here is what Yoga got right: it went from a spiritual practice a massive cultural mammoth. The branding of the Yogic lifestyle did not happen overnight. Like it or not Yoga is multi-million dollar industry. Certification programs are 200 hours or less (Pilates can go up to 800). Class sizes are only restricted by physical space and can easily be held outdoors where space

isn’t even an issue. Between retail sale of water bottles, mats, apparel tied in with oils, crystals, jewelry, hemp/chia/flax power bars laced with water blessed by a shaman in a hilltop by the side of the Himalayan mountains blessed by a single sourced, fare trade butterfly of complete inner peace and spirituality, you’ve got something pretty good going on business-wise.

Pilates, on the other hand, is staunchly Germanic. It’s a workout regime for those who like rules. A Pilates teacher may give modifications but a group class is rarely framed through the lens of: you could go into your Teaser practice or hang out in Child’s Pose. That’s not the common style. Sometimes this formula lends itself to an astringent reputation. We all sort of know what the vibe of a Yoga studio can be like. But what’s the vibe of a Pilates studio? When we ask people who have never tried Pilates before they often reference a more clinical

environment. That obviously has so much to do with extremely knowledgeable teachers using their skills for rehabilitative purposes. This part of the Pilates industry is amazing and wonderful. There’s another aspect that is sometimes missed: community.

You thought I was gonna say merch? Well, I’m not. Studios can obviously sell what they want but often that isn’t what keeps students coming back.

Group classes are either done on mats (which are often raised from the ground), on Tower units or Reformers. This lends itself to a sense of separation between students. Some people love it and some people don’t. In this webinar, we’re going to explore a segment of the population that may be yearning for a sense of connectivity. We’ll be discussing how to tap into a market that may want to feel in touch with their fellow neighbors to the right and to the left.

We will go over some strategies of how we can warm up our overall reputation and how to make Pilates indispensable to a group class goer. Group class is the most financially un prohibitive way to practice Pilates. How do we take the group class from a luxury to a necessity? (and if not a necessity to an event that should seldom be missed). The short answer: create a community. The longer answer is how.

For the “How” on this join Anula and me for a one-hour webinar on May 17th at 12 pm pst for a live discussion with tips and actions you can take to create community. And, if you can’t join us live the replay runs for one week. Snag your spot here. For questions please feel free to comment below or contact me here.  Oh, and my Pilates pro’s you don’t

have to be a group class teacher to create a community. You can create community in your private based studio too! So, are you ready?

See you at the webinar!

xx~LL