How Pilates Teacher Training Changed My Life…
BY CAITLIN BURNS
BY CAITLIN BURNS
Here are some things I was not good at; working in an office, being a bartender, working in a daycare, working retail, or public speaking in any formal context (remember that last one for later).
Suffice to say, this list paints a comprehensive picture of life in my 20s. Flailing from job to job, career to career, and never quite feeling like I’d landed on solid ground or found my voice. Try as I might, none of these jobs sparked any kind of joy, and thus they were all in their own special way- dead ends. Over the years, my father had (not so) gently encouraged me to take my steadily growing interest in Pilates as a beacon of hope and pursue Pilates teacher training in Toronto. Since it was my father’s suggestion, I had to ignore it for as long as possible; however, in the summer of 2018, I shattered and dislocated my knee cap, which turned out to be the best that could have ever happened to me.
To keep a long story short, my rehab journey landed me in group classes at Muse. I was instantly hooked. Rehabbing any injury takes a certain amount of patience and self-compassion, neither of which I possessed at the time. In class, I found myself disconnected from my body and rushing from pose to pose, trying desperately to reclaim the feeling of ownership and power I had once felt. What I liked about Muse is that the instructors let me explore my boundaries and offered gentle yet affirming suggestions for what I might try instead. They did not shame me for my injury or assume that I would not attempt a pose (they let me discover on my own that sometimes you don’t need to try a squat series with a broken knee cap). My father’s suggestion still rattled around in my brain as I trudged from my dreaded desk job to my beloved mat class, but I remained hesitant. While I loved Pilates and how Muse classes made me feel, I was unsure I could take the training because a) I would be limited in how I could move and b) it would inherently involve public speaking, and that made my teeth chatter. Inevitably, 24 hours before the training was set to begin, I took the plunge and signed myself up to become a certified Pilates instructor.
I simply do not have enough time or space on this page to capture all the incredible things about this training, but I will do my best to be concise. Yes, I learned how to be an incredible Pilates instructor, but more than that, this training taught me patience, understanding, and compassion; how to extend it to others and to myself. Because I took the risk and chose to pursue a Pilates certification at Muse, I know how to listen to my body and celebrate the strength and resilience it holds. Moreover, I am able to help people recognize that in themselves, and I have fun doing it. It turns out that I was not bad at public speaking so much as I was bad at publicly discussing things I was not passionate about. In the Muse training, I found a voice that is passionate, clear, adaptive, and dare I say…pretty funny. I learned that I can think on my feet and cultivate a space where folks feel comfortable expressing themselves and what they are feeling in the moment. Taking this training changed my life by introducing me to myself and allowing me to find my footing and land on solid ground.
So, here is a list of things I am good at and grateful I pursued: Teaching Pilates.
If you’re wondering how to become a certified instructor or which training is right for you, I can confidently say that MuseMovement is the best place in Toronto to find your answers and yourself.