My Approach to Teaching Pilates: Building Confidence Through Movement

Over the years, as I’ve grown into my role as a Pilates instructor, I’ve come to understand what matters most to me when working with clients: helping people feel more confident, comfortable, and safe in their own body. When someone walks into a session, whether it’s in the studio or in their own home; they’re not just bringing their body, they’re bringing their lived experience. Their history, their doubts, their strengths, their injuries. My job isn’t to push them into shapes or exercises they’re not ready for. It’s to listen, observe, and guide them into movements that feel right for them, at that moment.

Yes, challenge is important. Growth comes from stepping outside of our comfort zone. But for many people, especially those dealing with injury, anxiety, age-related changes, or low confidence, the first step is not to challenge but to settle into comfort. To move without fear. To stop bracing. To feel safe. Once that sense of ease is established, that’s when real progress happens. We build confidence slowly, one small win at a time. And with each success, we make space for more challenge. It’s not about how far you can stretch or how strong your core is on day one. It’s about building a solid, trusting relationship between body and mind, and between client and instructor.

That mutual trust is something I deeply value. I trust my clients to tell me what they’re feeling, and I hope they trust me to respond with care, not pressure. Over time, this creates a real connection; one built not on performance, but on respect.

This way of teaching and connecting came from my own experience with Pilates. As I mentioned in my previous post, I didn’t start Pilates for fitness. I started because I needed to feel better in my body and my life. The strength, clarity, and self-trust I gained from this practice didn’t come from being pushed. It came from being supported. That’s the feeling I hope to pass on in every session.

Every person who walks through my door has a story, and I feel honoured to be a small part of their journey. Whether it’s helping someone return to movement after injury, supporting a senior client to feel steady on their feet, or simply giving someone a quiet hour to reconnect with their body, my goal is always the same: to empower them to move with confidence.

Because when movement feels good, consistent, and safe, it becomes something people want to keep doing. Not because they’re told to, but because it feels right. That’s the kind of change that lasts.