How to Find a Good Pilates Instructor

Green flags, red flags…and a few things we need to talk about.

Let's say we're sitting together having a coffee and you ask me, “How do I actually know if I have a good Pilates instructor?”

Oh, I have thoughts.

After teaching Pilates for years, I've come to realise that being a good instructor has a lot less to do with knowing hundreds of exercises and a lot more to do with knowing people. There's a quote I've always loved: A student may not remember what you said or exactly what you taught them, but they will remember how you made them feel. That pretty much sums up how I feel about teaching.

I like to think of myself a little like a guide on a hike. I'm there to keep you safe, show you where we're going, point out the important landmarks, help you navigate the tricky bits, and encourage you when the hill gets steep. But I'm not carrying you up the mountain. You're doing the climbing. My job is to help you believe you can get there.

So, coffee in hand, let's talk about a few green flags—and, because they're sometimes more interesting, a few red ones too.

🟢 GREEN FLAG: They Actually See You

You don't need an instructor who knows 427 exercises. You need someone who knows which exercises you need.

In Pilates, we often talk about having a developed eye. It's the ability to really watch someone move and understand what's happening. A good instructor notices when your shoulder has slowly crept towards your ear, when you're gripping with your neck, when your pelvis has quietly gone rogue, or when you're holding your breath even though you're absolutely convinced you're breathing.

More importantly, they know what to do with that information. They don't simply tell you that you're doing something wrong. They give you a cue, an adjustment, or perhaps a different exercise that helps you find the movement in your own body.

Sometimes it's one tiny change and suddenly you look at me and say, “OHHHHH! Is THAT what you mean?” Yes! That's the moment. I love that moment.

🟢 GREEN FLAG: They Make the Session About You

Pilates has a system, an order, and a progression, and I believe that structure is important. But the exercises themselves aren't the ultimate goal. You are.

Your body, your history, your goals, your strengths, your limitations, and whatever version of you happened to walk through the door that day all matter. Because let's face it, Tuesday-you and Thursday-you can be two completely different people.

Maybe you didn't sleep well. Maybe you've been sitting at a desk for ten hours. Maybe your hip has decided it's not speaking to you today. Or perhaps you're feeling fantastic and it's a perfect opportunity for me to challenge you a little more.

A good instructor notices these things and adapts. They don't look at the lesson they planned and think, Well, it's written down, so we're doing it whether you like it or not. The exercises are the tools. The person standing in front of us determines how we use them.

🟢 GREEN FLAG: They're Still a Student

This one is very important to me. I want my Pilates teacher to actually do Pilates.

I want them taking lessons, practising, studying, asking questions, attending workshops, and occasionally being corrected themselves. I don't think you ever reach a point where you can announce, “Right, that's it. I know Pilates now,” dust off your hands, and call it a day.

In fact, the longer I teach, the more I realise how much more there is to learn. I think that's one of the wonderful things about the Pilates Method. You can return to an exercise you've taught and practised hundreds of times and suddenly discover something new.

A good teacher, in my opinion, is someone who has chosen to remain a student.

🟢 GREEN FLAG: They Correct You Without Making You Feel Like an Idiot

You're going to get corrected in Pilates. That's part of learning.

Sometimes the correction will be verbal, sometimes I'll demonstrate something, and sometimes appropriate and professional touch can help your body understand where it needs to go. Touch is part of Pilates teaching, but it should always have a clear purpose and be used respectfully.

Most importantly, a correction should help you, not humiliate you. You should never leave a session thinking, Good grief. Apparently I've been using my body incorrectly since 1972.

A good correction gives you information. It helps you understand your body a little better and hopefully gives you that lovely “Ahhh…there it is” moment. Then we carry on. No drama, no shame, just learning.

And now that we've been very positive, I think we need another sip of coffee, because it's time for…

🔴 THE RED FLAGS

🔴 RED FLAG: They Don't Actually Practice Pilates

I'm just going to say it: owning a Reformer does not mean you know Pilates.

You can buy a Reformer, put it in a gorgeous studio, paint the walls a beautiful colour, dim the lights, create a fabulous playlist, and put a television in front of it telling everyone what to do. At the end of the day, however, you've still bought a piece of equipment.

I own an oven. I am not a pastry chef.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with exercising on a Reformer or following a workout on a screen if that's what you enjoy. But I think it's important to understand that this isn't the same thing as having someone actually teach you Pilates.

A television can't look over and think, Hmm…her right hip is doing something very interesting over there. It can't notice that you're struggling, know that your knee has been bothering you, see that you're compensating, or decide that the exercise on the screen isn't appropriate for your body that day.

That's what a teacher does.

So, if you walk into a studio and the experience feels a little like, Here's your Reformer, there's your television, best of luck, I think it's reasonable to ask what you're actually paying for.

You're not simply renting a piece of exercise equipment. You're investing in instruction, and you deserve an instructor who is invested in your progress and your safety—not simply in filling every Reformer in the room.

🔴 RED FLAG: Everything Is About the Instructor

We're all human. We all have bad mornings, annoying traffic, family dramas, and days when we arrive at work thinking, Well, that was an interesting start to the day.

Of course we chat during Pilates. We laugh, we get to know each other, and relationships develop over time. Honestly, that's one of the things I love most about teaching.

But your Pilates session shouldn't become your instructor's therapy appointment. If every lesson begins with a lengthy update about their terrible morning, relationship problems, traffic, neighbour, dog, and the woman who annoyed them at the supermarket, somewhere along the way we've forgotten who booked the appointment.

For that hour, you are the client. Your instructor should arrive prepared, on time, and ready to give you their attention. If they're regularly late, constantly cancelling, or forever trying to move your appointment around, that's worth noticing too. Your time, your financial investment, and your commitment to yourself deserve respect.

🔴 RED FLAG: They Intimidate You

I've witnessed instructors become frustrated with clients because the client “wasn't listening,” and this is something I feel strongly about.

It isn't the client's job to already know how to listen to their body. It's our job as instructors to teach them.

Body awareness is a skill, and it takes time to develop. Sometimes I can say something once and a client immediately understands. Other times I can explain exactly the same thing fourteen different ways and we're both standing there thinking, Nope. Still not it. Then, on attempt number fifteen, something clicks.

That's teaching.

You should feel comfortable asking questions. You should be allowed to forget something I told you last week. You should be allowed to get an exercise wrong, and you should absolutely be allowed to be a beginner.

Nobody should be frightened of disappointing their Pilates instructor. We're teaching Pilates. We're not landing a plane.

🔴 RED FLAG: Everyone Gets Exactly the Same Workout

If everyone gets exactly the same exercises regardless of their body, experience, injuries, goals, or ability, I start to wonder who the session is actually for.

Sometimes I need to make an exercise harder for you. Sometimes I need to make it easier. Sometimes I need to modify it completely, and sometimes I need to look at you and say, “Nope. We're not doing that today.”

That doesn't mean you've failed, and it doesn't mean the session has gone wrong. Quite the opposite. It means I'm paying attention.

A good instructor isn't married to the workout they planned. They're committed to the person they're teaching. There's a very big difference.

One Last Thought Before We Finish Our Coffee…

As instructors, I think we can become very caught up in creating the “perfect” class—the perfect sequence, the clever transition, the impressive exercise. But I don't think most clients go home saying, “Wow. That transition into Short Spine was absolutely breathtaking.”

They remember how they felt.

They remember whether someone noticed them, whether they felt safe enough to ask a question, whether they learned something new, whether they laughed, and whether they accomplished something they didn't think they could do.

That's why I keep coming back to that quote about students remembering how you made them feel. Your energy as an instructor is often far more memorable than your choreography.

People don't necessarily come back because the class was hard. They come back because they felt successful. They felt seen, encouraged, and capable. Maybe they even walked out standing a little taller than when they walked in.

To me, that's good Pilates teaching.

And if we managed to have a few laughs along the way, even better.