What is Client-Centered Pilates and How Do We Practice it at TPR NYC?
We sat down with Alison Johnson, owner of The Pilates Room NYC to discuss what client-centered Pilates is, why it’s important to remain flexible as an instructor and how deviating from the script may be just what the session calls for.
What is client-centered Pilates, and why is it at the core of the instructional philosophy at The Pilates Room NYC?
Client-centered Pilates is an approach to instruction that asks teachers to meet clients where they are in the moment. In order to do this, instructors need to know a bit about their client as they walk into the studio. They need to understand not only the physical condition of the client but also the emotional heft that they’re coming in with. This approach to Pilates places the client's individual needs, goals and preferences at the center of the practice. Rather than following a one-size-fits-all sequence of exercises, a client-centered approach tailors each session to the physical, mental and emotional state of the client, which of course, changes from day to day and session to session.
How do you assess a client’s physical state as they walk in for a session?
I always ask my clients two questions before we begin a session: ”How are you feeling today” and “How did you feel after the last session?” How they felt after the last session gives me a sense of how strenuous the movements were for them and how much lighter or deeper they might be able to go this time around. If they say, for example, that their back was sore after the last session, I’ll reflect on what we did and what could have potentially caused this pain and adjust the plan based on that feedback. For example, if their legs were lower during a particular exercise, I might have them bring their legs up higher this time, to keep the strain off of their lower back muscles. Alternately, if they say they felt really good after the last session, and they were feeling the right muscles, then we’ll continue on that track and maybe add a little more to challenge them if they’re up for it. This conversation usually then segues into how the clients are feeling emotionally, which is another crucial part of the daily assessment.
How do you adjust your plan for a session based on the emotional state of the client?
It’s important to assess the energy and the mood that a client walks into the room with. It brings up the questions for me to consider about what they might need from the session: Do they need a distraction from their day? Do they need to laugh? Do they need to "fight it out"? Do they need something more nurturing? Or do they just need to be heard?
If somebody walks in and they’re feeling really grumpy, I may change up the tempo a bit and ask them to move a bit faster so that their focus is on what they’re doing, and they get out of their own head. If they’re in a good mood, we may lean in and try something more vigorous. As an instructor, I have to be mindful of their situation. Sometimes the right thing to do is get them moving and sometimes I have to align the session with how they’re feeling in the moment. For example, if someone is really tired, I may try to align with them and go for a softer session. I try to match where they are in their day or mood to the session plan. Some clients are looking to me to get them motivated and get them moving to shake off a heavy mood. If that’s the case, then I adapt. I always try to find a way to understand what they’re feeling and address it with movement. It’s tricky because my whole plan for a session can change based on the feedback clients give the minute they walk in! It’s important to create a plan, but I always have to be flexible and open to modifications.
Also, I’ve been working with many of my clients for years, so I know when they come in and they’re overwhelmed or distracted or upset. It’s a relationship. I also know what they’re capable of. I can have them do the same exercises as they did the week before, but maybe we’ll emphasize different elements, just to get them moving in a slightly different way. Sometimes they just need to discuss how they’re feeling, to get something off their chest, and I allow space for that too.
Since you know your clients well, you probably know when they’re phoning in a workout. How do you make sure your clients are challenged?
Sometimes clients come to me with a move they’ve seen on Instagram, and they want to try it; some people come in and say they’re feeling good, and they can push a little more than usual. I can also see if things are starting to become easier for my clients after a certain amount of time, and in that case, I may try to raise the difficulty level. There are a variety of ways to add difficulty to a movement. For example, you can make exercises harder by slightly altering the body positioning, expanding the range of motion, by doing more repetitions than usual, holding the poses for longer or varying the tempo of an exercise. So I’m challenging different parts of their body and different aspects of their movement. Then, after these alterations, over the course of time I’ll see them getting stronger. I can then start adding more exercises to the sequence. Pilates is a complete system, so there are always ways to increase the difficulty.
If you’re teaching more than one client, and the energy levels of each person are quite different, how do you make sure each individual gets a workout that suits them?
There’s generally no more than four people per session, so I check in with everybody and ask them what they need that day—if someone says, my shoulders are a mess today, I may revise my plan to include some shoulder work to help that particular client loosen up, but I have to be mindful because others in the group might have similar issues—or completely different issues!—that I need to be aware of. I have many modifications in mind for different clients depending on their situation, so I just have to be alert and ready to offer those modifications based on the exercise at hand.
There’s a fair amount of planning that goes into the class ahead of time. I generally will be familiar with the students and know what they’re capable of before the class starts, so I can create a map that will serve as the backbone of the session, but then people may come in with situational issues that need to be addressed. I make room for it. It’s really important for me to be vigilant during the session. I can’t space out, I can’t let my mind wander. I can’t ask clients to do a movement and then just zone out. If I see someone hesitating to do a move, I may ask how they’re feeling about it or give them a modification on the spot.
Any last thoughts about why client-centered Pilates is a foundational approach for instructors at The Pilates Room, NYC?
Client-centered Pilates is about tuning into what your client needs and using all the tools at your disposal to give them what they need. Sometimes it’s not Pilates that they need at the moment, sometimes it’s a light stretch, or a hug or something that’s less traditional in the Pilates world. We’re trying to accommodate a client’s entire being and not just give them a specific set of prescribed moves.
There’s a whole human experience that goes into working with clients. Consider the science behind something like bodybuilding. We know what the science says: You have to lift heavy weights and be in a caloric deficit, you have to track macros, especially protein intake, and drink enough water to stay hydrated. But people are not machines! There’s a human element to being an instructor that we have to lean into. Consider the emotional digressions a human experiences within a single day. A client’s emotional state certainly affects performance, but isn’t necessarily taken into consideration in a scientific approach.
The same is true in Pilates—people come to The Pilates Room for a workout, but if we need to take the time to deviate from the script to address the humanity in the room…so be it. We have to be flexible. Of course, we begin from the foundation of Classical Pilates—it’s a tool, it’s a vehicle for movement, but first and foremost, we have to be able to adapt to what the client needs at the moment.
When clients walk through the door, they’re looking to us as instructors for direction and advice. If I see that they need something different than Pilates at that moment, and I can provide it, why wouldn’t I? All the instructors at TPR have really adopted this philosophy, and I think it’s important. I think it’s something that sets us apart.