The Pilates Method Alliance ® has been constantly responding to the rapid series of changes within the Pilates community. Some of these changes are good and perhaps some are bad, and nearly all of them are difficult. As a PMA Certified Pilates Teacher™, I am encouraged when I see the efforts that the PMA has taken to preserve this work and respond to the need of this community of professionals.
There are some changes that do not reflect the work of Joe and Clara Pilates. We all may see the Pilates method differently in our approach and style of teaching. Diversity with a common source is very good for our profession. However, there is a difference between diverting from the original syllabus, adding properties, and changing the intended use of equipment so that the entire workout is not SOURCE inspired. The Pilates Method Alliance is seeking to set a standard for the basics of Pilates and encourage each of us to continue our own unique ways of teaching this incredible body of work. One of my teachers quotes Clara Pilates as saying “you must learn you’re A, B, C’s first”.
The preservation of the Pilates method is one of the many reasons that I remain a member and have been a member since the organization began. The establishment of a standard test and a baseline of common knowledge is another reason that I am inspired to support the PMA and the PMA Certification Examination. This is the A, B, C s. I have been teaching for 23 years and I can remember a time when some wanted to keep the name Pilates as a personal trademark and withhold the use of the word Pilates from other studios and teachers. This extended to some of the original students who paid and learned from Joe and Clara and are now known as The First Generation Master Teacher.
The Pilates Method Alliance has been inclusive of all Pilates lineages, provided education through conferences and maintained excellence. I encourage everyone who loves this work and cherishes the memory of Joe and Clara to join and to contribute.
Please become a member!
“Every man owes a part of his time and money to the business or industry in which he is engaged. No man has a moral right to withhold his support from an organization that is striving to improve conditions within his sphere.”
Theodore Roosevelt