Pilates Association Podcast

In this fifth episode of In the Lane of Contrology, Bruce Hildebrand and Classical Pilates teacher Sharon Michau explore why the full Pilates system is much bigger than the current Reformer boom. Sharon is clear that the Reformer is brilliant, generous and valuable, but cautions against allowing one apparatus to become the entire public identity of Pilates. The episode frames the Reformer as an important doorway into the method, while reminding listeners that Pilates is not a single machine, class format or consumer trend, but a complete system of apparatus, principles, progression and body education.

Bruce and Sharon discuss how the Mat, Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, Barrels and small apparatus each “ask different questions” of the body, giving teachers more informed options and clients more ways to learn. Sharon explains that when the Reformer is expected to do everything, it becomes overburdened, while the wider system offers different forms of support, challenge, feedback, honesty and discovery. The conversation also addresses the Australian reality that not every teacher or studio has access to the full apparatus system, while still arguing that limitation should not be marketed as completeness.

Rather than criticising Reformer classes or the clients who love them, this episode invites the industry to restore the Reformer’s context within the broader Pilates method. Sharon encourages teachers to keep studying beyond the apparatus they know, studio owners to create pathways into deeper education, and the PAA to help improve public Pilates literacy. The central message is that the Reformer boom has given Pilates visibility, but visibility is only the beginning — the next task is helping teachers, clients and studios understand that the Reformer may be the doorway, but the full system is the landscape.

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In this fourth episode of In the Lane of Contrology, Bruce Hildebrand and Classical Pilates teacher Sharon Michau explore Jay Grimes’ powerful idea that “you don’t teach someone Pilates — you help them discover it in their body.” Sharon reflects on how this principle has shaped her teaching over time, moving it beyond a beautiful phrase into a practical discipline of restraint, timing, observation and trust. The conversation reframes teaching as something deeper than instruction, correction or class delivery: it is the art of creating the conditions for the client to find the work within themselves.

Bruce and Sharon discuss the difference between instruction and discovery, highlighting how clients can follow every direction and still not truly own the work. Sharon explores the role of silence, touch, correction, repetition, apparatus feedback and embodied learning, reminding listeners that the teacher is not the only teacher in the room — the client’s body, the apparatus and the method itself are also part of the learning process. The episode also challenges teachers to consider whether they are building autonomy or dependence, especially with long-term clients who may still look outward for approval rather than inward for understanding.

Rather than presenting discovery as vague or passive, this episode positions it as precise, disciplined and deeply practical. Sharon encourages teachers across all settings — classical studios, regional studios, group Reformer spaces, home studios and allied health environments — to leave enough space for the client’s own intelligence to wake up. The central message is that Pilates teaching is not about creating obedient movers or impressive shapes, but helping people feel something they cannot “unfeel”: a connection, a breath, a centre, a moment of ease, and a stronger relationship with their own body.

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In this fifth episode of Pilates at the Intersection, Bruce Hildebrand and incoming PAA President Kimberley Garlick ask whether Pilates needs to separate itself more clearly from the broader fitness industry. Kimberley is careful to frame the conversation as pro-clarity rather than anti-fitness, acknowledging the value of strength, cardiovascular health, athletic training and general movement while arguing that Pilates must not be reduced to calories, burn, sweat, intensity or appearance-based outcomes.

Bruce and Kimberley explore what makes Pilates distinct: its principles, apparatus, progression, individualisation, movement education and the relationship between breath, spine, limbs, load, coordination and awareness. The episode also examines the risks of Pilates being treated as “just another class” on a fitness timetable, where the method can become interchangeable and judged mainly by convenience, price, vibe and intensity. Kimberley highlights that when Pilates is absorbed into generic fitness language, public understanding narrows, teacher training expectations can lower, and allied health professionals may be less clear about when to refer clients to appropriately trained Pilates teachers.

Rather than calling for isolation from fitness, this episode advocates for “integration without absorption.” Kimberley encourages teachers and studios to use clearer language, stronger standards and better public education to help people understand Pilates as a skilled movement discipline with its own scope and professional identity. The central message is that Pilates does not need to reject fitness, but it does need to stop being reduced to fitness — because if the profession does not define itself clearly, the market will define it in the simplest, loudest and easiest-to-sell terms.

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In this fourth episode of Pilates at the Intersection, Bruce Hildebrand and incoming PAA President Kimberley Garlick explore whether the Reformer boom has been good or bad for Pilates. Kimberley acknowledges that the boom has brought enormous visibility, accessibility and energy to the industry, introducing many people to Pilates who may never have found it otherwise. At the same time, the conversation raises the concern that for many members of the public, Pilates is now being reduced to one apparatus and one class format rather than understood as a broader movement method.

Bruce and Kimberley discuss how the Reformer has become the public face of Pilates because it is visually appealing, commercially scalable and well suited to boutique group class models. The episode distinguishes between excellent group Reformer teaching — where the teacher observes, adapts, manages springs safely and teaches with purpose — and poorer versions where choreography, fast transitions, loud music and generic programming replace meaningful instruction. Kimberley also highlights the risk of mistaking “available” for “accessible,” noting that beginners still need careful guidance, screening and support when working on unfamiliar moving equipment.

Rather than rejecting the Reformer boom, this episode frames it as a major opportunity for education. Kimberley encourages teachers and studios to use Reformer classes as a doorway into the wider Pilates system, including mat work, individual assessment, other apparatus, breath, progression and deeper body understanding. The central message is that popularity is not the enemy, but popularity without education can distort the method — and the challenge for the industry is to invite clients beyond the doorway and into the whole house of Pilates.

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In this third episode of In the Lane of Contrology, Bruce Hildebrand and Classical Pilates teacher Sharon Michau tackle one of the most challenging conversations facing the modern Pilates industry: when does healthy evolution become erosion? Sharon carefully distinguishes between thoughtful adaptation and the gradual thinning-out of the original method, arguing that while Pilates should continue evolving alongside modern bodies and modern understanding, it risks losing its identity when the system, principles and internal logic of the work are removed while the name “Pilates” remains.

Bruce and Sharon explore the rapid growth of the Australian Pilates landscape, including the rise of Reformer fitness models, hybrid classes, short-form training pathways and social-media-driven programming. Sharon reflects on how erosion often begins quietly — not with the obvious disappearance of equipment or exercise names, but with the loss of observation, progression, breath, internal attention, relationship between exercises and the deeper educational intention of the method. The conversation also examines the commercial power of the word Pilates, the importance of honest labelling, and the difference between work that is Pilates-inspired and work that remains connected to the original system.

Rather than turning the discussion into a battle between classical and contemporary approaches, this episode calls for discernment, humility and clearer industry language. Sharon encourages teachers and studio owners to ask difficult questions about what they are preserving, what they are changing, and whether the method would still be recognisable if the equipment, branding and music were stripped away. The central message is not that evolution is dangerous, but that evolution without relationship to the source risks slowly eroding the very thing that made Pilates valuable in the first place.

PAA Course Competency Criteria standards

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In this third episode of In the Lane of Contrology, Bruce Hildebrand and Classical Pilates teacher Sharon Michau tackle one of the most challenging conversations facing the modern Pilates industry: when does healthy evolution become erosion? Sharon carefully distinguishes between thoughtful adaptation and the gradual thinning-out of the original method, arguing that while Pilates should continue evolving alongside modern bodies and modern understanding, it risks losing its identity when the system, principles and internal logic of the work are removed while the name “Pilates” remains.

Bruce and Sharon explore the rapid growth of the Australian Pilates landscape, including the rise of Reformer fitness models, hybrid classes, short-form training pathways and social-media-driven programming. Sharon reflects on how erosion often begins quietly — not with the obvious disappearance of equipment or exercise names, but with the loss of observation, progression, breath, internal attention, relationship between exercises and the deeper educational intention of the method. The conversation also examines the commercial power of the word Pilates, the importance of honest labelling, and the difference between work that is Pilates-inspired and work that remains connected to the original system.

Rather than turning the discussion into a battle between classical and contemporary approaches, this episode calls for discernment, humility and clearer industry language. Sharon encourages teachers and studio owners to ask difficult questions about what they are preserving, what they are changing, and whether the method would still be recognisable if the equipment, branding and music were stripped away. The central message is not that evolution is dangerous, but that evolution without relationship to the source risks slowly eroding the very thing that made Pilates valuable in the first place.

PAA Course Competency Criteria standards

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In this third episode of Pilates at the Intersection, Bruce Hildebrand and incoming PAA President Kimberley Garlick explore what truly makes a good Pilates teacher beyond choreography, charisma, social media polish or the ability to perform advanced exercises. Kimberley frames good teaching as the ability to help the person in front of you move better, understand themselves more clearly, and feel more capable in their own body — a skill that requires observation, communication, humility, adaptability, patience and integrity.

The conversation challenges the industry’s tendency to confuse visible performance with genuine teaching. Bruce and Kimberley discuss why choreography is not the same as education, why charisma without skill can be misleading, and why social media can create a narrow image of competence that overlooks the quieter skills of observation, cueing, emotional safety and professional judgement. Kimberley highlights that a good teacher sees beyond the shape of the exercise and notices breath, tension, fear, confidence, compensation and readiness.

Rather than defining quality teaching by popularity or polish, this episode centres the client, the relationship and the teacher’s capacity to adapt with care. Kimberley encourages teachers to develop their eye, listening, reasoning and patience, while also seeking mentorship and reflective feedback rather than relying on experience alone. The key message is that a good Pilates teacher sees the person, understands the method, and has the humility to keep learning.

PAA Course Competency Criteria standards

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In this opening episode of In the Lane of Contrology, PAA Podcast host Bruce Hildebrand begins a new conversation series with Classical Pilates teacher and PAA Committee member Sharon Michau by asking whether the industry is still teaching Pilates, or simply using Pilates equipment. Sharon draws a clear line between the apparatus and the method, arguing that the Reformer, Cadillac, Wunda Chair, barrels and small apparatus are not Pilates by themselves, but tools within a complete system that relies on intention, progression, breath, control, body organisation and discovery.

Bruce and Sharon explore how the Reformer has become the public face of Pilates, expanding awareness while also narrowing understanding. Sharon explains that equipment-based fitness may still be enjoyable and beneficial, but it is not necessarily Pilates if it lacks the deeper internal logic of the method. The conversation highlights the importance of the full system, where the Mat, Reformer, Chair, Cadillac and Barrels each teach the body something different and “speak to each other” in ways that are lost when Pilates is reduced to rows of Reformers.

Rather than dismissing modern studios or group formats, this episode invites teachers, studio owners and clients to ask more honest questions about what is actually being offered. Sharon encourages the profession to educate without arrogance, distinguish between Pilates and fitness on Pilates equipment, and return to the work with curiosity rather than defensiveness. The central message is that Pilates lives not in the machinery, the exercise names or the visual appearance of a class, but in the method: the intention, progression, control, breath, system and discovery that happen inside the body.

PAA Course Competency Criteria standards

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In this second episode of the Pilates at the Intersection series, Bruce Hildebrand and incoming PAA President Kimberley Garlick explore why teacher training standards matter more than ever as Pilates continues to grow across Australia. The conversation asks whether short-form training pathways are genuinely improving accessibility, or whether they risk producing underprepared instructors who are expected to manage real bodies, complex client needs and professional responsibility before they have developed sufficient depth.

Bruce and Kimberley make a clear distinction between learning exercises and becoming a teacher. Kimberley highlights the importance of observation, feedback, applied anatomy, mentoring, supervised teaching and the maturity to know when to adapt, refer or slow a client down. The discussion also addresses the impact of rushed training on new instructors themselves, noting that poor preparation can leave passionate teachers anxious, unsupported and forced to spend years filling gaps that should have been addressed at the beginning.

Rather than framing standards as gatekeeping, this episode positions them as a form of protection for clients, teachers, studios and the long-term credibility of the profession. Kimberley argues for clearer education benchmarks, meaningful mentoring pathways, better public transparency and bridges for teachers who began through shorter training but want to keep developing. The key message is that Pilates needs passionate people, but it also needs prepared people — and the quality of teacher training will shape the future identity of the profession.

PAA Course Competency Criteria standards

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In this opening episode of the Pilates at the Intersection series: An honest stocktake of a profession choosing its future of standards, identity and growth, PAA Podcast host Bruce Hildebrand begins a new weekly conversation series with incoming PAA President Kimberley Garlick, asking whether Pilates is becoming too fitness-focused. Kimberley brings a balanced and credible perspective, acknowledging her own roots in the fitness world while clearly distinguishing Pilates as something deeper than sweat, burn or intensity. The discussion frames Pilates not as a rejection of fitness, but as an intelligent movement method centred on embodiment, awareness, precision, sensory feedback, functional movement and lifelong connection to the body.

Bruce and Kimberley explore how fitness language — “burn,” “sculpt,” “tone,” “shake” and “fast results” — can subtly reshape public expectations and studio programming when it becomes the dominant way Pilates is marketed. Kimberley argues that the issue is not intensity itself, because Pilates can be highly demanding, but the danger of intensity becoming the only measure of value. The conversation also examines group Reformer, social media influence and teacher identity, making the point that the apparatus or format is not the problem; the real question is whether teachers are still observing, adapting and educating, or simply delivering a pre-set workout.

The episode closes with a strong professional call to action for teachers, studio owners and the PAA. Kimberley encourages teachers not to become defensive, but to ask better questions: am I teaching with purpose, can I modify for the person in front of me, are my clients learning something about their bodies, and am I continuing to grow? For studio owners, the challenge is to decide whether their culture rewards sweat and full classes, or client progress, teacher development and long-term outcomes. The central message is clear: Pilates can evolve, but evolution is not the same as dilution — and if the industry preserves attention, control, breath, individualisation and the mind-body relationship, Pilates has an extraordinary future.

PAA Course Competency Criteria standards

Visit the PAA website
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