Spiral Spine Pilates strives to create thoughtful, creative, and successful Pilates teachers.
The Balanced Body Pilates teacher training curriculum emphasizes the principles underlying each exercise. Courses are modular and progressive, allowing students to build on their education and train at a pace that works best for them. These courses are also a great opportunity for certified instructors to learn new teaching tools and for renewed inspiration.
All courses at Spiral Spine Pilates are taught by Erin Myers, Jackie Arnold, and Sarah Case, Balanced Body Pilates Educators with over 20 years of teacher training experience. Courses are offered over long weekends, making it easier for students who work full-time or live outside of Nashville to train at the studio. Erin and Jackie have carefully arranged the modules to create outstanding comprehensive teachers. The Mat, Reformer, and Equipment trainings are intertwined, helping students understand how to create private lessons earlier in their studies instead of learning this concept atthe end. As a result, our trainees spend more of their practice hours composing comprehensive lessons and also can be hired earlier. Additionally, intertwining the courses means trainees can start the program at almost any module, minimizing the wait to begin training.
Below you will find training requirements, course descriptions, and FAQs. Should you have further questions, please contact us.
Pilates Teacher Training Schedule
| Course | Hours | Date | Time^ | Cost*+ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Movement Principles | 16 | March 6-7 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Reformer 1 | 16 | March 8-9 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Mat 1 (in person and online) | 16 | May 3-4 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Movement Principles (in person and online) | 16 | June 2-3 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Reformer 1 (in person and online) | 16 | June 4-5 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Reformer 2 (in person and online) | 16 | June 6-7 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Reformer 3 | 16 | June 9-10 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Barrels | 6 | June 11 | 9a-4p | $345 |
| Cadillac | 18 | June 11-13 | 3p-5p (Wed), 8a-5p (Thurs/Fri) | $645 |
| Anatomy for Movement Professionals (in person and online) | 16 | July 21-22 | 9a-6p | $595 |
| Mat 1 (in person and online) | 16 | July 23-24 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Mat 2 (in person and online) | 16 | July 25-26 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Mat 3 (in person and online) | 16 | July 28-29 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Chair | 14 | July 30-31 | 8a-4p | $545 |
| CoreAlign 1 (in person and online) | 16 | August 16-17 | 9a-6p | $595 |
| Barrels | 6 | September 12 | 8a-3p | $345 |
| Cadillac | 18 | September 12-14 | 3p-5p (Friday), 8a-5p (Sat/Sun) | $645 |
| CoreAlign 2 (in person and online) | 16 | October 4-5 | 9a-6p | $595 |
| Reformer 1 (in person and online) | 16 | October 23-24 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Mat 1 (in person and online) | 16 | October 25-26 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Anatomy in 3D ++ (in person and online) | 16 | November 15-16 | 9a-6p | $595 |
| Chair | 14 | December 4-5 | 8a-4p | $545 |
| Reformer 2 (in person and online) | 16 | December 6-7 | 8a-5p | $595 |
| Program Test Out | N/A | Scheduled Privately | Scheduled Privately | $350 |
^1-hour lunch break included for all full-day trainings
*Additional fees for required manuals and videos, along with shipping and tax will be added at checkout.
+15% early bird discount offered on all modules if you sign up 6 weeks in advance
***Core Align 1 & 2 are not part of the required curriculum for Pilates teacher training. They can be used for continuing education or taken as an independent apparatus training.
++Either anatomy course can be used to fulfill the Pilates teacher training anatomy requirement. However, if you have no previous exposure to anatomy, we recommend taking the Anatomy for Pilates course. Anatomy In 3D can also be used as continuing education.
Private Teacher Training Courses Offer
We also offer all our courses privately. People take private trainings for many reasons and just because you take one private training does not mean you have to take them all that way! Private trainings offer greater flexibility and attention.
All of these modules are offered in person. However, many can be taken virtually as long as you have access to the required equipment (Reformer, Cad, etc.) during the training.
Please note that prices do not include additional materials and shipping fees.
Duet teacher training modules are also available upon request.
Please contact the studio if you’re interested in either private or duet teacher training.
Course | Cost |
|---|---|
Anatomy for Pilates | $1680 |
Movement Principles | $1400 |
Mat 1 | $1400 |
Mat 2 | $1400 |
Mat 3 | $1400 |
Reformer 1 | $1400 |
Reformer 2 | $1400 |
Reformer 3 | $1400 |
Cadillac | $1680 |
Chair | $1120 |
Barrels | $600 |
Anatomy In 3D | $1400 |
Core Align 1 | $1400 |
Core Align 2 | $2240 |
Enhance Your Training
When you register for four or more teacher training modules that occur in one calendar year, you will be eligible for the offers below. In total this is worth more than $1,000.
Pilates Teacher Training FAQs
Hours may only be started after you have taken the corresponding module. For example, you may start working on your Mat hours after taking Mat 1, but not your Reformer hours.
Once instructors have completed the modules and hours, they must pass a written and practical exam demonstrating their teaching ability.
After all documented hours have been sent into Balanced Body and an approval has been issued for test-out, a date and time will be agreed upon for the exam, which will be taken in person at the Spiral Spine Pilates Studio. A minimum of 6 weeks is needed between when hours are sent in and the date of the exam. If this minimum is not met, a late fee will be charged. Balanced Body will create a registration link so the student can register for the test-out.
To prepare for the written portion of the test, review the manuals, including movement principles, lectures, families of exercises, and exercises on each piece of equipment. You will have a 2-hour written test and a 1-hour practical test, during which you will teach a student a full lesson.
With Balanced Body there is no requirement to finish the teacher training program in a set amount of time. In total, there are around 500 hours you’ll need to complete. That being said, most people tend to finish within 18 months and it is rare to finish a well-reputed program in less than 6 months. We have also had successful trainees take 2 years. Here’s a good post to read up more on how long it takes to complete a training program.
At Spiral Spine Pilates studio, the training program (modules only) costs $6,840. This is on par with other reputable programs. With our discount the cost of the modules alone is $5,814, a savings we encourage you to take advantage of by signing up at least 6 weeks early. Other costs you can anticipate are the manuals and videos as well as any fees you have to pay to rent space or take classes to complete your training hours. The cost of a program is more fully discussed here.
Becoming a Pilates teacher is going to take a good amount of time, 500+ hours, and some money, around $5,000, so you want to make sure you choose a good training program before you sign up for that first module. Here are some tips for picking a good training program:
- It should teach you how to accommodate many different types of clients (knee injuries, pregnancy, herniated discs, etc.)
- It should provide you with information beyond the in-studio courses. This may be in the form of manuals or videos, but you shouldn’t leave a training empty-handed. Pro tip: see if you can peek at a manual before committing to a program.
- It should be lead by an experienced instructor. Check out the bio of the teacher before you commit and make sure they know their stuff.
- Studios and gyms in your town should be open to hiring people from the program. If they won’t, you may have a hard time getting a job.
To read more in depth about choosing a good program, check out this blog post.