The 3rd column of Chelsea Streifeneder on Pilatesglossy. Chelsea Streifeneder is the proud owner of Body Be Well Pilates in Red Hook and Catskill NY, located in the beautiful Hudson Valley.
A lot of exciting things have been happening in and outside my studios and I personally have needed the help from my Pilates Rockstar’s to sub for me when I have been out of the studio. We all cover and help each other out, but what happens when our clients are not happy when we are out of the studio? Yikes! This got me thinking about how we can train our clients to better accept and/or love having a sub once in a while! Stop hating your Pilates sub.
Below is a letter I wrote to help our “special” clients be more open minded and accepting when us Pilates teachers need to be out of the studio!
Dear Fabulous Clients!
We know that some days start off with you spilling your coffee and by 8am you already are having a not so awesome day! We know you cannot wait to get to your studio and take class with your favorite teacher because she knows how much you love to stretch your hamstrings on Saturday’s. We understand that having them be M.I.A. wasn’t part of your plan, but let’s go over a few things to make times like this at your studio or class a little bit more awesome for you!
- Learn Something New – If you’ve made it to class be open to a new experience and smile! Yes we know this can be scary, but with a new teacher you might actually learn something new! You might finally understand what your favorite teacher was trying to say about “opening up your collar bone”, or you finally might get that upper back release you always have been looking for! We can easily get used to a certain teachers style of teaching and let our minds and bodies become stale and routinely fall into patterned movement. Get excited to have the opportunity to try something new. You may like it, or hate it. Either way, it’s valuable information to see what does or doesn’t work for you.
- Have Fun – We just want to help you! Exercise and fitness is supposed to be fun! So, when you’re not loving the substitute please try to hold back those eye rolls and heavy sighs and focus less on whatever is confusing or angering you and more on the teachers intention, which usually is positive and compassionate. Let that teacher’s helpful intentions get you through and try not to focus or compare them to your favorite teacher.
- Take the Day Off – If you come only to see your favorite teacher and believe everything they say and do is the only truth and way to do things, then maybe take the day off?! The reality is there will be clients who don’t love certain teacher’s classes, their sequencing, their style and maybe even their hair or spandex, but you don’t have to ruin the class for someone that might like them. The fitness business is not a one-size fits all deal and just as with people, food, and music certain teaching styles are very personal.
- Ask Questions – We want to make sure you are getting the most out of your workout and we want to help you! If something doesn’t make sense to you or something seems strange, ask questions! We want to make sure you understand our teaching style and us. See the teacher after class and ask why something had been taught differently than the way you know. With many different teaching styles and certification programs people learn things differently and also explain things differently! Even if you stand by your normal ways, understanding new things are extraordinarily helpful.
So the next time your email confirmation comes into your inbox, or you see a different name on your class schedule please consider these 4 tips before, during, and after class to help you appreciate your sub! We are just doing our job and probably even helping out your “favorite teacher”!
Thank You and BE Well,
Your Pilates Teachers
©Chelsea Streifeneder
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