Creating effective cues is both an art and a science. It takes a lot of practice and tweaking until you find what works for you. No two people teach the same way. Be authentically you when you teach.

1. KNOW THE EXERCISE YOU ARE GOING TO TEACH

It is tough to be creative and precise when you are trying to teach something you don't know how to do. Practice the exercises and know them in your own body. teach what you love.

2. CUE THE POSITION

Start by cueing the client into the position you want them to be in. For example, Lie on your back. Kneed bent. Heels in line with your sitting bones.

3. BREATH OR MOVEMENT?

Next, you need to choose if you will start the exercise by leading with breathing or the movement. If the movement is a little complicated I tend to start teaching the movement and then adding the breath. But it is up to you and your client which order you use step 4. Play with it and see what works best for you.

4. LAYER YOUR CUES

Once the client understands what to do and how you want them to breathe you can start adding other cueing strategies like visualisation, anatomical or sound cues.

5. STAY CALM. ASK FOR HELP

It takes time and focus to improve the way you cue. If something doesn't work, try another approach. Your client is unlikely to know that what you were trying to do didn't work. Stay calm. Stop, Think, Breathe. It will be better next time.

6. OBSERVE

Observe your clients. Watch and see if the words you are choosing help them improve the way they move. If the movement stays the same try a different way of saying the same thing.

You can always e-mail me and I will be happy to give you some pointers.

You can also find inspiration by subscribing to the Teach Pilates with Confidence Academy.

https://www.heartsandbones.co.nz/workshops-and-professional-development/teach-pilates-with-confidence-academy