In most professions, there are experts, and there are practitioners. The same is true in the field of yoga and Pilates teaching. But, what's the difference between an expert and a practitioner? It's taken me years to understand the answer to this question, and I really only came to understand it through direct experience over a twenty-year period of time. 

1.) A key quality of expertise is a whole lot of experience over time. In yoga and Pilates that means teaching thousands of classes and thousands of clients. It means talking to and supporting clients at various stages of life, during pregnancy, or after a baby, after a recent surgery or injury, during a period of depression or increased stress, while managing a chronic or terminal illness, while training for a marathon or trying to improve their tennis game or weight lifting goals. In working for years with clients with various needs, I learned experientially which poses helped with which issues, which modifications served the most, and when to take extra precautions during a pose or movement.

2.) A second key quality of an expert yoga or Pilates teacher is understanding the why of each pose, movement, or breathing technique. Every pose and movement in a class should have a functional purpose that clients can take off the mat and into their daily lives so that they are moving throughout their day with awareness of their bodies and using their energy efficiently. Otherwise, why are we doing what we do? 

I'll give you an example of this from my Mommy & Me class this week. The first movement I asked the mamas to do was squats. Why? Because squatting to pick your baby every day, many times over, is the best way to improve your posture, prevent back injury, and build strength in the largest, most efficient muscles of the body, the gluts, and quads. I didn't just ask them to do squats for the sake of doing squats. I asked them to do squats because they need to be practicing that movement off that mat and throughout their day with baby. In addition, I asked them to inhale as they squat and exhale as they lift up. The diaphragm and the pelvic floor work together, so on the exhale, when the diaphragm lifts, so does the pelvic floor—engaging the pelvic floor (exhaling) while lifting facilitates more core stability for mama.

3.) Having a broader understanding of health and wellness through the lens of additional education in fields such as physical therapy, acupuncture, nutrition, social work, psychotherapy, massage therapy, chiropractic, nursing, and more, allows a yoga or Pilates teacher to bring a well-rounded approach and additional expertise to their teaching. Often teachers with additional education end up being experts in yoga and Pilates because they work with special populations like pregnant women, women post-pregnancy, elderly clients, clients with chronic illness or recent surgery or injury. They are bringing their expertise in another field of wellness into their classes with these clients. For example, in my prenatal classes, I also share my expertise and experience as a birth doula and prenatal massage therapist with my clients.

One of the things that has always set Mind the Mat apart is that we strive to offer specialty classes for clients during all stages of life, taught by experts who understand how to work with specific groups of clients. Many of the teachers we hire are trained at Mind the Mat through our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program. In this program, my business partner, Dr. Megan Brown P.T., teaches anatomy and biomechanics in a fun and accessible way.

I teach about how to work with pregnant women and women post-pregnancy in regular yoga classes based on what is changing in the body during these periods of a woman's life.  

Debora Jackson, a lead teacher in our training program, teaches about how to incorporate poses specific for the season and time of day when creating a yoga class, which are important factors in the larger wellness system from which yoga comes, called Ayurveda. For example, some postures and breathing techniques are important for summer classes because they are cooling for the body, whereas others are warming and more appropriate during cooler weather.  

Sam Chase, who teaches yogic history and philosophy, is an expert on applying the ancient principles of yoga to a modern lifestyle.

Start your journey to become an expert yoga teacher.  Check out Mind the Mat's 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training starting Fall 2021.  

Take all 200 hours or dip your toe into a deeper understanding of yoga with our 30 Hour Foundations of Yoga.

Do you have questions or want to find out more about this training? 

Sign up for the Virtual Q & A on August 18 at 7:45p with Director of Teacher Training Caroline Deitch.

Interested in Mind the Mat's Specialty Workshops taught by expert instructors? 

Yoga for Osteoporosis with Marianne Meyers on August 21 & September 18

Yin Yoga with Mallory Thornton on August 22

Introduction to Arm Balances & Inversions with Kevin Castillo on August 28

Childbirth Intensive with Carol Wyman, RN on August 28

Happy Hips and Back with Caroline Deitch on August 29

Myofascial Release with Olivia Sheldon on September 11

Women's Self Defense with Olivia Sheldon on October 16

Also, check out Mind the Mat's Specialty 6-week Series Programs taught by expert instructors:

Prenatal Yoga & Pilates

Post-pregnancy Fitness

Therapeutic Yoga

Here's our extensive schedule weekly schedule of classes in yoga, Pilates & Barre!