After earning my bachelor’s degree in dance and movement education, I was interested in studying Pilates as the next step in my career. Unfortunately, my first Pilates teacher-training program turned me off to Pilates completely. My body didn’t fit inside the relatively narrow movement confines of that particular approach. Doing Pilates actually felt bad and uncomfortable. I decided to study yoga instead and went on to become a certified yoga teacher.
It wasn’t until many years later, upon working at the front desk of a Polestar Pilates studio, that my interest in Pilates was piqued again. I loved what I was hearing from this teacher! The cues sounded so clear, yet at the same time, expansive, freeing, and opening! The teacher was creative, yet clearly grounded in her understanding of proper alignment. She taught a diverse range of clients and every session was different, depending on the needs of the person in front of her. This was the approach I was hoping for.
Fast forward 12 years and I now have a satisfying career teaching Pilates from a Polestar perspective. Although I am not a physical therapist and am clear on the limits of my scope of practice, I work every day with a wide variety of clients. The broad majority has some sort of physical limitation, pain, or injury and Pilates helps them to feel better, move better, and to enjoy living in their bodies. The fact that each client is different keeps my job fresh and interesting and I have networks of support to which I can turn when I have questions or get stumped.
Generosity & Inclusion at the Heart of Polestar
Through Polestar, I learned not only how to teach exercise choreography, but I also learned how to see and evaluate the biomechanics of movement. I learned how to teach with precision; to cue, both verbally and tactilely, so that when I see a faulty movement pattern, I can offer support to help address and remedy that faulty pattern. I learned the Polestar Principles of Movement and the building blocks of proper biomechanics. From that ground, I can go in any direction, vary or modify exercises, provide support through the use of props or equipment adjustment, or create new approaches until I can meet the physical needs of almost anyone who walks into my studio, provided they are cleared by their physician or physical therapist for exercise.
More recently, as an educator for Polestar, I have had more of an inside view of the heart behind the company. It is a generous and inclusive community – one that demands a lot from its teachers and students and gives a lot back in return.
Once you enter the Polestar family and show a concerted effort to study, practice, and teach the principles, you will find a community ready to be at your side every step of the way. The time, energy, and financial commitment required of a Polestar education are significant. This is true about almost every worthwhile venture. For me, the return on my investment has been invaluable.
I am grateful to my Polestar educators and the many others in the community helping to promote and teach this important work.
—- Arica Bronz
Arica Bronz has been a Polestar Educator since 2014 and hosts Polestar trainings in Burlington, Vermont.
