Season 2, Episode 9: How do I teach one class to every level?

Tania Huddart: After an exercise on one side, I ask people to close their eyes. Just notice. Do both shoulders feel level? Does one leg feel longer than the other? Most people have never been asked that. They don't have the words yet. So I might say, "To me, it looks like that leg is longer. What do you think?" And over time, something lovely happens. They start telling me before I ask.

Host: Welcome to Build Confidence and Purpose with Pilates. I'm here with Tania Huddart: Pilates teacher, teacher trainer and author of Pilates & Purpose. Both voices you'll hear are made with AI. Every word Tania says is her own, and she's approved each one.

Last episode was about making a cue stick, with pictures, stories and sounds. Today, the class that worries a lot of newer teachers. Your brand-new beginner is on the mat right next to someone who's been coming for years. How do I teach one class to every level?

Tania Huddart: First, take a breath. Mixed classes are normal. In an ideal world, every class would be sorted by level. People would start with an introductory course, then move up. But that's not always possible.

So most of us teach a room full of different bodies, different histories and different days. That's not a failure of planning. That's teaching.

If you run a studio, it helps to give new people a pathway. Some may need a private session or two first. Long enough to learn to breathe well while they move, to find their alignment, and to know a few basic exercises. Most of all, they need to be able to choose the version that suits them. Then a mixed class is much easier, for them and for you.

Host: So where do you start?

Tania Huddart: With the simplest version. Teach the basic movement first, for two or three repetitions. Then offer the next option. Then the next. Each one builds on the one before.

Your beginner stays with the first version and works on it. Your experienced client uses that same version as a warm-up, then moves on. Same exercise. Different job.

Host: Doesn't the experienced client get bored at the start?

Tania Huddart: Not if you teach it well. Perfecting a simple movement can be harder than people think. And the better someone knows the basics, the more focus and strength and stability they have when it gets difficult. It's always good to get back to basics. I'd say that to a client of ten weeks or ten years.

Host: Who decides which version they do? You, or them?

Tania Huddart: Them. And that's the part that frees you up. Ask people to choose the level that's right for them today. If they move up and it's too much, they go back to the version before. No fuss, no failure.

There's a name for this in teaching. It's called the inclusion style. You set the options. They choose where to start, and they adjust as they go. Everyone's included, and everyone works at their own level.

Host: And what are you doing while they're choosing?

Tania Huddart: Watching. You step back and observe. Then you step in where you're needed. Sometimes as a coach, sometimes just to encourage.

Your real job is to make the room safe enough to choose. People need to know that the simpler version isn't a punishment. It's a good choice. When they feel that, they take responsibility for their own movement. And that's what you want.

Use gentle encouragement as you go round. Praise the specific thing they did well, not just "good". That's what builds a client's confidence to keep improving.

And one thing never waits. If you see something going wrong, something that could hurt them, cue for safety straight away. Check springs and straps before anyone starts.

Host: Let's get practical. How do you make one exercise easier for someone?

Tania Huddart: There are a handful of ways. The first is to break it into pieces. Teach each piece on its own, then put them back together.

The second is to shorten the levers. Your arms and legs are levers. The further away the weight is from your body, the harder it gets. So if someone can't stay steady, bend their knees, or bring their forearms down to the floor.

The third is props. A folded towel under someone's head. A ring or a foam roller, to help or to challenge. And the one people forget is speed. Slowing down can help someone follow a sequence. But slow can also be really hard. Just don't lose the rhythm or the flow when you play with it.

Host: You haven't mentioned springs.

Tania Huddart: I was saving them, because they surprise people. On the reformer, that's the sliding bed with springs, you'd think a lighter spring makes things easier. Often it doesn't. A lighter spring means less help, so you need more control.

So your experienced client can go lighter and work harder. Your beginner might go heavier, get more support, and focus on doing it well. Same machine. Same exercise. Two very different experiences.

Host: And for the person who's ready for more?

Tania Huddart: You don't need new exercises. You need new ways into the ones you already know.

The first is to change the position. Do the arm work lying on your back, then try it on hands and knees. Just check knees and wrists before you go there. The second is to go from two legs to one, or two arms to one. That asks for more coordination and balance.

Then you can add something wobbly, like a ball or a foam roller. Close the eyes, if it's safe. Or put two movements together, like balancing on one leg while you work the shoulder.

Host: Everyone's doing something slightly different. How do you talk to the whole room at once?

Tania Huddart: You cue in more than one way. Researchers argue about learning styles, and that's fine. What I see in the studio is simpler. People take in a cue differently, so give it to them more than one way.

Show it, for the people who need to see it. Use a picture, so they can see it in their mind. Use sound, like a long hissing breath out, for the people who need to hear it. And use touch they can do themselves. If shoulders creep up, ask everyone to tap the tops of their shoulders and give them a little shrug. Put a few of those together and you'll reach almost everyone, whatever version they're doing.

Host: What about the person with an injury, or a lot of pain? Where's the line?

Tania Huddart: Know each client's history before you teach them. And if you feel out of your depth, say so. Refer them to someone who can help, like a physiotherapist. Working together keeps your client safe.

That isn't you failing. That's you being a good teacher.

Host: Let's go back to the cold open. The leg that feels longer. What's that about?

Tania Huddart: It's called benchmarking. You do an exercise on one side. Then you stop, close your eyes, and compare the two sides. Do your shoulders feel level? Do your legs feel the same length?

You don't judge what you find. You just notice it, and store it away. Then you do the other side, and check again.

You can build a whole sequence around it. Add some small movements that show how a joint works. Check in again. Then move on to something bigger, built on what they just felt. Everyone in the room travels the same road, just at their own speed.

Host: Why does that matter in a mixed class?

Tania Huddart: Because everyone can do it. Your beginner and your long-time client can both close their eyes and notice. It levels the room, in a way.

And it builds something in them. Their brain starts to link the exercise with a good result. When they feel the change, they want to do it again. They need you less. They start to own their wellbeing.

And you can take that noticing out of the studio. If someone wants better balance, they can stand on one leg while they brush their teeth. If they get out of a chair badly, they can practise standing up well three times before they walk off. That works at every level. It's their everyday life, so it's always relevant.

Host: You said in the opening that they don't have the words at first.

Tania Huddart: Most of us don't. We're not used to describing what our bodies feel, beyond pleasure or pain. And pain, we tend to ignore and push on.

So I give them choices. Longer or shorter? Higher or lower? If they still can't find it, I'll offer what I see, and then ask what they think. Over time, they start telling me without being asked. It's very cool to watch that change.

Host: Is there another way into that kind of noticing?

Tania Huddart: I like to start with this one. I learned it from an Alexander Technique teacher. I put on a piece of music that gets people's toes tapping, and we dance. It feels silly at first. But it breaks the ice, it lifts the mood, and people get less self-conscious as the song goes on.

Then I ask them to make the dance smaller and smaller, until it's an invisible dance. Later, when they feel tense or stuck, they can do their invisible dance. Or put the music on and dance it out.

Host: All of this needs planning. How do you plan a class for a room you can't predict?

Tania Huddart: Pick a focus. One thing. It might be breathing, or balance, or the spine. You don't have to announce it. But it helps you choose your exercises, and it gives the class a thread.

Then think of the class in sections. It starts with a warm-up and ends with a cool-down. In between, you work the abdominals, then the arms, legs and ribs, then the spine in every direction. And near the end, one bigger exercise that pulls it all together.

The warm-up is the part I plan last. You need to know where you're going first. Then you choose the simple building blocks that prepare people for it.

And starting with the feet is powerful. Sore, stiff feet stop people moving. A few minutes on the feet grounds everyone, whatever their level.

Then think about how you get from one exercise to the next. Smooth transitions give a class flow. Stop-starting isn't wrong, but it wastes time. When the class flows, people feel they've moved more, and they feel more challenged, without you adding harder exercises. That helps every level in the room.

Host: What trips newer teachers up?

Tania Huddart: Two things. The first is too many changes of position. Back, then tummy, then sitting, then back again. It feels disjointed. Do what you need to do in one position before you move on.

The second is the clock. If you're running short of time, don't rush. Leave something out. It matters more that people understand. They don't know what you planned. Save it for the next class.

Host: So if someone's driving home with three things in their head, what are they?

Tania Huddart: One. Start simple, then build. Two or three repetitions of the basic version, then offer the next.

Two. Let people choose their level, and make it safe to step back.

Three. Help them notice their own bodies. Ask them: does your leg feel longer or shorter? Then wait, and let them answer. Don't answer for them.

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: Think about your last mixed class. Did everyone have a version they could do well? And did they feel safe choosing it?

Host: If you'd like a head start, there's a free class plan template at taniahuddart.com. It has the six sections of a class laid out, with room for your focus and the options at each level.

Next episode is the last of the season, and it's about you. How do I keep going for the long haul?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: You don't have to teach five different classes at once. Teach one class well, with a few doors in it. Then trust people to walk through the door that suits them today.