Season 2, Episode 4: Who’s actually on the mat in front of me?

Tania Huddart: The most sensitive time for a new client is their first class. It's easy to forget how nervous they are. They walk in, they see the equipment, and it looks strange. A bit threatening, even. All those springs and straps. So I hold on to one thing. Their class doesn't start on the mat. It starts at the front door.

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 feeling like a fraud. Today we turn round and look at the other side of the room. Who's actually on the mat in front of me?

Tania, welcome back.

Tania Huddart: Thank you. And I'm glad we're going here next, because this is where a lot of confidence comes from. Not from you. From them.

Host: Not from you? Most new teachers think confidence has to come from inside.

Tania Huddart: I understand why. But when you're new, all your attention goes inward. Am I doing this right? Do I look like I know what I'm doing? What comes after the Hundred? And while that's going on, the person on the mat sort of disappears.

But when you get curious about them, your nerves have somewhere else to go. You stop watching yourself. You start watching them. And that's when you start teaching.

Host: So let's start with the very first time someone walks in. What's going on for them?

Tania Huddart: More than you think. They've made a big decision to come. Some of them have been thinking about it for months. They might have high hopes about what Pilates will do for them. And they're nervous.

I remember my own first class. I had no idea what Pilates was. I walked out in a daze, shaking like a leaf. And I was a dance teacher. I moved for a living. So imagine someone who sits at a desk all day and hasn't been in an exercise class in twenty years.

And the equipment doesn't help. I love the noise the springs make. It calms me down and makes me smile. But to a new client, that machine looks strange. Their first reaction is often, "What is that thing, and is it going to hurt me?" You've stopped seeing it. They haven't.

Host: So who are they, usually? What brings an adult to a first class?

Tania Huddart: Often it's something changing in their life. A new job. A divorce. Retiring. Losing someone. Moving to a new city. Adults tend to come looking for something new when life shifts under them.

And adults learn differently from children. Adults want to know why. They want to use what you give them. If they can't see the point of an exercise, they won't put their heart into it. Learning, for them, is a way to get somewhere. It isn't the destination.

Host: How do you give them the why, in the middle of a class?

Tania Huddart: You connect the exercise to their life. Say you're teaching some back extension, where they lift their chest and lengthen the front of the body. Don't just tell them to do it. Tell them it undoes some of the sitting they do all day. Sitting in meetings. Sitting in the car. Sitting on the couch at night. Suddenly that exercise is about their life, not yours. Give an adult a good reason to change, and they'll do the work.

And here's the thing. A lot of the time, they don't know what they need yet. They might not know they've got some movement habits that aren't helping them. Part of your job is helping them notice. Gently. Without that, they won't be interested. And they won't come back.

Host: You said their class starts at the front door. Walk me through it.

Tania Huddart: Introduce yourself at the door. Make them feel welcome. Ask them to take their shoes off. Then let them walk ahead of you into the studio.

That short walk tells you a lot. You get a first look at how they stand and how they walk, before they've even lain down. They don't know you're looking, so you see how they really move.

Then, if they haven't filled in their health form online, they can do it now. Offer them a glass of water. Somewhere to put their coat and bag. And stay in the studio while they fill it in, so they can ask you things.

Then you talk. Go through the main points on the form together. Build a clear picture of their health and what they need. And ask about their goals. Not "do you want a strong core". What do they want to be able to do? That's the bit I love. When someone tells you why they really came, the whole class changes shape.

The first class should introduce them to what Pilates is and where it came from. But it should also connect to their goals. Otherwise it's a lecture.

Host: And at the end?

Tania Huddart: Book them in for the next one before they leave. Take their payment. And tell them they might feel a bit tired for the next day or so. That's normal after deep work like this. Suggest they drink some water, and tell them to get in touch if anything feels uncomfortable.

Then check they've got their things, and see them to the door. And afterwards, write your notes. What you did. What you noticed about how they moved. Next week, you'll be glad you did.

Host: That sounds like a lot to remember when you're nervous yourself.

Tania Huddart: It is. Which is why it helps to have it written down. You don't have to be clever on your first day with a new client. You just have to look after them. Clever can come later. Kind has to come first.

Host: Let's widen it out. Some people never make it to the front door at all. What gets in the way?

Tania Huddart: Life. Adults have so many things pulling at them. Every class they come to is an hour they've taken from something else.

The first thing that gets in the way is usually time. Then money. Then childcare, and getting there. But the one people forget is confidence. A lot of people don't come because they think they're not fit enough for Pilates yet. Or they don't really know what it would do for them.

Host: What can a teacher do about that? It's not like you can give everyone more time.

Tania Huddart: No. But you can think about what the barriers are where you teach, and try to make them smaller. If people come by bus, you might put a link to the timetable on your website and say where the nearest stop is. If mums and dads are juggling little ones, you might have some toys in a corner.

And you can explain what they'll get out of it. Plainly. People want to know what they'll see, feel and experience by coming. If you can show them how coming regularly links to something real in their life, they're much more likely to sign up.

Host: And once they're there, inside the class?

Tania Huddart: Remember they're adults with years of experience. Focus on what they bring, not on the gaps. Your clients can teach you things. They can teach each other things. You don't need to have every answer.

And keep it to one idea at a time. Adults hang new things on things they already know. So if something feels like a movement they already do, tell them. They'll find it again much faster.

And be very careful not to make anyone feel silly while they're trying something new. Adults have pride. If they feel small in your class, they won't come back. One thing I'd ask every teacher to stop saying is, "I covered that." If someone asks the same question twice, answer it again. Kindly. They're asking because it matters to them.

Host: Does it change with younger people?

Tania Huddart: Very much. Teenagers are often already doing something physical, like dance or sport. They come to get better at what they love. And they can be insecure. Their bodies are changing so fast. I'd keep them away from mirrors where you can. They often don't see their reflection. They see a picture in their head, and that takes over the whole class. So build their confidence. Ask them what they want from the session, and give them a say.

Host: And the clients who come every week? You know them by now. Do you still need to ask who's on the mat?

Tania Huddart: Every single class. The person who comes every Tuesday is not the same person every Tuesday. They might have slept badly. They might have hurt their wrist in the garden. So take a few minutes at the start of each class to talk to them. It helps you see what they can do today. Then keep it in mind as the class goes on, and change the exercises to suit.

You can offer a few choices before you start an exercise, too. If someone's hamstrings are tight and sitting up tall is hard, they can sit on a rolled-up mat. If their wrists are sore, they can work on their forearms, or put their hands on a rolled mat. Nobody has to put their hand up and say, "I can't."

And if someone has pain, or real discomfort, ask them to stop. They can rest in child's pose, or lie on their back and hug their knees in. That's not failing. That's looking after themselves, and you're the one showing them how.

Host: Can we come back to where you started? You said looking at them is where your confidence comes from. Say more about that.

Tania Huddart: There's a line in my book that sounds harsh, and I wrote it on purpose. The people who come to your classes don't care about you. They care about what they can learn from you.

Host: That does sound harsh.

Tania Huddart: I know. But read it again when you're nervous, and it's a relief. They're not there to judge your teaching. They're there because they're trying to solve something, and they think you can help. So the question isn't "how am I doing?" The question is "what does this person need?"

You can't answer the first one in the middle of a class. You can always answer the second one. You just look. You listen. You ask.

Host: And if you don't know the answer? If someone walks in with a condition you've never heard of?

Tania Huddart: Then you're in good company, because nobody knows every condition. Trying to is crippling. What matters most is that the person feels heard and understood. You can find out more as you go. You can get curious together, and work out what's possible for them. That's a partnership. You're not the expert standing over them. You're working it out with them.

Host: So if someone's driving home with three things from today, what should they be?

Tania Huddart: One. Your client's class starts at the front door. Welcome them, watch them walk in, and find out why they came.

Two. Think about what makes it hard for people to come to you. Time, money, childcare, transport, confidence. And make one of those a little easier.

Three. When the nerves come, turn your attention outward. Stop asking "how am I doing?" Ask "what does this person need?"

Host: And the question to sit with?

Tania Huddart: What gets in the way for the people you'd love to teach? Not people in general. The people where you live and work. Write down what stops them coming. Then pick one thing you could change.

Host: If you'd like help with that first class, there's a free first-class checklist at taniahuddart.com. It takes you from the front door to the farewell, so a nervous new client feels looked after.

Next episode, a question every new teacher wrestles with. How much should I correct people?

Tania, last word?

Tania Huddart: Just this. Your new client is probably more nervous than you are. So be the calm one. Look after them from the moment they walk in, and the teaching will follow.