Customer Reviews

Survival Skills For Pilates Teachers: Thriving In The Mind-body Fitness World

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Survival Skills For Pilates Teachers" covers a wide range of important issues all Pilates and mind-body teachers in general face everyday. Conraths-Lange's casual, direct, and often humorous style makes you feel like you are getting candid face-to-face advice from an experienced mentor. This book puts into perspective emotional issues such as trainer burnout and loss of sex drive, as well as external issues such as studio environment, marketing, and ergonomics.

I found the information in the chapter "Your Pilates Philosophy" remarkably useful. I used it as a workbook to guide me through the discovery of my personal and unique philosophy. Conraths-Lange's step-by-step guidance through this revealing process, helped me to grow as a teacher by deepening my understanding of my goals and strengthening my perception of what makes me unique in the ever-growing sea of Pilates teachers. Now that I recognize my "Pilates philosophy" I have found that my clients and I have a stronger, more focused working relationship from which we both can grow.

If you make a living training people, this book is a must have. Every time I lose, focus I refer to "Survival Skills" - I am inspired by it.

I'm a computer professional and have just taken my teacher training - not certified yet. Before leaving the safety of the status quo in my current career and investing more time and money into this new one, I needed some answers that weren't related to Pilates technique. This book provided them. "Is this really the right career for me? Will it provide a lifestyle that I can live with?" Sure, I could ask a mentor, but they're not going to know to dive right into these types of details, and I don't know enough about the industry to know the right questions to ask. Nicola provides insight on the different teaching environments so you can think about what suits you best. She provides insight on how to maintain a personal life in a profession where the boundaries on giving of yourself are easily blurred. She presents it in a lighthearted and down-to-earth way - and I also feel a lot less isolated about my pilates experiences. It's such a relief to have found a resource for career information on a relatively "new" career.

I'm so disappointed in this book. I don't get the feeling a that a lot of thought went into it. It really needed a better editor (if it had one at all). It's full grammar and spelling errors and awkward sentence structure, and reads like a poor translation.

Secondly, the book is only 172 pages long (large type on small pages) and doesn't really go into depth about anything. I read it in one sitting. The author never addresses issues like:

How do I find my first job? What can I expect when I get there?

How do I deal with a disruptive client during a group or semi-private class? When (and how) do I fire a client?

How do I deal with a difficult boss? What if the studio owner is paying me as an independent contractor but treating me like an employee? What is expected of an employee versus an independent contractor? How do I deal with my employer if they won't update worn out equipment, or keep scheduling semi-private lessons for students who should be in privates ONLY?

The author is more interested in discussing how to make your bedroom a more relaxing place to have sex. News flash! Candles are better that overhead lighting! Really, I could have learned that from Cosmo magazine. In fact I think I did, like 25 years ago.

I'm very disappointed because I really do need a survival guide! I hope someone with real research and writing talents will put together something more in-depth and helpful.

At last we have a book that helps us solve the problems we face as trainers.It is especially nice to know that ALL of us whether famous teachers or not have had the same experiences. I loved how Nicola uses her sense of humor to guide us through the potentially painful realities we face everyday. I would highly recommend this book to all aspiring trainers of any modality. This book tops my christmas gift list this year

Ms Conraths-Lange's book is entertaining and enlightening. She gives helpful advice and practical applications of techniques and teaching tools in this book. I really enjoyed her abdominal muscle teaching aide for clients. As a physical therapist, I encourage anyone who teaches in the mind-body field to read this book. Lots of laughs too.

I read another review that gave the book a 1 star rating and that reviewer had some good points to make: it IS badly edited, and did seem to lack depth. I enjoyed reading it, but felt there could have been more and that she just hit the tip of the proverbial iceberg. The misspellings and bad syntax errors are inexcusable given the price of this book. I would recommend borrowing it from someone.

I have been what the author calls a "pilatista" for 15 years, and I wish someone had written a book like this sooner! I commend her on the vast collection of research and information included in the book, which has been both helpful and inspirational. I will be looking forward to the sequel!

Nicola Conraths-Lange proves herself able to impart joy, knowledge and candor while navigating us through the ever-shifting world of fitness. Whatever your level of participation in Pilates or the 'mind-body fitness world' this lovely little book will offer you new perspectives and expansive preactices.

Wonderful book. Enjoyed reading. I did not receive this book in a timely manner. I sent out an e-mail to find out if it was still on route to my address listed. The reply: sorry could not full fill order. I would recieve a refund. I then went to another website to order book. I received the book in a timely manner. Read the book and then the amazon order came in. Not sure what that was about. I have not checked to see if my account was created for the orginal order as inticated.