Maintaining Flow in a Group Setting

Hi. I'm Maria. And I'm Tracy. And we're talking about how you keep the flow in a group class, particularly when somebody shows up, who's never done Pilates before. You know how that can be. Right? You get that new person coming in you, like, Oh, great. You've got all these people that have been coming in for, like, sometimes years and then a brand new person that hopefully has done a few privates, because they always try and get them to do a couple of privates before coming into a group. But unfortunately, in the the into the world right now.

That's just people are walking straight into a group, so that does really doesn't happen. So my tip would be to keep it relatively simple, maybe up in the waist a little bit. So there's still so those Pilates star still get a good workout. Lots of repetition. So they're getting a challenging workout, maybe a little bit more of the burn factor, you know, a little bit more burn where they feel like they're getting a great workout, but it's not necessarily complex with less choreography.

Less choreography, less spring changes, less equipment changes. Yes. So they can feel like they're giving everybody can get a good workout together, but they're not, out of the comfort zone. Yep. And I think that would is really the best way to deal with someone that's new into a class that have been coming for a long time. In that situation, also, when you know you have people that are just learning something, even if it's a basic movement, I might say, okay. Move at your own tempo right now.

And I'll let the class not be together, which is kinda sometimes to your eyes. Like, oh my god. Well I'll say, you know what? Just do this right now. Let's say it's a leg circle. Go at your own tempo.

So some people could be going much quicker. The newer people would be moving slower. The more advanced people would end up maybe doing double the amount of reps. Yep. And then you know exactly where you're going next. So you're already calling out the next thing.

The the people who know it, they're there. They've started it. You're helping the new people get there. So, again, the the advanced people can move quicker and go through simpler repertoire, but more of it. More of it. And then beginners are moving a little slower, and they're they're still able to do what they need. And it's not so complicated.

I think also adding, like, props. It's such a great deal adding that ball, adding the little loop bands because, it adds that little so you're flies people that have been coming a long time, like, oh, this is cool. This is new, but it's still based on the foundational basic movements. So everybody's getting challenged at the same time. And Absolutely. Little fun factor of it. Oh, this is different.

This must be better because it's new. Yeah. And you could even say if it could go either way. If you've been here before, take the ring and stick it between your ankles. Not don't. Yeah. If you're not, don't do it. Yeah. Yeah. So they have the choice.

You have to give them the choice. Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. So there's lots of different ways to wrap it up, wrap it down, add a prop, take the proper away, which is kind of what we've been doing in our little, sessions Yes. That you guys are gonna be doing. I think keeping it simplistic is, like, such the key these days, especially when you're dealing with a multi level class. Absolutely. For sure.

Another way for you to handle multi level is just start your exercise at the foundation, like step 1. Right? And then as you're adding, you can keep adding into that exercise. Okay. And you can add the legs, and you can add the lift of the chest, and you can add this. And so people can stop at whatever level they're at, and the more advanced movers, they know where you're going or they can follow the queues. And so they just keep building and building and building their exercise. Yep. So you could be doing multiple versions of 100 in the same class.

The super advanced person is doing 100 and they're swimming their legs. And the more new person, the beginner person, maybe is just lakes at tabletop. I think it will and that's what I do. I do a levels. And then I say if you guys don't feel ready to go to the to the next 1, just stay where you are. Yeah. So you have all these different people at different levels.

But it works because everybody feels included in the class. Everybody feels there's something for them, and they also feel like they haven't gotta go to that next level. There is okay. You it's okay. Hopefully, they stay at their level. Hopefully, they stay where they're supposed to be. Yeah. Hopefully. Yeah.

But there's always that 1 person that wants to go into that next 70, like, oh, I think we're best working at this level today. Okay. So I'm gonna so I'm gonna tell a story. Here's a story. Here's a story. This is what I say. Okay. We're going to rowing facing the back.

If you've not done this before, you're just gonna have your hands in front of you. But if you know the exercise, pick up the loops. Everyone picks up the Leone. Right? They start moving and that you see them. I'm like, and if you have to turn from side to side to watch your neighbor, that means you're not using the lopes. And they're still.

I'm like, okay. Leone put down the loops, you know, like, you have to they they still want to try to keep up lots of times. Because they feel that the highest level is where they're going to get Exactly. Best results. Right. And we have to tell them that the best results is coming from when you actually really know how to do the foundational move. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Because you're probably gonna get more out of that foundational move than this 1 that we've tried to. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. You don't know this because you don't know what you're doing. Exactly. But that's where hopefully the industry is not going, but we see it where nobody knows this, but they wanna do this. So they do this, but they don't even know where it actually comes from. So you're never gonna get there.

If you don't do this. Yeah. I like that story, though. It happens all the time. Do you relate? So true.