Wade Edwell - Proper Pilates, Victoria, Australia

The most distinctive characteristic that we noticed about Wade Edwell—graduate of THE WORK™ and committed student of Vintage Pilates—was his persistence. Even before he was in THE WORK™, he made regular pilgrimages to the Vintage Pilates studio to take several lessons a day over the course of several days. He immersed himself in all the group classes and private lessons. And he wasn’t obsessive or frantic about it. He just patiently went through his studies— cheerfully and persistently.

Even when he was back home in Australia where he co-owns Proper Pilates, he always scheduled regular online private lessons. He continues to do this, even as his business has grown to become a nexus of teacher training. He maintains a busy schedule of workshops, a mentorship program and other training opportunities to share what he has learned from Vintage Pilates.

We wanted to hear his perspective on what it takes to really learn the work. What drives his persistence. And what advice he has for people new to Vintage Pilates, who want to understand Joseph Pilates teaching, as learned from Vintage Pilates. Read on!

Think of Pilates as a language. For the purpose of this metaphor lets say French.

Workshops give you guidebook French. A great start, but really it’s rudimentary learning, just enough to ensure you don’t accidentally invite a waiter back to your hotel when all you meant to order was a steak and fries.

On the other hand, having the best, intuitive Pilates practice is like being totally fluent in French. You’re smooth, can whip out the most appropriate phrases where necessary, know all the dirty words—it’s what we all aspire to!

Workshops are thrilling, but too often teachers leave without the skill set to put what they’ve experienced into real world practice for their clients and themselves. The point being: endeavor to speak Pilates like a native, not like a tourist. What we need to start doing as teachers is to go beyond the workshop.

“Mais comment” you ask?

“Teachers Clubhouses, “ I answer.

When I completed THE WORK™ Teachers Clubhouses (TCHs) were honestly the most valuable part of my experience. They started the process of demystification off by giving me the skills to intuit what a body needs, and the tools to coach that same body strategically. TCHs are the key to helping you understand what Jay means by “it depends on the body.”

To make the most sense of what Jay remembers, and how he and Sandy teach, you need to go a step deeper to learn their strategies. Herein lies the real value of the TCH. These study sessions help to unlock the mystery around the incredibly important principles that underpin the work of Vintage Pilates and Jay’s memory of how Joe taught him to do, see, and deliver Contrology.

So if you get an opportunity to dive in, don’t miss it. The incredible learning experience these gem-like sessions gave me have meant all the difference in how I am now confidently carrying forward the work. Every time I visit LA they are the first thing I book into. They’ve helped me to speak Pilates fluently, so now I never invite the waiter back to my room…unless I want to!

Lastly, as for what Jay means when he says “Cacapoopooshishi,” well, that one you’ll have to look up in your guide book… I think there’s a French translation for it..

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