Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Training Program
(dates and times are somewhat flexible depending on participants)
April 25-August 29, 2025
Fridays 4:45pm-8:15pm
3-5 participants
Call Kendal to talk or put down your program deposit
510-832-7493
Pilates is so much more than just a great bunch of exercises. In a perfect world, Pilates would be done by everyone throughout life to facilitate strong and free movement thereby increasing quality of life. It can be used, as you are likely aware, for rehabilitation as well as for cross-training pro athletes. The knowledge gained when learning on the level of a teacher is liberating and increases our independence from the death-care system. The physical and intellectual knowledge of the Pilates method ought to be included in standard education starting in middle school. As a teacher of Pilates you will be able to help a great number of people, including yourself.
Program Cost
Course Description
This certification course covers the full, classical set of equipment Joseph Pilates invented and captures his work in a comprehensive manner. Mat & Reformer are the most well-known pieces of equipment. You will also learn Trapeze Table (aka “Bednasium”/Cadillac/Tower/Springboard), Wunda-Chair, Pilates arcs & barrels, and the “Pedopol”.
There is a heavy emphasis on understanding the musculo-skeletal system, kinesiology & analyzing posture. You will also learn about some important contraindications to various kinds of movement as well as a bit about a rehabilitative approach.
The course will offer the most basic information needed to provide healthful & safe Pilates sessions to individuals and groups. The aim is to teach you how to use these areas of knowledge to teach to multiple populations. There is room for deeper study and diving further into rehabilitative approaches for those to whom these call, but class discussions in this direction will be limited by time.
An underlying theme throughout is learning to analyze bodies and movement for yourself. You will not learn to dogmatically memorize “the only” way to do a thing or even think of a muscle. Unlike the way this work is often taught, you will learn there is plasticity in the realm of anatomy and kinesiology, just as there is in every other kind of science. You’ll learn that any one movement can be applied to a great number of purposes & that there most certainly is no ONE way to do Pilates. That said, you WILL have to memorize some stuff for sure! 😊
And what course on a trade skill would be complete without some discussion and training about “the ropes” of the business? We’ll have a bit of that too.
Certification Requirements
Please Note: It is not expected that you will necessarily complete all your required hours within the period of time set for the in-person meetings. The reason for so many hours is 1. To make sure you really are ready to teach, & 2. To meet the requirements of the National Pilates Certification Program Exam (more on this later). If you are clearly a good teacher because of previous experiences in movement, anatomy, &/or teaching, you can take your final exam prior to completing the hours below, and, if you pass, we will accept a submission of your related experience hours towards your certification.
To receive your certification from Roots Movement, you will need to complete:
Prerequisites (Verbal confirmation prior to class start)
Curriculum & Books
The curriculum follows the National Pilates Certification Program’s (NPCP) Exam Study Guide with the thought that, should you want to take their highly recognized certification exam, you will be very well on your way. (Turns out we don’t always agree with the NPCP. Never-the-less you will be quite capable of studying to their test.)
Kendal has not written her own books. This works out as it forces us to learn from many teachers; you won’t just learn to teach a bunch of exercises; you will learn how to see the body and formulate your own opinions on what is healthful for each individual. Unless the following books are removed from circulation forcing Kendal to write her own, or, more likely, make a bunch of videos, we will use these for our training:
NOTE: HARD COPIES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Very helpful resources:
In-Studio Practice & Observation time
Teacher training students may:
Fine Print:
Your Teacher:
Kendal Au, Master Pilates Instructor… and stuff
The Creds:
Some Backstory, Medium Version
Kendal rejected learning anatomy as an artist. At 36, she joined the Y to help her quit smoking. She heard about Pilates from a friend and took mat classes. Pilates spoke to her former gymnast body and she got good at it despite hating the feeling of burning abs. She learned you can make a living teaching it, became a teacher, and started the path of slowly replacing her desk job with Pilates work. She rehabbed her acl surgery with Pilates and recovered from a car accident using it as well. She discovered that she actually LOVED anatomy when it comes to movement.
Immediately after getting her training, she founded "Pilates to the People”, bought a roll of yoga mats (which she cut to 5ft instead of 6 ft mats so she could squeeze an extra mat out of the roll) and taught donation-based classes in Oakland and Berkeley community spaces like Rock Paper Scissors Collective and The Long Haul (often not suited for face-near-floor activities). Eventually a few amazing opportunities lined up in front of her and her husband-to-be pointed out “THIS IS HOW YOU START YOUR BUSINESS!!” In 2009, Pilates to the People, LLC (DBA People’s Movement) was formed. JC got his Pilates and TRX certifications very shortly after. It officially became a family business when they married in 2011.
Pilates to the People lasted for 9 years in Jack London Square and in Downtown Berkeley. The family (now 3) picked up and moved to Seattle for 5 years where P2P shrank and became Roots Movement. Roots Movement moved back to the bay in 2022 and very recently grew from a 140sf space to a 400sf space, suitable for classes again!
Over the 19.5 years that Kendal has been teaching, she has discovered that she loves learning and is always studying something. NeuroMuscular Reprogramming, a bodywork that uses muscle testing to find compensatory patterns between muscles, has profoundly shaped her understanding of the body and shows up in they way she approaches movement. While Kendal will always defer to the wishes of a clients health-care team, she enjoys her own opinions about bodies-in-health which she has gained through study and experience and which often differ from the opinions presented by standard western medicine. Kendal supports Functional Medicine and the many different approaches to health that echo the basic “Paleo” lifestyle and “Bio-hacking”. When asked, she would most likely describe herself as a Health Coach, because that captures the breadth of her interests in human wellbeing.
(dates and times are somewhat flexible depending on participants)
April 25-August 29, 2025
Fridays 4:45pm-8:15pm
3-5 participants
Call Kendal to talk or put down your program deposit
510-832-7493
Pilates is so much more than just a great bunch of exercises. In a perfect world, Pilates would be done by everyone throughout life to facilitate strong and free movement thereby increasing quality of life. It can be used, as you are likely aware, for rehabilitation as well as for cross-training pro athletes. The knowledge gained when learning on the level of a teacher is liberating and increases our independence from the death-care system. The physical and intellectual knowledge of the Pilates method ought to be included in standard education starting in middle school. As a teacher of Pilates you will be able to help a great number of people, including yourself.
Program Cost
- The course is $4000 if you pay the whole amount at once, and $4287 if you would like to pay in installments.
- A $500 deposit is required to hold your space. We don’t want your full payment until we know the class has enough attendees to run. The deposit is refundable, and if you join the program, will be applied to your full amount. More in the “fine print” section.
Course Description
This certification course covers the full, classical set of equipment Joseph Pilates invented and captures his work in a comprehensive manner. Mat & Reformer are the most well-known pieces of equipment. You will also learn Trapeze Table (aka “Bednasium”/Cadillac/Tower/Springboard), Wunda-Chair, Pilates arcs & barrels, and the “Pedopol”.
There is a heavy emphasis on understanding the musculo-skeletal system, kinesiology & analyzing posture. You will also learn about some important contraindications to various kinds of movement as well as a bit about a rehabilitative approach.
The course will offer the most basic information needed to provide healthful & safe Pilates sessions to individuals and groups. The aim is to teach you how to use these areas of knowledge to teach to multiple populations. There is room for deeper study and diving further into rehabilitative approaches for those to whom these call, but class discussions in this direction will be limited by time.
An underlying theme throughout is learning to analyze bodies and movement for yourself. You will not learn to dogmatically memorize “the only” way to do a thing or even think of a muscle. Unlike the way this work is often taught, you will learn there is plasticity in the realm of anatomy and kinesiology, just as there is in every other kind of science. You’ll learn that any one movement can be applied to a great number of purposes & that there most certainly is no ONE way to do Pilates. That said, you WILL have to memorize some stuff for sure! 😊
And what course on a trade skill would be complete without some discussion and training about “the ropes” of the business? We’ll have a bit of that too.
Certification Requirements
Please Note: It is not expected that you will necessarily complete all your required hours within the period of time set for the in-person meetings. The reason for so many hours is 1. To make sure you really are ready to teach, & 2. To meet the requirements of the National Pilates Certification Program Exam (more on this later). If you are clearly a good teacher because of previous experiences in movement, anatomy, &/or teaching, you can take your final exam prior to completing the hours below, and, if you pass, we will accept a submission of your related experience hours towards your certification.
To receive your certification from Roots Movement, you will need to complete:
- 66.5 hours of in person instruction (can miss & make-up 7 hours)
- 20-ish hours of video lectures (I haven’t made them all yet so the time is unclear)
- An undetermined number of Quizzes & Tests (depends on student needs)
- 3-5 Session Plans with an oral (time permitting) discussion of your approach to address specific populations &/or injuries. (expected 15-45 hours of research and writing)
- 30 hours of observation – private sessions where possible and classes
- 30 hours of self-practice on Mat and props
- 80 hours of self-practice across studio apparatus
- 210 hours of practice teaching
- A final exam consisting of performing 5-10 teacher selected exercises and providing a 50 min. one-on-one session under teacher observation. (Criteria for passing will be provided ahead of time. If you fail the first time, there will be a $150 fee for retesting. You may retest as often as you like.)
Prerequisites (Verbal confirmation prior to class start)
- Some Pilates experience and a serious desire to master it beyond attending classes. This is hard to quantify as some people fall in love with it in their first month and commit easily to a rigorous program despite having little experience with any movement. Please feel free to call Kendal to talk if you’re feeling unsure. Your payment is non-refundable (in-full payment or committed to a payment plan). Once you’ve paid, you may audit upcoming trainings at no extra cost to complete your certification requirements. This commitment speaks to the seriousness of the program and, hopefully, helps you make your decision.
- Be at least 18 years old (or be 13-17 years old, have permission to attend from your guardian and gain clearance via interview of the minor and guardian by a Roots Movement teacher).
- Read Return to Life by Joseph Pilates before the first class (just the first 15 pages before the exercises).
- Know the major bones before the first class. (Once you have signed up, you will be provided with a document to study.)
Curriculum & Books
The curriculum follows the National Pilates Certification Program’s (NPCP) Exam Study Guide with the thought that, should you want to take their highly recognized certification exam, you will be very well on your way. (Turns out we don’t always agree with the NPCP. Never-the-less you will be quite capable of studying to their test.)
Kendal has not written her own books. This works out as it forces us to learn from many teachers; you won’t just learn to teach a bunch of exercises; you will learn how to see the body and formulate your own opinions on what is healthful for each individual. Unless the following books are removed from circulation forcing Kendal to write her own, or, more likely, make a bunch of videos, we will use these for our training:
NOTE: HARD COPIES HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
- National Pilates Certification Exam - Study Guide (Amazon, Paperback $39, Kindle $9.99)
- Return to Life Through Contrology, by Joseph H. Pilates (Balanced Body $17.95, Amazon $13-17 or $4.99 kindle.
- Pilates Anatomy by Rael Isacowitz & Karen Clippenger (Balanced Body $25, Amazon $17.81, Kindle $14.55)
- Trail Guide to the Body, 4th edition or higher (Balanced Body $68, Amazon $62 used, $76 new)
- Ellie Herman Reformer (Balance Body $70, Amazon $69.95)
- Ellie Herman Mat (Balanced Body $60, Amazon 59.95)
- Ellie Herman Cadillac (Balanced Body $40, Amazon 39.99)
- Ellie Herman Arcs and Barrels (Balanced Body $60, Amazon 59.95)
- Ellie Herman Wunda Chair (Balanced Body $50, Amazon $49.95)
- Ped-o-Pull manual - Provided
- Pre-Pilates – Provided
- Suggested app Human Anatomy Atlas, $24.99 for your phone or tablet. I have been using it for 20 years!
Very helpful resources:
- BASI Interactive – an online app for Pilates teachers - $10/mo.
- YMCA membership – so you can observe and practice. (Kendal teaches Mat and Reformer at the Downtown Berkeley Y. Kendal will allow 2 people to observe the reformer classes.) I think it’s less than $60/mo. right now and they offer many kinds of discounted rates.
- Pilates Anytime Membership $20/mo. (for when you can’t find a way to observe otherwise, plus they have some really great workshops! Tho, many cost extra.)
In-Studio Practice & Observation time
Teacher training students may:
- Observe any group classes at Roots Movement
- Attend the Donation Mat Class as a participant for no additional fee
- Attend group classes for $30/class ($10 discount).
- Observe private sessions and duets in studio by appointment (Towards the last half of the training)
- Attend the free 2 hours weekly practice session (likely Sunday 11am-1pm). (practice exercises, practice teaching each other, ask Kendal the occasional question.) These will start once we’ve begun to learn exercises.
- Schedule times to come and practice by yourself or with other students outside of the study time for $10/hr/ea depending on what’s happening in the studio.
- Schedule times to provide sessions to paying clients. For this we charge $20/hr to students and non-students. It’s a good way to get into the practice of charging people for what you do!
Fine Print:
- A refundable deposit of $500 is required before the start date of the program. Once we are ready to collect full payment or make a payment agreement, your deposit will apply to your program fee. We need to meet a minimum attendance to run the program. If we don’t have enough students, we may decide to delay the start date while trying to acquire more students. We will be in touch with you during this process to make sure any delays are still working with you. If we cancel the course, you will get your deposit back. If you decide to pull out before the course is confirmed, your deposit will be refunded.
- We don’t want full payment until we confirm the course will have enough attendance and will run. We will be in touch with you during this process to keep you updated.
- Full payment (via credit or debit card or through Zelle) can be made in one payment of $4000 or payment arrangements (paid by credit or debit card only) can be very easily made for an additional fee of $287. Contact Kendal to make these arrangements.
- Once full payment has been made or arranged payments have begun, the course has officially started and your fee becomes non-refundable. This is to ensure that the class can continue to run, even if someone drops out.
- Full attendance in the 66.5 hours of in-person class is required. Missed classes will need to be made up. You can make-up up to 7 hours of class time by completing an assignment provided by the teacher. You can make up hours by attending future teacher trainings. If there are no future teacher trainings, discuss your options with your teacher.
- While there are industry standards and expectations in the Pilates community that this course meets and, often, exceeds, there is no governing body for Pilates instructors in the way there is the bar for lawyers. No governmental body, to our current knowledge, requires training or certification to teach Pilates. The certificate of completion you will receive upon successfully completing this course shows competency as a Pilates Instructor per the standards of Kendal Au and Roots Movement, LLC and in the Scope of Practice of Pilates instruction and no more.
Your Teacher:
Kendal Au, Master Pilates Instructor… and stuff
The Creds:
- Comprehensive Pilates Teacher Certification 2006 (Body Arts & Science International – BASI)
- Pilates for Rehabilitation Intensive Teacher Training (2007 & 2008 – Ellie Herman Studios)
- NeuroMuscular Reprogramming Practitioner (Advanced) 2011
- TRX Group Instructor (2012), TRX Sports Medicine Instructor (2012)
- Licensed Massage Therapist, (WA State 2017, MBLEX)
- Reiki III (2020) (non-practicing)
- Certified Acupressure Practitioner (2021 & 2024)
- Health Coach (2023 – Primal Health Coach Institute)
- Qigong Instructor (2nd Deg Brown Belt, Shaolin Ssu 2021, M. Kuo-Deemer Mentorship 2025)
Some Backstory, Medium Version
Kendal rejected learning anatomy as an artist. At 36, she joined the Y to help her quit smoking. She heard about Pilates from a friend and took mat classes. Pilates spoke to her former gymnast body and she got good at it despite hating the feeling of burning abs. She learned you can make a living teaching it, became a teacher, and started the path of slowly replacing her desk job with Pilates work. She rehabbed her acl surgery with Pilates and recovered from a car accident using it as well. She discovered that she actually LOVED anatomy when it comes to movement.
Immediately after getting her training, she founded "Pilates to the People”, bought a roll of yoga mats (which she cut to 5ft instead of 6 ft mats so she could squeeze an extra mat out of the roll) and taught donation-based classes in Oakland and Berkeley community spaces like Rock Paper Scissors Collective and The Long Haul (often not suited for face-near-floor activities). Eventually a few amazing opportunities lined up in front of her and her husband-to-be pointed out “THIS IS HOW YOU START YOUR BUSINESS!!” In 2009, Pilates to the People, LLC (DBA People’s Movement) was formed. JC got his Pilates and TRX certifications very shortly after. It officially became a family business when they married in 2011.
Pilates to the People lasted for 9 years in Jack London Square and in Downtown Berkeley. The family (now 3) picked up and moved to Seattle for 5 years where P2P shrank and became Roots Movement. Roots Movement moved back to the bay in 2022 and very recently grew from a 140sf space to a 400sf space, suitable for classes again!
Over the 19.5 years that Kendal has been teaching, she has discovered that she loves learning and is always studying something. NeuroMuscular Reprogramming, a bodywork that uses muscle testing to find compensatory patterns between muscles, has profoundly shaped her understanding of the body and shows up in they way she approaches movement. While Kendal will always defer to the wishes of a clients health-care team, she enjoys her own opinions about bodies-in-health which she has gained through study and experience and which often differ from the opinions presented by standard western medicine. Kendal supports Functional Medicine and the many different approaches to health that echo the basic “Paleo” lifestyle and “Bio-hacking”. When asked, she would most likely describe herself as a Health Coach, because that captures the breadth of her interests in human wellbeing.