Becoming a POP Pilates Instructor in Japan during the Pandemic

Some days it feels as if the pandemic will never end. Other days, I find myself grasping on to the hope that it will all end this month… I know, wishful thinking, right? Either way, with so much time at home, I knew that I had to find something to keep myself from continuously binging on Netflix and ice cream. Don’t we all?

Anyways, right after Christmas, I decided to pursue something I had been thinking about for years but never had the courage to follow through with. I got my POP Pilates Certification. 

Up until now, I had always made excuses: “I don’t know if my certification will be accepted in Japan”, “Will gyms even want me?”, “I don’t have the time”, etc. But with the pandemic, I have plenty of time, online classes are thriving, and honestly, what did I have to lose?

I signed up for an online training which was available worldwide and in English, studied for a couple of months, and got my certification. The process took about three months. First, I had to study for a paper test which included teaching methodology, POP Pilates rules, anatomy, etc. After that, I had to practice and record myself teaching an 11-minute class for them to grade my form, teaching, and so on. With luck, I was able to pass and recently I started teaching.

Right now, I basically only teach online classes from home once a week. I chose a time slot that matches both the Japanese and American schedules so that my friends back home could participate too. Right now, it is only a 30 minute class in English once a week, but I am hoping to increase it soon.

My class from last week.

Coronavirus has caused a lot of bad things. But at the very least, it made training programs switch online, which is what allowed me to be able to pursue it. 

One class a week may be small, and honestly, it doesn’t earn a lot of money at the moment, but it has given me the motivation to exercise, be active, and a chance to connect and communicate with others. So far, I have taught students in Japan, America, and Peru. Even on days when I want to give up, or things feel hopeless, I have something to look forward to and something that people are expecting. It keeps me practicing my Pilates and healthy. It's better than Netflix and snacks. 

I am still hoping that I will be able to expand into local gyms and yoga studios, but that's a dream for after vaccinations and when it is safe. Which is hopefully sooner rather than later, but we shall see.

If any of you are thinking of pursuing an online training program or any online classes/communities, I highly recommend it. When are we going to have as much time as we have now again? 

What have you been doing at home??

(For those of you interested in POP Pilates, check out the poppilateslife.com webpage. All of the information for certification is there should you desire.