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Balanced Body is an internationally recognized provider of Pilates education, headquartered in Sacramento, USA.  For years, Balanced Body was a world leader in making quality Pilates equipment, and stemmed into becoming an education provider with some of the same people who created the Polestar Pilates curriculum. Balanced Body is also at the forefront of supporting the efforts of the Pilates Method Alliance to create a standard of excellence within the Pilates community (Pilates is an unregulated industry).

First and foremost Balanced Body acknowledges that many of the top rated instructional programming
have value, merit and a level of quality that creates a thriving and diverse instructor population. Though
we can not speak to what other programs offer or do not offer, we can speak to what Balanced Body has
to offer.

All of Balanced Body educational programs highlight movement principles that are universal to the
way the body moves, strengthens and heals, incorporating the most up-to-date biomechanical theories of
movement and exercise science. Understanding these principles in relation to the program of study
creates a dynamic learning experience which is immediately incorporated into practice. Balanced Body
respects the traditions of Joseph H. Pilates’ original works while also incorporating the best of
contemporary scientific research, and in so doing students not only learn the exercises, but strategies
on how to use the exercises to best meet clients’ individual needs. In addition, with over 240 faculty all
over the world, Balanced Body encourages educators coming from diverse backgrounds as the diversity
of our team insures diversity of experience for our students.

Finally, Balanced Body prides itself on providing you with the educational tools from which to teach and
grow as a practitioner. We do not dictate “how” you should teach, nor do we trap you or limit from
whom you take or observe classes during your apprenticeship, or even from whom you fulfill your
continuing education credits. We encourage each of you to find your voice, your rhythm and your style as
practitioners, which will help empower you to create your place within the Pilates community.

Balanced Body offers students who have either completed a certificate program from another education program or who have taken coursework but who have not yet tested out and offers an easy and comprehensive bridge opportunity. Learn more about the Bridge program. 

• Personal sessions = Self-practice, Private Sessions with trainer, Group Classes
  
• Observation = Observing classes, watching DVDs from our library (do not count YouTube clips) 
  
• Practice Teaching = On friends, family, fellow students, even on your trainer in a session designed for you to get feedback, etc. At your home, condo, or in the studio.
  

TMA’s Mentoring Program offers access to our studio space and equipment for self-practice, practice teaching, observation, and discounts for private sessions and group classes. The greatest discounts are offered for greatest frequency and regularity of use. We do not officially offer a work/study program -- and it should be noted that The Pilates Method Alliance actually dissuades people from choosing work study programs during their training.

We are here for you to optimize your opportunity -- but we don't handhold you through your program. You are responsible for your own hours and practice bodies. You would not be supervised unless you requested a trainer to observe, then it would be like a private training session cost (you could partner up with a "study buddy" to split the cost, for example).

A good idea between students of the same cohort would be to join together in a 2-3 hour mentoring “lab”, where you take turns teaching each other, with an Educator there as your reference and to give notes or review material at the end. What we have found is that scheduling is the hardest barrier to making this happen, which is why we encourage flexibility and individualized training in our mentoring program.

Thus it is hard to exactly state the total amount each person will spend on their program. You may find you want to invest strongly in the beginning with regular one-on-one sessions with your Educator, or you may have a learning style that prefers to spend a lot of time working with the material on your own.  Click here for some sample ranges of what you could spend with TMA Mentoring.

It doesn’t matter where, or with whom, you do your practice hours, as long as you yourself log them. In truth, we highly recommend that you teach, observe and practice in as many different environments as possible. This allows you to hear cues, observe hands on technique and employ strategies from a wide variety of teachers. It also makes you think about what is good teaching and how best to approached it.

Log sheets are provided for you inside your manuals, though it is good practice to keep a notebook for yourself to make notes after your teaching sessions and to remember questions you may want to ask an educator in a later mentoring session. Watching the module DVDs from Balanced Body can count towards your observation hours, as well as watching DVDs from different schools (can be watched onsite at our studio).

We encourage you to find your own practice bodies, perhaps someone you have been working with already.  In the event that you cannot find volunteers, some of our staff can come in to be your students for the Mock Exam and Final Test Out. 

Having a professional certification for the public to look to as a trustworthy standard is one way an industry can protect the consumer and the reputation of the profession. When Pilates instructors say that they are “PMA certified”, or a “CPT” (Certified Pilates Teacher), this means they have taken a minimum of 400 hour teacher training course, applied separately for the PMA test, and passed the PMA professional certification exam.