To think this is unprofessional in a Pilates class?

[MsMonday]

I attend Reformer Pilates regularly, and in my class yesterday, my instructor kept telling me to look at “Bridget” (another student) for guidance during certain exercises. She said it a couple of times when coming over to help me, instead of giving me direct instruction.

It felt like I was being compared to Bridget, which I found off-putting. I go to these classes expecting personalised guidance from the instructor, not to be told to look at another student. I’m fit and active, and I do other sports as well, so it felt a bit frustrating to not receive direct feedback.

AIBU to feel this comparison is unprofessional, and should I stop attending these classes?

If it’s a straight “look at Bridget” without context as to what Bridget is doing right that you are not, then YANBU.

Idk why there’s such a number of negative replies here. Reformer Pilates classes are very expensive so you go there to learn from the qualified instructor you are paying not Bridget.

Equally if I was Bridget I’d feel irritated at being watched constantly.

I’ve been to hundreds of reformer classes and this has never happened. The instructor is meant to demo and then come round and make physical adjustments/help.

I guess I've been extremely lucky and had fantastic Reformer instructors.

In contrast to posters on this thread one of whom said there was no need for them to be 'professional' they 100% were.

They had the ability to communicate to a student what they should be doing, at any particular moment without resorting to telling them to watch someone else. Not a huge effort, not a drama.

You are right it's a very unregulated market but you can hurt yourself on a reformer very easily and a teacher that can't communicate individualised feedback is teaching the wrong sort of pilates class.

@MsMonday how many are in the lessons?

A credible yoga instructor, as I said above, would never do this but that is because everyone's bodies are very different and you can't 'just look at [x].'

I appreciate Reformer is different,.

Can't stand Pilates, yoga, Tai Chai anything like that.
Utterly boring lol. Give me footy, tennis, cricket anyday.

Thank you passing stranger for your valuable input 😂

You are taking all of this very personally, OP - both the comments on this thread, and the direction from your pilates instructor (who is just trying to help you by pointing to someone who is doing it correctly).

It's OK to get things wrong sometimes. We all do. Most people here are simply telling you it's not a big deal for the instructor to use other students as an example.

You'll always get a couple of people being rude online who you can just ignore.

Good luck with your pilates classes, it's a great way to keep strong.

OP looking at poor Bridget. Her only crime is being good at Pilates

I agree to an extent but actually it's really hard especially if you have one client who doesn't listen or does what they think they know. It's a tricky skill to juggle. It is hard to judge with the OP, possibly the teacher was frustrated that her cues were not being heard.

But as someone said it also depends on the learning style. If you are used to gym lessons then you are used to watching and following an instructor working out. Pilates teachers are generally taught not to do that, to instead use verbal cues. And actually when I first trained we were not supposed to touch our clients, now it's gone back to being more hands on, though that needs the clients consent. It's physically impossible to keep the flow of the class, and demonstrate on reformer.

They absolutely are required to be professional. Especially in reformer which requires a lot of knowledge to teach due to the requirements of the equipment and keeping clients safe, and where classes are small so you expect individual attention.
I do reformer pilates and I wouldn't expect this, I do think it's a bit unprofessional and I'd feel put out but I wouldn't be overly upset.

I think Bridget is smashing it

”I’m SO not like other girls 🤪”

My reformer tutor does the same. Sometimes she asks me to look at someone, sometimes she asks someone else to look at me (and then I feel so smug 😅)
Do you struggle with others being better than you at activities elsewhere in life too?

Well aren’t you special ♥️

It's ok, OP. I can see where you're coming from even though I know rationally that watching someone else as an example can really help with technique etc, I still wouldn't like it. I don't know why and I know it sounds daft but can see what you mean.

FWIW I suffer from anxiety so I think my feeling may well be linked to this (forgot to add this on to my previous post)

I think it depends on how it's said and how often it's said to be honest. If it was constant then it would probably irritate me a bit too.

A reasonable observation.

"Fine, Ms Instructor - just let me change my Direct Debit to Bridget's bank account so I can pay her my fees in future,"

How much is it costing you, per Hour?

I am one of the (very) few who agrees with you, OP. I used to teach yoga and I would never instruct a student to follow another student. For a start, although they might be good and experienced, they might, just might do something that is contraindicated that could cause injury. Also, every body is different and people need to learn to trust their own body.

A student might look at another for guidance but I would never instruct them to do so. My goal was always to scan the class and look out for those who need a correction.

How big is the group? I do RefPilates in a small studio and the instructor can walk up and down and adjust/ comment, so we don't have the 'look at Bridget' comments. If I did have that comment I would think how am I supposed to do that?! - I'm either flat on my back, my head between the shoulder rests, or looking down in various poses 😄Although we are asked at the end how it was and I might ask was my posture wrong because of x, y, z. If it continues I'd be asking at the end of the class what Bridget was doing that I was not doing.

How big is the group? I do RefPilates in a small studio and the instructor can walk up and down and adjust/ comment, so we don't have the 'look at Bridget' comments. If I did have that comment I would think how am I supposed to do that?! - I'm either flat on my back, my head between the shoulder rests, or looking down in various poses 😄Although we are asked at the end how it was and I might ask was my posture wrong because of x, y, z. If it continues I'd be asking at the end of the class what Bridget was doing that I was not doing.

Look at Bridget isn't a comparison it's an instruction.

I'd be intrigued to know where in the UK you are, because I went to one class where this happened, and logged a complaint after because I also got sneered at by the teacher for not knowing who our 'Bridget' was, among other things. Totally unprofessional and I never went again. My yoga teacher never points to individuals in terms of good / bad examples, just helps us develop as individuals in a class together.