Bodies are complex. They have unique features and needs. Each body requires special movements to stay healthy and thriving. This is why Reforming Foundations teaches Pilates differently. We offer unique movement strategies tailored to each person in our community as they work toward their unique goals in their lives.

This is a guiding belief of our Pilates teacher certification program. We’ve modernized the traditional repertoire to be firmly rooted in movement science. Our method offers strategies to promote healing, create strength, build endurance, and support controlled mobility, all while improving the mind-body connection. We will teach you to help clients move with confidence.

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The Power of Pilates

Pilates benefits the mind, body, and spirit.

  • For the body: flexibility, mobility, strength, aesthetic.
  • For the mind: body awareness, cognitive functioning, and hormone balance.
  • For the spirit: alertness, confidence, positivity.

Millions use Pilates to develop strength, build endurance, improve balance, and flexibility.

Pilates Teacher Training for a Purposeful Career in Movement

We want you to learn to teach Pilates to every body. Our Pilates course is designed for those seeking a rewarding career as a skilled movement professional. It is also for licensed healthcare providers who wish to enhance their existing practice. Through our instructional methods, supporting training video platform, and course materials we help you become an exceptional health leader.

Join our community! Reforming Foundations is an inclusive, collaborative, and encouraging learning environment. We are passionate about providing an individualized approach to help you meet your goals. We are here to build long-lasting connections within our community by cultivating and nurturing relationships.

Benefits of a Continuing Pilates Education

People pursue Pilates certifications for many reasons. Many are already certified in other methods and want to deepen their knowledge and skills, some wanted a complete career change for joy and purpose in their work lives, and others want to learn more about their own body and movement. Studying the Pilates method will improve your quality of life in many ways!

What You Will Learn In Our Course

Our Pilates repertoire features exercises that are accessible and safe for every body. During this training you will gain a deep understanding of the purpose behind the exercises: things like the primary muscles worked and necessary joint and muscle flexibility. You will also learn to progress, regress, and modify all exercises. We teach posture and dynamic movement, and which verbal and tactile cues help clients. You will learn key anatomic and biomechanical principles for reducing injury and improving effectiveness. Pilates instructors will also learn studio ethics, professional behavior, and collaboration strategies between other professionals. Above all, the course teaches you to teach in a way to help people reach their goals.

Reforming Foundations School of Pilates comprehensive teacher training program next cohort starts August 25-27, 2023!

We can’t wait to help you get started on your purposeful career in movement.

Book an Individual training session with our founder Brooke today!

You will get a great workout and learn about what it takes to reach your goal today!

Schedule a Session

ANATOMY FOR PILATES INSTRUCTORS

This online learning module begins 2 months before your program year starts and is to be completed by the start of Intro to Pilates and Movement Foundations.  This module is divided into 3 courses: the lower extremity, the upper extremity and the spine. You will learn joint movement and to train your clients with respect to these concepts. This Pilates course includes your own personal access to the Visible Body anatomy app during your course enrollment.

INTRO TO PILATES AND MOVEMENT FOUNDATIONS

August 25-27 2023

This course focuses on key concepts for success in teaching Pilates exercises, with a wide variety of goals, interests, and physical abilities. You will learn Reforming Foundations movement foundations, including preparing to move, stable foundations, and controlled spinal mobility. These precise exercises emphasize quality of movement in each body region and serve as building blocks to the most challenging of Pilates exercises. These foundational exercises assist with proper movement in day-to-day life and recreational activities.

MOBILITY, INJURY PREVENTION, AND SCIATIC NERVE CONSIDERATIONS

September 8-10 2023

Learn to help people find controlled spinal mobility and improved muscle flexibility in this course. It emphasizes injury prevention and protection of the spinal joints and associated nerves. You will also learn essential building blocks such as the Reforming Foundations Method for designing classes, the art of cueing, how to use physical touch to correct movement dysfunction, and how to build community in your classes. This results in Pilates classes and sessions that are safe, successful, and fun.

BODYWEIGHT & PROPS AND SMALL BARRELS

October 6-8 2023

At Reforming Foundations, we believe core strength and stability is the foundation to every exercise. You will learn the classical mat Pilates repertoire and standing/bodyweight exercises necessary for strength training, bone density, and mobility. Learn Pilates exercises on the Spine Corrector®, the West Coast Arc® and the Pilates Arc®. All three of these Pilates barrels have different degrees of the arc. You will see how these barrels help provide feedback to the spine to improve mobility while developing strength. In addition, we incorporate various Pilates props (Ultra-Fit Circle®, bands, free weights, foam rollers, balls, etc.) to both assist and challenge the exercises.

BODYWEIGHT & PROPS AND CLASS PROGRAMMING

November 3-5, 2023

Our training continues by learning how to program small group classes. You will learn the classical Pilates order and our why and how Reforming Foundations is revolutionizing Pilates for the 21st century. We designed a very specific framework to help take all the confusion out of class programming. In this Pilates course, you will learn how to program your classes to teach Pilates at all levels, from a first-time student to an elite athlete.

TRAPEZE TABLE AND SPRINGBOARD®

December 1-3, 2023, January 5-7, 2024

In this module you will learn classical trapeze exercises, along with therapeutic strength and balance exercises. This modern piece of exercise equipment is a long raised table with various springs. It is like a Pilates playground, designed to rig up every sort of spring configuration to assist a movement or to challenge balance and stability. The original design was invented from rigging up springs to a hospital bed to help assist movement. You will also learn how to adapt the trapeze table exercises to the Springboard® for group class programming. This springboard was designed by Ellie Herman. It is attached to the wall to save space and allow for Trapeze exercise training in groups.

REFORMER FOUNDATIONS

February 2-4, 2024

You will learn foundational and neutral spine exercises on the reformer, taught the Reforming Foundations way. This includes the classical Pilates repertoire with the addition of Reforming Foundations movement foundations applied in order to execute precise movement patterns during every exercise. Exercises are broken up into five sections: abdominals, lower body, upper body, full body, and mobility. Learning these exercises teaches you to start thinking about effective programming for your client sessions. This is the Reforming Foundations method of movement. You will learn how to use reformers designed by Balanced Body, including the Allegro 2®. This more athletic style reformer is most frequently used in class-based studios. You will also learn to use the Clinical® Reformer, which is designed for both rehabilitation and an athletic challenge.

REFORMER PROGRESSIONS & CARDIO JUMPBOARD

March 8-10, 2024

In the second weekend of reformer training you will learn to program classes using multiple pieces of Pilates equipment. You will learn to use the cardio jumpboard, a fun apparatus added to the reformer for an athletic challenge in plyometrics. This is good for cardio, strength, and endurance training. We will also cover reformer progressions and advanced movement skills.

PILATES APPARATUS

April 12-14, 2024

You will learn chair exercise on the EXO Chair®, which is more commonly used in the class environment, and the split pedal Combo Chair® with handles. The chair exercises provide an athletic challenge, support longevity and balance in our aging population, and support a Pilates program for prenatal moms-to-be. We will teach you program classes with chair equipment and mat exercises.

You will also learn the Ladder Barrel. It is a wonderful apparatus for strength and mobility in the core. It is also designed to provide feedback for improved spinal mobility. It’s a standalone piece of equipment with a large barrel and has a system of ladder rungs to provide stability and support. In this module, you will learn ladder barrel exercises along with therapeutic mobility stretches. You will also learn how to make use of the ladder barrel in individual session programming.

MOVEMENT ASSESSMENT AND PROGRAM DESIGN

May 17-19, 2024

We will teach you to assess dynamic movement patterns so you can correct client dysfunction. You will learn to design programs that build strength, produce endurance, improve mobility, and challenge balance. Your sessions will provide a safe, challenging, and quality movement experience, allowing you to deliver an amazing experience every session or class you teach!


Meet Your Instructors

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Brooke Alexandra

Founder of Reforming Foundations, Co-author

Lead Educator, Brooke, has studied Pilates repertoire through multiple comprehensive programs and continuing education courses. Through her training she has explored her own cues, modifications, and nuances. She is passionate about sharing her unique techniques, and wants to expand them beyond the walls of Reforming Foundations. Brooke is an enthusiastic teacher who enthusiastically tailors her sessions to every person – from the fitness professional to the aging grandparent. Brooke is detail-oriented and loves teaching about the human body. Passionate about sharing her knowledge, she has created a unique group of instructors who work as a cohesive team. Brooke’s former career was in dentistry. During 19 years in the field, she learned to care for others, work with a team, and communicate with people from diverse backgrounds. Brooke began practicing Pilates to help her husband recover after cancer treatment in their early 30s. Brooke was thoroughly impressed with the rehabilitative qualities she witnessed for Aaron, and she loved the intense yet fun workout that brought awareness to her own body! Brooke took the STOTT Pilates teacher training program in Bloomfield Hills. She then completed her advanced training and became a specialist in athletic training and rehabilitation. As she developed her skills, she discovered the Madeline Black Method, which approaches practice from a biomechanical perspective, focusing on what muscles need improved flexibility or strength to produce certain movements. These key concepts and techniques learned helped Brooke to become known as a “body mechanic.” Later, she met and trained with Jean Sullivan from A Body of Work in San Francisco. Jean became a mentor and dear friend to Brooke, and Reforming Foundations hosted Jean and Madeline’s teacher training program “ITT Pilates” from 2018 to 2020. Sadly, the pandemic halted Jean’s monthly teaching trips to Detroit and Reforming Foundations was left without an instructor training program. As the pandemic regulations loosened, Brooke worked with Dr. Lindsay Brandt to create the Reforming Foundations School of Pilates Teacher Training program.
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Dr. Lindsay Brandt,

DPT, OMPT, ACSM-CEP,DScPT(c) Assistant Professor of Physical Therapy

Dr. Lindsay Brandt teaches at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan, in the entry-level Doctor of Physical Therapy program and the Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapy post-professional residency. She brings a deep love for educating patients and movement professionals alike, and has more than two decades of combined education and experience in movement and rehabilitation. Lindsay has worked with a wide variety of orthopedic injuries and conditions, and has a rich background in heart and lung disease research. She is passionate about using manual therapy and smart movement strategies to improve quality of life for those with chronic conditions. An advocate for high-quality, patient-centered healthcare, Lindsay enjoys guiding patients through recovery processes and providing movement strategies to prevent future injury. Lindsay discovered Pilates several years ago as a client at Reforming Foundations and began integrating Pilates into her clinical practice. She found it to be essential for retraining key movement patterns and avoiding undesirable stress to the body. Through the Reforming Foundations School of Pilates Teacher Training program, Lindsay shares successful movement principles and advocates for a partnership between physical therapists and Pilates instructors. She believes those trained in the Reforming Foundations method can support the rehabilitation and long-term wellness goals of a wide variety of movers.

RF School of Pilates Teacher Training

Reforming Foundations is now a modern Pilates studio that teaches movement strategies to help every body feel and move its best. Pilates, physical therapy, and wellness programs are our specialties, with an emphasis on injury rehabilitation, professional athletic training, and pain free movement. We move together as a community and offer a variety of private and semi-private group training options. Our Pilates classes are for those looking to experience both fun and challenging Pilates sessions in an inclusive and supportive environment.

RF’s goal is to have every human, at every age, doing Pilates. To do this we need more humans teaching Pilates! Do you love to move? Do you find your personal practice growing as you learn more?

Pilates as a career can be anything you want! Our Reforming Foundations team members teach based on their own unique schedules and needs. For example, one instructor teaches one class a week, others teach several hours a day. Our studio is open from 6 a.m. till 9 p.m. to support flexible and varied schedules.

Teaching Pilates is a rewarding career that provides mastery and purpose. Pilates trainers come from a wide variety of age groups, stages in life, and professional backgrounds. Our youngest trainer started right out of high school and our oldest was already retired from working. Many instructors had careers in dance, sports, or fitness, and some came from the corporate world. Others are already helping patients and want another tool to add to their teaching toolbox.

No matter the motivation and background, Pilates helps each instructor do the things they love! They have seen changes in their own bodies and felt the joy of the practice, now they want to learn more and share with others.

YOUR JOB SHOULDN’T FEEL LIKE A J•O•B

Your job should elevate you and make your life better! You should enjoy the benefits of flexible schedules, invest in yourself, and do meaningful work. Come experience the joy of Pilates with Reforming Foundations!

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Flexibility

Create a schedule that works for your life so you can spend more time doing the things you love.

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Fulfillment

Helping others feels good. When work feels good, it is a joy to spend your time helping others.

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Joy

Experience joy in meaningful work. This happiness is contagious and affects all areas of your life.

I’m in! Sign Me Up!

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