Mission Pilates is now offering a Reformer and Mat Pilates certification and education program! This program teaches you about human anatomy, how our anatomy reacts to movement, posture, ailments, Pilates movements of all levels, teaching strategies, and so much more!
Kristina Vail is one of the owners of Mission Pilates and has an extensive background and education in fitness and the human body. Her passion for and experience in Pilates, fitness, human anatomy, teaching, and art have all come together to inspire this education and certification program that seems so wanted and needed on the central coast of California. She is currently in the process of having the program internationally accredited by ITTAP through the Pilates Method Alliance in order to extend the reach of the program and allow even more opportunities for instructors that complete their Mission Pilates Certifications.
Kristina was a dancer from the time she was a child and into adulthood, practicing ballet, jazz, tap, and hip- hop for 15 years. She began Mat Pilates in 2005 and was certified in Mat Pilates in 2007 through a YMCA approved program while working as a certified lifeguard. She continued to practice and teach sporadically as she completed her undergraduate degree in Human Osteology at San Francisco State University where she focused on human anatomy, biology, pathology, medical anthropology, genetics, and more. During her time in college, she taught pole fitness for a couple hours a week before her full time job to stay fit, and took Mat Pilates and ballet classes at the university when they were offered. After completing her graduate program in Santa Barbara, she found a Reformer Pilates studio that worked with her budget and schedule and was finally able to try Reformer Pilates for the first time. She took to it immediately and was able to rehabilitate a hip condition that had been plaguing her for years. She began practicing 4 to 5 times a week and started looking into certification when the studio abruptly shut down. This is when she decided to open her own studio. Kristina is certified through Balanced Body and uses her dance background and biological education in tandem with her certifications and continued education to bring an original and unique new program to the central coast of California.
As an artist, Kristina decided to use her own art and images to illustrate, depict, and teach the necessary materials for certification! This offers a unique perspective and new options for hands on and interactive activities throughout the required courses. Kristina designed the program to incorporate Mission Pilates' culture and message that Pilates is suitable for everyone and can be modified to anyone's needs! We believe that everyone deserves to feel good and have a positive space for healing and/or maintaining mental and physical fitness and wellness. If you are interested in creating this kind of experience for others and find joy in seeing positive growth, change, and maintenance, this could be a great program for you. The Mission Pilates certification program is concise, relevant, thorough, interactive, unique, and designed to make sure you are as prepared as possible when you come face to face with your first clients.
All courses listed in this section are required to complete a Reformer Pilates Certification and/or Mat Pilates Certification. They do not need to be repeated if continuing to a second certification
The Human Anatomy course focuses on just that. The course covers the skeletal system, nervous system, muscular structure, vascular system, and so much more! This course involves all original materials and artwork created by Kristina Vail and uses hands on interactive activities to better retain the detailed information and apply it more effectively as an instructor!
Movement and Anatomy takes what we have learned in Human Anatomy and applies it to movement patterns. This class is about understanding how these systems work together, work against each other, how movements can be helpful or harmful, and which structures are being used to perform different movements. This course helps the individual to identify not only the main agents of movements, but the supporting and surrounding agents that contribute to the underlying cause or effect of them
Pilates Instruction is meant to prepare you to go face to face with your clients! It covers different types of cueing, adjustments, modifications, client relations, private trainings versus group trainings, descriptive language, teaching strategies, sharing of ideas, different types of clients, how to build a class, learning styles, and so much more. This class is fun, upbeat, interactive, and shows you how to use your own experiences to better serve your clients as you transition into teaching
All courses listed in this section are required to complete a Mat Pilates Certification
Grab your Mat because this course gets you moving! Beginner Mat Pilates covers the most basic of Pilates movements, the history of Pilates, identifies proper and improper form and execution, and involves practice in instructing with fellow classmates and the teacher. This course dives into suitable modifications for movements without changing desired focus, additional equipment, starting and building points for those who struggle to start, and basic stretches
Intermediate Mat Pilates covers the more challenging Pilates movements involving increased balance, flexibility, and core strength. It identifies proper and improper form and execution, and involves practice in instructing with fellow classmates and the teacher. This course dives into suitable modifications for movements without changing desired focus, additional equipment, starting and building points for those who struggle with full movements, and more complex stretches
Advanced Mat Pilates covers the the most challenging Pilates movements balance, core strength, and flexibility. It identifies proper and improper form and execution, and involves practice in instructing with fellow classmates and the teacher. This course dives into suitable modifications for movements without changing desired focus, additional equipment, building points for those who struggle, and the most complex stretches, including fascial release
All courses listed in this section are required to complete a Reformer Pilates Certification
Grab your sticky socks because this course gets you on the Reformer! Beginner Reformer Pilates covers basic Pilates movements on the Reformer, identifies proper and improper form and execution, and involves practice in instructing with fellow classmates and the teacher. This course dives into suitable modifications for movements without changing desired focus, spring adjustments, differences between machines, starting and building points for those who struggle, and basic stretches
Intermediate Reformer Pilates covers the more challenging Pilates movements on the Reformer involving increased balance, flexibility, and core strength. It identifies proper and improper form and execution, and involves practice in instructing with fellow classmates and the teacher. This course dives into suitable modifications for movements without changing desired focus, spring adjustments, starting and building points for those who struggle with full movements, and more complex stretches
Advanced Reformer Pilates covers the the most challenging Pilates movements on the Reformer involving excellent balance, core strength, and flexibility. It identifies proper and improper form and execution, and involves practice in instructing with fellow classmates and the teacher. This course dives into suitable modifications for movements without changing desired focus, spring adjustments, building points for those who struggle, and the most complex stretches, including fascial release
The Reformer Pilates certification requires a total of 360 hours before completing the certification test out, 96 of which are lecture, and 264 of which consist of participation, practice, observation, student teaching
All students must participate in 60 hours of Pilates classes with a certified instructor and have the instructor sign off on the hours in the manuals provided in the education courses. These hours must occur after the Human Anatomy course has been completed. No classes previous to that course will be accepted. These hours can be completed in any studio/s of your choosing
All students must observe 24 hours of Pilates classes taught by certified instructors. The instructors must sign off on the hours completed in the manuals provided in the education courses. These hours can be completed in any studio/s of your choosing
All students must complete 180 Reformer Pilates student teaching hours within 5 years of completing the required courses. These hours can be completed in any studio/s of your choosing and include being observed by a certified trainer for a minimum of 10 hours, interactive observations, non interactive observations, and non observed student teaching . All hours must be signed off on in the provided manuals by the owner, manager, or supervising instructor
The Mat Pilates certification requires a total of 200 hours before completing the certification test out, 72 of which are lecture, and 128 of which consist of participation, practice, observation, student teaching
All students must participate in 18 hours of Pilates classes with a certified instructor and have the instructor sign off on the hours in the manuals provided in the education courses. These hours must occur after the Human Anatomy course has been completed. No classes previous to that course will be accepted. These hours can be completed in any studio/s of your choosing
All students must observe 10 hours of Pilates classes taught by certified instructors. The instructors must sign off on the hours completed in the manuals provided in the education courses. These hours can be completed in any studio/s of your choosing
All students must complete 100 Mat Pilates student teaching hours within 5 years of completing the required courses. These hours can be completed in any studio/s of your choosing and include being observed by a certified trainer for a minimum of 10 hours, interactive observations, non interactive observations, and non observed student teaching . All hours must be signed off on in the provided manuals by the owner, manager, or supervising instructor
A written and practical test must be completed and passed in order to complete certification and receive an official certificate. The test out can be arranged with Kristina Vail at a time that is convenient for both parties
$200
The written test encompasses everything that was taught in the education courses and includes multiple choice, short written answers, true or false, and an essay section. Practice tests can be administered by request. A score of 80% is necessary to pass
The practical test involves bringing an individual of your choosing to Mission Pilates in order to demonstrate your teaching abilities and strategies. The individual brought to be instructed must have little experience with Pilates (Reformer for Reformer Certification and Mat for Mat Certification) or no experience at all to better demonstrate the instructor's ability to cue, adapt, and modify. No instructors or highly experienced individuals will be accepted for the practical test
A minimum of 32 continued education Units are required to be completed every 2 years in order to keep Mission Pilates Certifications active and valid. These CECs are not required to be completed through Mission Pilates, but would need to be approved if completed through an outside organization
Continued education courses are offered in between Instructor Training courses! Some of these courses include Common Pathologies, Rehabilitation methods, Pre and Postnatal Movements and Safety, and Spinal Ailments and Injuries. Keep an eye on our course calendar below to see when our next course is!
Former students of the program may audit courses to refresh their knowledge. This does not include a printed manual and does not guarantee participation in activities.
For those that feel that they need more instruction or more personal attention pertaining to the courses and certification, a consultation can be booked with one of the currently certified instructors of your choosing.
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