Soul Flexible Pilates: Collectively Leading the Change

Online Pilates training via YouTube, fitness apps and web-based platforms are becoming normalised and the challenge of the industry not being regulated extends to the online space.

For many studio owners and teachers the COVID-19 pandemic was the driving force to move our in-person Pilates businesses online offering virtual, on-demand and live streamed classes. The move online made sense as a viable way to keep afloat and retain our clients as we navigated through this time. Our local community members, clients and movement enthusiasts were seeking out an alternate way to stay engaged with their movement practices as well as their community.

The pandemic was the beginning of an industry shift where Pilates training and education is now available online and working out online has become normalised. For me personally this was the beginning of Soul Flexible. In 2020, I created my first online business using a private Facebook group, where I offered on-demand and live classes for my community members as a subscription based model. When I look back today, being able to connect with my community members online was a saving grace helping me to navigate through this time and cultivate deeper connections with my local community.

Fast forward to 2021 the online tech industry created advancements in video management tools as the demand grew for more online content giving studio owners and teachers increased accessibility to move online. The Pilates industry as a collective in as little as 2 years has seen exponential growth and the fitness app market size is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 17.7% from 2024 to 2030.* Technology advancements have opened up opportunities for businesses to create new offerings such as delivering group classes using a virtual teacher via a screen boasting high level instruction, clear cues and convenience for busy people. Overall, online services offer people an affordable price point allowing people who may not have once been able to afford Pilates access it. Furthermore, online classes are convenient for anyone unable to get to an in-person class and people in regional towns now have a way to access quality movement.

As a small business owner, seeing the industry shift at such a rapid pace, can feel at times overwhelming. We are facing shifts and challenges within an industry that is unregulated and competition is proliferating. Online Pilates training via YouTube, fitness apps and web-based platforms are becoming normalised and the challenge of the industry not being regulated extends to the online space. We can choose to ignore online Pilates and stay in the mindset that in-person is optimal and the only thing we’ll offer. Or we can collectively raise the standards of online offerings by providing our clients and community with an online supplementary service to their in-person practice.

This led me to review my online business model and ask myself the question – what can I offer the industry? From my experience as a teacher and as a business owner it’s a real balancing act trying to attend other teachers’ classes for my own learning and self mastery. For me, group classes or studio sessions need to be easily accessible (location, length of class, cost) and fit around my teaching schedule otherwise it’s near impossible to attend. Having access to other teachers online has been a blessing because I can learn from so many different teachers from all around the world while keeping up with my own practice.

A combination of the challenges I was facing and the solution of having access to other teachers online led me to develop the Soul Flexible collaboration project. The collaboration project provides an opportunity for Pilates teachers and our community to access fully certified teachers, educators and practitioners from across Australia all in the one place via our App. Pilates teacher & Soul Flexible member, Menara Sapernik, signed up to the Soul Flexible App back in January originally to support our Aussie teachers and learn more Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization (DNS). Not long after signing up, she realised that it allowed her to switch off her Pilates brain and utilise it for her much needed me time. Menara shared, “What I love about the App is that it offers great variety, a variety of instructors and classes, and its quality. The App is also user friendly – not overwhelming.”

The Soul Flexible project development began at the beginning of 2023 and took a solid 12 months to bring the project together ready for launching in January 2024. The driving force behind building this vision was to have a positive impact on the industry and provide Australian-based teachers an inclusive space to connect, collaborate and share their expertise from a range of Pilates training organisations to reach the wider community. I truly believe that Pilates is for everybody therefore offering quality Pilates online that’s not only affordable and convenient; but offers practical teaching at a comprehensive level.

Through the recruitment phase it was important for me to connect with other teachers who shared my vision. Kim McKinnon, founder of Think Pilates in Albury, and a certified Pilates Practitioner and DNS exercise trainer came on board because she knew the opportunity would stretch her out of her comfort zone. Kim felt that, “the inclusive nature of Pilates aligns with her belief that it’s for everyone, and being involved in this App not only makes it affordable but also easily accessible.”

We have grown to a team of 17 teachers with the continued vision of bringing even more teachers from across Australia on board as the project grows. Ash Berry and her husband Rob Carruthers from Movementality in Melbourne collectively have over 20 years experience in the fitness and Pilates industry. Ash could see the value of being involved in a nation wide Pilates collaboration involving many practitioners that she knew of and regarded highly prior to being presented with the project.

“I also think there is a genuine need for high quality Pilates instruction online. I like that Soul Flexible offers teacher perspectives from diverse training backgrounds and places of experience. This means a client is exposed to multiple methods and not boxed in to subscribing to one idea or way of moving. I believe Soul Flexible has the potential to become a leading platform for online Pilates instruction in Australia, similar to our US counterpart Pilates Anytime, and a valuable and trusted resource for clients and instructors alike.” – Ash Berry, Movementality.

Something for us to consider as experts within the Pilates space, is can we continue to run our business in the same way or adapt to what is happening around us? There is no doubt that the online space will continue to grow and we have an opportunity as a collective to lead this change. The online space will never replace the in-person service or match the quality of how we can help a person when they are in front of us, but there are benefits to consider if you are on the fence with online. Benefits like cost effectiveness, convenience for our clients who cannot make it into the studio, an option for clients who go on holidays, a supplementary way for our clients to train more frequently under our guidance, and; options to learn from other teachers which supports the clients growth within their own practice.

Click here for the full article including top tips for moving online.