How to Become a Pilates Instructor: Your Training Pathway at Revity Pilates
Thinking about turning your Pilates practice into a profession? Here's what the journey actually looks like, from your first anatomy module to teaching your first class.
If you've ever finished a Reformer session and thought, I could see myself on the other side of this equipment, you're not alone. It's one of the most common conversations we have at the studio. What most people don't know is what the path from dedicated client to certified instructor actually involves and how long it takes, what you will study and where to start.
As a STOTT PILATES® Academy Education Partner, Revity Pilates now hosts instructor training right here in Burlington, delivered by Merrithew® appointed Instructor Trainers. That means you no longer need to travel to Toronto or piece together courses across multiple studios. Here is how the pathway works.
Why STOTT PILATES Training?
STOTT PILATES is one of the most respected training methods in the industry, built on a contemporary, anatomically based approach to the original Joseph Pilates work. It's taught in more than 100 countries, and its emphasis on biomechanics, postural alignment, and modern exercise science is exactly why studios worldwide, including ours, seek out STOTT-trained instructors.
When you train through the STOTT pathway, you are not just learning choreography. You are learning why each exercise works, how to modify it for different bodies, and how to cue movement safely and effectively. That depth is what separates instructors who lead a class from instructors who change how people move.
Step 1: Anatomy & Exercise Fundamentals
Every pathway begins here. This 30-hour online course is the prerequisite for all further training, covering functional anatomy, biomechanics, and core exercise principles.
Don't let the word “prerequisite” make it sound like a formality. This course builds the foundation everything else rests on. Students consistently tell us it changes how they experience their own workouts before they've taught a single exercise.
Step 2: Choose Your Training Track
Intensive Reformer (50 hours, in-person at Revity). This is the course most aspiring instructors have their eye on. Over 50 in-studio hours on our Merrithew V2 Max Plus Reformers, you'll learn the full repertoire of essential and intermediate Reformer exercises, along with modifications, verbal cueing, and hands-on correction techniques. Training happens in a real, working studio environment, the same space where you will eventually observe classes and log practice hours.
Intensive Matwork (30 hours, in person or online). Matwork is where Pilates began, and it remains the most versatile qualification an instructor can hold. This course covers the essential and intermediate mat repertoire, and pairs naturally with Reformer training for instructors who want to teach across formats.
Growing Into a Full Certification Studio
Reformer and Matwork are just the beginning. Revity is expanding into a full certification studio, which means the complete STOTT PILATES pathway; including training on the Cadillac, Stability Chair, and Barrels, will be available right here in Burlington. For trainees, that means you can pursue your full certification without ever leaving your home studio.
And it Is not just trainees who benefit. As we add this equipment to the studio, our class programming grows with it. Members can look forward to new class formats and a wider variety of movement experiences, the kind of depth and creativity that only a fully equipped STOTT studio can offer.
Beyond the Coursework: Observation, Practice, and the Exam
Coursework is only part of certification. STOTT PILATES training also requires observation hours (watching certified instructors teach), physical review hours (refining your own practice), and practice teaching hours. As an Education Partner studio, Revity gives trainees a natural home for these hours. You are learning inside an active studio community, not in isolation.
Once your coursework and hours are complete, you are eligible to sit the certification exam. One helpful detail many students don't realize: your exam eligibility window only opens after your final course is finished, so you can move through the pathway at a pace that works for you without racing a clock.
Who Is This For?
Our trainees tend to fall into a few groups: long-time Pilates clients ready to deepen their practice, fitness professionals adding a respected credential, healthcare and movement practitioners (physiotherapy, massage therapy, dance) expanding their scope, and career-changers looking for meaningful, flexible work. If you recognize yourself in any of those, the pathway is open to you, no prior teaching experience required.
Training Where You'll Want to Teach
There is a practical advantage to training at a working studio rather than a dedicated training centre: you see the profession up close. You watch how classes are programmed, how instructors build relationships with clients, and what a career in this industry actually looks like day to day. Many studios, ours included, pay close attention to the trainees who come through their doors.
Ready to Start?
Courses start on September 11th and spots are limited. For more details reach out to us at academy@revitypilates.com
Your practice brought you this far. Training is how you take it further and with full certification coming to Revity, the entire journey can happen here.
Revity Pilates is a STOTT PILATES® Academy Education Partner located in Burlington, Ontario. STOTT PILATES® and Merrithew® are trademarks of Merrithew Corporation.
