Have the trials and tribulations of the past year had you reflecting on your career and whether or not it makes you happy? Maybe you like your current job and are hoping to to create a ‘side hustle’ to bring in a little extra? Have you always loved people and keeping fit and active? Well a job has a Pilates instructor might just be the perfect fit for you.

Maybe you’ve been considering completing a VIVA Education Course or perhaps you’re on a mission to make a change and you’re exploring every option you can. Whatever it is, we’ve picked the brains of one of our real life course graduates who’s broken free from the corporate chains and found a career she loves with freedom and flexibility in health and fitness. 

Here’s what our superstar instructor Bex has to say about her path to becoming a Pilates instructor:

“Dharma” – “Dharma” is a Sanskrit word that translates literally to “right direction,” “rightful duty,” or “righteous living.” In laymen’s terms, your dharma means your purpose in life. Your dharma is your true calling – what you were put here on Earth to do.

In 2020, I had been working in a corporate job in recruitment for over 4 and a half years. My days were filled on the phone and in front of a computer. Whilst there were good parts about my job, the overwhelming feeling I had was of dissatisfaction. I felt I was working in the corporate world because that is what society told me was the ‘stable’ route, the safe route. Deep down I knew it was never my passion.

I’ve always been passionate about fitness. Whether it’s weight training, reformer, spin classes, or boxing, I loved it all.  Plenty of people would often mention that I should train other people as it seemed to come ‘naturally’ to me. Whilst these were all lovely compliments, it sparked anxiety in me. Deep down I agreed with them, but I was too scared to ever take the plunge. How would I afford to study whilst living in with the expensive Sydney rents?  Where would I find the time when work already took 50+ hours of my week? What if I invested all this time and money into something and then it didn’t work out? What if I couldn’t make ends meet and I’d made the wrong choice? I was 30 and in my head that was ‘too late’ to make a career change. Oh, how wrong I was.

Then COVID-19 hit and my world was turned upside down. My ‘safe job’ made a huge percentage of the company redundant, regardless of tenure and regardless of loyalty and dedication to the company. It was no longer ‘the safe or stable route’. The COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating worldwide, but it really was my blessing in disguise. I was thrown into disarray and a panic of what to do. After a mini meltdown, I pulled myself together and realised, this was my chance

I had known about the VIVA studios from when I would visit my sister in Brisbane and attend some casual classes with her. The first class I walked out of I said, “that would be my dream, that is what I want to do”. I took the plunge and moved to Brisbane and this was when I started attending regular classes at VIVA. I learnt about the VIVA Education arm of the business and a seed was planted.

About a month in to attending regular classes, I had a conversation with Olivia (co-founder of VIVA) after a class one day and that conversation changed my life! I started working for VIVA and subsequently took the VIVA Education Reformer Level 1 Course and I can now say I understand the saying ‘do a job you love, and you’ll never have to ‘work’ a day in your life again’.

You may be reading this and thinking great, but I couldn’t do it, my situation is different. So, I am going to debunk my own worries, concerns and thoughts that were holding me back from taking the leap, in case they can allay some of your fears too:

Where will I find the time? The beauty of VIVA Education courses is that they are a short 4-day course. There is only 15hrs of Participation and 15hrs of Practical classes required post course to hone your skills and all of this can be done at a time that suits you.

I can’t afford to do the course! VIVA Education’s courses are some of the most competitively priced courses in the industry. VIVA offers manageable payment plans to break down the cost to affordable payments so you can still get started with your course regardless of your financial situation.

I just don’t think I’ll be any good! The VIVA courses are specifically designed to ensure that you start from the very beginning and build the right foundations to help you become the best instructor you can be.

What if I don’t find any work? There are hundreds of Pilates studios across Queensland, so you won’t be short of opportunities. VIVA also offer all its course participants the opportunity to apply to teach for us across all 3 of their studios. My top tip here, make yourself available. Be willing to put your hand up for covers at the studios you want to teach at and build a rapport with their client’s! If they love you, they’ll let the studio management know and you’ll cultivate a regular schedule from there.

I’m not fit enough to be an instructor. Being an instructor isn’t about your level of fitness, it is about your knowledge, your ability to inspire and motivate people and your passion for the industry. You’ll get fitter in the process, win:win.

I’m too old! This one, doesn’t even need an explanation, trust me when I tell you YOU’RE NOT! You are never too old to start a new passion, career and do something you love. Never.

One of the most empowering things about being an instructor is that you are a part of someone else’s fitness journey. You’re helping people achieve their goals mentally and physically and you genuinely have a positive impact on their life. One of the biggest rewards you’ll have in your instructing career is one of your regulars coming to you to say the pain they had, is no longer there, or the outfit they were desperate to wear now fits and the confidence they have been seeking for so long is finally there. That is the ultimate job satisfaction.

So go on… Find Your Dharma. I dare you 😉

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