Hilary Opheim Pilates Studio

🎙️ NEW PODCAST 🎙️2 Pilates Chicks

S7 E8: Let’s Talk Tactile Cueing in Pilates

Touch, don’t touch… and how? 🤔🖐️

What is tactile cueing? Why use it? When does it help—and when might it get in the way? Is there a “right” hand placement for every exercise?

We’re getting into all of it—from our original training, to what we’re seeing all over social media these days, to what we’ve learned through years of teaching and working with clients. 👀

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts!
What does tactile cueing mean to you?

Find out more in our Fall workshop. 🤓

Days in the studio like today are why I love what I do. Between packed client sessions and deep-dive student teacher training, the hours just flew by!

Emma Lahana took the lead today, planning a full session designed to teach me, with the ultimate target being the notorious Wunda Chair Handstand.

After assessing the movement patterns, we broke down her corrective cues and connection points. By the time we reached the handstand? It was all there.

The real magic was her cueing—learning how to call back to foundational work built earlier in the session so the breakthrough felt effortless.

If you caught our Traditional Pilates Movement Collective post today, you saw the incredible work happening across the board with Davita | Movement Therapeutics , Monae and Emma and me.

These are the moments that bring the studio to life: seeing our student teachers push past surface-level ex*****on, ask the hard questions, and pull from their own deep understanding to find the answers.

Ready to level up your practice?

Our Winter Teacher Training Program kicks off January 2027, and applications are officially open!
    •    Gain hands-on studio experience alongside seasoned instructors
    •    Master cueing, corrections, and movement mechanics
    •    Build the confidence to lead high-level sessions

Click the link in our profile to submit your application and schedule your interview today!

A full, beautiful day in the studio today ✨

From early morning client sessions to studio observation and practice, teachers flowing in and out—the energy was buzzing all day.

We wrapped up the afternoon with student teacher Monae as she has now started her assisted teaching hours.

We got into a great conversation about cueing and how to keep it clear, simple, and effective to get a client moving.

Since both of us were big English nerds in school (anyone else secretly love diagramming sentences? 🙋‍♀️), we compared cueing to stripping a sentence down to its core—stripping away all the fluff until you’re left with just the verbs and a few essential nouns. Action-first, clear, and direct.

We finished our session at the High Chair, diving deep into what was happening in my body and how she might cue it.

Instead of just giving her the “right” answers, we focused on the why.

The goal isn’t to memorize a script—it’s to understand the movement so deeply that your teaching naturally adapts to whoever is standing in front of you.

To top off the day, fellow classmate Emma Lahana joined us (so good to have her back in the studio after having her baby!).

The three of us ended up exploring movement, asking the big questions, and reminding ourselves of a truth we felt all day:

Pilates is patience. Learning to teach is patience.

Interested in learning how to teach beyond the script?

If you’re looking for a teacher training program that values patience, curiosity, independence, and a willingness to be challenged, tap the link in our bio to learn more.

We are here to teach you how to think, not just tell you what to think. 🧠✨

Today was a mix of getting work done and prepping for an exciting weekend ahead—another teacher training class continues!

Moving my program and studio to LA almost 7 years ago was a huge milestone, and while the landscape of Pilates has shifted dramatically since then, my studio and teacher training core mission remains unchanged:

it is, and always will be, about the client and teaching the body in front of you.

A big focus in our program is guiding each student to find their own authentic voice.

I love to say: We teach you how to think, not just what to think.

As one of our students/grads put it today:
“Every client is so different, and how they approach each exercise is unique. As teachers, we have to learn how to think about that specific client, that exercise, and how to teach them in that exact moment.”

There are endless paths today for those who want to teach, but a critical question to ask yourself is:
    •    Are you looking for just a certificate or a piece of paper?
    •    Or are you looking to become a true Pilates teacher?

I am so grateful to have landed here, surrounded by passion and this incredible community.

Now, with our Traditional Pilates Movement Collective, the ultimate question is: Do you want to keep learning?

Because as a Pilates teacher, the learning never ends.

Going through our program fosters a lifelong exploration for real answers—not just the memorization of choreography or answers someone gave  you.

Ready to take the next step?

✨ Click the link below to apply for our Fall/Winter interviews now!

Stop taking “levels.” Start learning the system. ✨

We get asked all the time: “Do I start with Level 1? Is this just the beginner module?”

Our answer is always a clear no.

In the Hilary Opheim Pilates Teacher Training Program, we don’t chop Joseph Pilates’ work into arbitrary levels or separate modules.

We teach the full, comprehensive repertoire from day one.

Here is why that changes everything for your teaching:
    •    It’s All One Work: Joseph Pilates didn’t design a “beginner” or “advanced” system—it’s a single, interconnected method. Some exercises simply have foundational choreography, while others feature more complex or difficult movement patterns.
    •    Understand the Building Blocks: By learning the complete system, you gain a deep understanding of how every movement connects. You learn how to build solid foundations for your clients and safely progression them wherever their bodies need to go.
    •    No Endless Upgrades: You shouldn’t have to keep paying for the “next level” just to feel fully qualified. When you graduate from our program, you have the complete toolkit to teach anyone, anywhere.

Your journey after graduation is about deepening your practice, not chasing missing modules.
Ready to learn the full system and step confidently into your teaching career?

🔥 Pre-enrollment and applications are now OPEN for our Fall/Winter cohort!

Spots are limited to keep our training personal and hands-on.

Click the link in our bio to apply today or save this post for future reference!