If you’ve been doing Pilates with me already, or if you've just found me, welcome!
Today, I want to share a little bit about myself and what brought me here to teach Pilates for pregnancy and postpartum.
Pilates has been my cup of tea for many years. Even when I was recovering from a back injury, it was there to support me, cheered me on, and helped me along the way.
You may have heard this before in the Pilates world: “Pilates is for everyone”.
And I truly believe that.
From young people to seniors, beginners to professional athletes, people recovering from injuries, people of different genders, and yes!, people during pregnancy and postpartum.
Isn't it wonderful? If Pilates is already your cup of tea OR is growing on you, perhaps it can stay with you throughout the different stages of your life journey.
So, what brought me to Pre/Postnatal Pilates?
My ECE Background & Supporting Families
Before moving to Montreal, I worked as an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) for about eight years in both Japan and BC, Canada.
Actually, my first career was very different. I worked as an office worker in Japan, mostly sitting at a computer all day! But my job gave me opportunities to interact with children, and eventually, it inspired me to make a big career change.
Looking back, maybe it was not such a surprise. I always enjoyed playing with younger children at the ballet studio and taking care of children in my neighbourhood.
Becoming an Early Childhood Educator felt like a very natural choice for me.
During my eight years as an ECE, I experienced many different styles and environments of childcare and family support. I worked in family support centres and community playrooms for parents, babies, and toddlers, children's centres and after-school programs, daycares, and preschools. I also taught English to young learners, assisted with children's classical ballet classes, and experienced babysitting, nannying, and an au pair program in different countries.
I wanted to keep learning beyond what textbooks and school could teach me. I was curious about different approaches to childcare and wanted to become a more well-rounded educator.
My experiences were also shaped by who I am, someone who once worked in an office, loves classical ballet, speaks English as a second language, and grew up in Japan.
All of these experiences became part of me.
And now, I am in my third career as a Pilates instructor!
Why Pre/Postnatal Pilates?
Studying Pre/Postnatal Pilates had been a dream of mine since I first became certified in Mat Pilates.
While working in ECE, I also had opportunities to do Pilates, classical ballet, and yoga activities with children. I loved receiving warm and positive feedback from parents and fellow educators seeing kids move, learn, and enjoy being together with me.
I definitely have more professional experience working directly with children. However, through my years in ECE, I also learned about the importance of supporting families.
Because supporting children is not only about supporting the child. Parents and caregivers need support, too.
Now, through Pilates, I hope I can support people during another important stage of life: pregnancy and postpartum.
What Can You Expect From My Pre/Postnatal Pilates?
To be completely honest, I have never experienced pregnancy or motherhood myself..hopefully one day!
So, I will never pretend that I can personally understand 100% of what pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum recovery feels like.
I know this is something I cannot fully understand without experiencing it myself.
But I can listen.
I can continue learning.
And I can learn from the real experiences of the people I work with.
My goal is to use my knowledge as a certified Pre/Postnatal Pilates instructor, together with my background in Early Childhood Education and family support, to create a welcoming and supportive space for you.
A place where you can move your body.
A place where you can learn more about yourself.
A place where you can take some time for you.
And hopefully, a place where you can also connect with other moms and share experiences with one another.
I will begin by offering Pre/Postnatal Pilates through private sessions. As it grows, I would also love to offer group classes, events, and opportunities for people to come together, move, connect, share their experiences, and support one another.
And honestly... I have tons of cool ideas! So please keep an eye on my Instagram and other social media when I'm ready to share them with you.
Learning From Real Mothers
As part of preparing for this new chapter, I recently asked mothers to share their experiences of pregnancy and postpartum with me.
They shared their challenges, wisdom, things that helped them, and even things they wish they had known or done differently.
I am so grateful for their honesty.
I hope to share some of these experiences and wisdom on my Buy Me a Coffee page when it's ready, so please stay tuned!
What's Coming Next?
I've also been working on free YouTube videos for pregnancy and postpartum, as well as some exclusive videos on Buy Me a Coffee.
I hope you will have a chance to try them when they are available!
Thank you for reading and getting to know a little more about me and why this work is important to me.
Whether you're currently pregnant, postpartum, planning for the future, or simply curious about what I do, I'm happy you're here.
And I’m looking forward to doing Pilates together with you someday!
Bye for now!
Asami 💌
Thank you for listening to my episode today! If you have any questions or thoughts you'd like to share, please leave a comment.I love to hear! Thank you again, and bye for now!
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*Note for Listening Audio: The blog post and audio may not always match word-for-word. The written blog post is the original version of the audio episode.