Instructor Spotlight: Milan Jordan
Milan teaches at Èbéne Pilates, Nest Movement Studio & Club Pilates Laurel, Silver Spring, MD
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your Pilates background.
My name is Milan and I live in the metropolitan DMV area in Maryland, USA. I teach at three different studios with different ethos and modalities. I love the variety and I've been teaching for about two and a half years, so I still consider myself a newly minted sponge, learning and growing as an instructor in any way possible.
2. How did you discover Pilates?
I discovered Pilates in 2019 during a major life change, alongside experiencing new, non-specific back pain. In my search for relief, I explored various fitness modalities, gyms, and studios but was particularly drawn to Pilates. My back pain soon disappeared, and my love for the practice grew.
3. How do you keep learning?
I’m constantly learning in any and every way that presents itself to me. I love continuing education and have attended multiple Pilates conferences, webinars, and specialized trainings in person. Everyone explains things in their own unique way, and sometimes one perspective is exactly what I need for a detail to finally click. Tabitha Russell was such an inspiration to me when I attended a plenary session she delivered at Pilates on Tour Chicago. She spoke about the isolation she felt when she first entered the profession many years ago, and it prompted a moment of deep reflection for me. I thought about the warmth she later showed me as a stranger passing in the hallway at the conference, making a point to ensure I never felt the way she once did: isolated and alone in the field. That moment has stayed with me, and it continues to inspire me to pay that forward.
4. The best advice you were ever given as a teacher?
At the point of certification: we are just advanced beginners. In some instances, training can feel like learning a system in a black box. Until anyone starts seeing bodies move and understands human movement patterns and Pilates as a system, we're all well-educated beginners. It was an invitation to keep learning and studying because that is not a journey that is complete upon certification, it's just beginning.
5. Is there something you try and instil in each of your clients?
I remind my clients that consistency is what builds self-esteem. I often close class by acknowledging how hard it can be to carve out even one hour in a busy day, and how meaningful it is that they chose to show up for themselves. By doing so, they’re becoming stronger, more mobile, and more centered. I want them to leave knowing their practice is an act of self-care, and something to feel proud of.
6. The best Pilates course you ever did was?
Any sessions I’ve taken or observed with Amy Havens have been incredibly impactful. Before my first in-studio private, I watched one of her sessions on Pilates Anytime, which helped me better understand how to observe the body in front of me and tailor movements to the individual I was working with - both then and ever since. Amy also led a balance workshop at Pilates on Tour in Chicago that I loved. The level of detail and insight she shared has stayed with me and continues to inform my teaching today.
7. What’s your favourite piece of equipment to use with clients in studio and why?
I really appreciate all of the apparatuses as a part of the system, but there’s something especially enjoyable about the original magic of the Wunda or Exo Chair. It feels a bit more untouched, since it hasn’t been as widely adapted outside of Pilates, which brings a sense of purity to the group experience. Many people come to it without preconceived expectations, allowing them to fully enjoy the unique movement and intention that make it such a special part of the practice.
8. How do you stay motivated?
I have no shortage of motivation. I work fulltime outside of Pilates, and I still remember and believe in how it helped me, my body, and my nervous system. When people tell me how their day to day lives have improved, I remember why I'm here and the value we bring to participants' lives.
9. What makes you laugh the most?
One time during a particularly quiet moment in class, a member who'd never used the chair before said "...this thing sounds like old stairs!" And the silence broke as we all laughed -- to this day I still stifle a chuckle when there's a particularly talkative chair apparatus in the room and think of old stairs.
10. What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
In a park with snacks! I take my picnics very seriously, I have a portable speaker, insulated picnic basket, foldable lined picnic blanket and a supply of citronella candles. Add a book and snacks, and that is my favorite activity on a spring or fall day.
11. How many pairs of grip socks do you own? Do you love or hate a stretch band?
I probably have an embarrassingly small grip-sock collection compared to some peers. I love a band, they seem to be about as controversial as matcha and matching sets at the moment -- but I remain a stalwart fan of all three.
12. Does your family ‘really know’ what’s involved in your job?
Simplest answer - absolutely not!