Instructor Spotlight: Andrea Jobbagy
We speak with Pilates Instructor Andrea Jobbagy about her Pilates career to date.
1. Tell us a little about yourself and your Pilates background
I'm Andrea. I currently live in Hungary which is where I was born. I moved to the UK at the age of 18 after I finished my A-levels also known as the European Baccalaureate. I spent 20 years in the UK during which I pursued higher education and established a thriving Pilates studio in Oxford called Oxford Pilates.
2. How did you discover Pilates?
I discovered Pilates while pursuing my Sports Therapy diploma at Thames Valley University Reading College. My tutor, a Pilates enthusiast herself, encouraged me to enrol in a Pilates course to enhance my skillset as a sports therapist.
3. How do you keep learning?
I am a curious person in general. I love learning, I go to workshops and conferences regularly, and I enjoy listening to podcasts. But the best teachers are my clients - nothing can replace the experience that you gain while teaching and meeting different people with different needs and personalities.
4. The best advice you were ever given as a teacher…
Learn the art of pausing and embracing the concept of 'less is more'. This is particularly important between cues as we need to allow clients time to process initial instructions, absorb cues and feel their impact before introducing the next instruction.
5. Is there something you try and instil in each of your clients?
Everyone is different so I don't think there is one particular thing I would emphasise with every client. ...other than teach them how to listen to their own body.
6. The best Pilates course you ever did was…
I trained with Polestar Pilates UK and I think they are great. I have also done workshops with Eric Franklin which is not technically Pilates but his courses in my opinion give lots of practical tools for any movement professional.
7. What’s your favourite piece of equipment to use with clients in studio and why?
This really depends on what I am trying to achieve. I use all the equipment and often use a variety of equipment within the one session. However, I am also very happy to teach just a mat class with no equipment at all. The focus is always on the 'body' and what the individual needs rather than the latest equipment I may have at my studio.
8. How do you stay motivated?
I work out, go to classes, network with other instructors, see my clients progress, mentor new instructors whose enthusiasm is infectious, set goals for myself and continuously evolve.
9. What makes you laugh the most?
I like clever wordplay or witty observations. My brother is a master of that. He can just say one word at a family table and everyone bursts out laughing.
10. What’s your favourite way to spend a day off?
With friends.
11. How many pairs of grip socks do you own?
I admit I don’t have that many pairs of for a Pilates instructor...maybe 5. There are many different types of stretch bands but I generally like them because they are lightweight and don't take up space. This means you can even take them on holiday and have a full-body resistance workout while you are on the go.
12. Does your family ‘really know’ what’s involved in your job?
No. They don't. My dad describes Pilates as ‘stretching and gymnastics’. I think my mum understands more what Pilates is as a method, but I am also self-employed, run my own business, workshops and am currently working on a teacher training program… there is a lot involved in being a Pilates instructor. It is not just about ‘teaching some choreographed moves’.
Andrea owns Oxford Pilates in London, UK. You find her studio here.