Passing the Torch™ Mentorship Program with Tom McCook

January 2012 - November 2012

We're excited to announce Tom McCook's "Passing the Torch" mentorship program with Balanced Body! This program showcases Master Pilates instructors who help shape the next generation of leaders in the Pilates community.

Passing the Torch™ is designed for Pilates instructors who have been teaching Pilates for a minimum of 3 years and long for a deepening of their work through a mentorship program with a master teacher.

About Tom's Program

My Passing the Torch program is designed to help Pilates instructors expand their ability to be skillful, compassionate and inspiring teachers by enhancing their expertise and awareness through practical training and personal exploration. I strongly believe in the importance of teaching from embodiment, where teachers can lead clients to where they have gone personally in their own awareness.

Students who mentor with me will dive deep into refining their understanding of the Pilates repertoire system and will be encouraged to develop a broader view, so they can be more effective with their clients and in their life. My mentorship program offers a synthesis of my training and life experiences in a variety of areas — bodywork, somatic movement, Pilates, yoga, Franklin Method, CoreAlign, BodyCode, resistance stretching, meditation and life coaching — as well as my experience working with diverse populations and elite athletes.

We will look at what it means to be effective in a session. You will learn:

• how to create a space for optimal learning by managing your own presence.
• how to tailor a program to meet the specific needs of the "client in front of you."
• how to consciously teach movement and exercise through honest communication.

In my program, students will work on developing movement and teaching skills in conjunction with a personal practice. Based on my coaching course "Embodying a Balanced Life," students will develop a program for their own life in terms of work, play, personal care, relationship, and inspiration. Combined with a meditation practice, this coaching course is the backdrop of my program.

My goal is to encourage teachers to recognize that their personal balance best serves them in having a successful career. It will also give them the tools to ensure that they have deeper relationships and healthy boundaries with their clients, peers, and people in their lives.

It is an honor and privilege to be part of Passing the Torch advanced program through Balanced Body. I appreciate and am fully committed to the process of being a mentor. I've been very fortunate to have had several mentors who gave me guidance, recognition and modeling that helped shape my life. I am inspired to pass along what I have learned and what I continue to learn on my journey. I hope you'll join me for this transformative opportunity!

The format of the program will include teaching segments, supervised teaching and practice, group discussion and lecture, home study, and monthly conference calls. With my instruction, support and feedback, students will work on the following core areas:

Pilates Skill Enhancement

• Improve understanding of the Pilates repertoire through detailed classroom review of the commonalities and differences of using each piece of equipment and why.
• Teach logical progressions of exercises in mat and equipment classes, and private sessions.
• Design sequencing movements to help clients make key body connections.
• Learn to skillfully blend Yoga and Pilates to broaden and enrich class offerings.
• Understand Yoga and Pilates movements from the perspective of proper function and correct mechanics.

Movement & Function

• Identify and address physical imbalance - statically and in motion.
• Develop assessment skills through a clear understanding of functional anatomy and imagery.
• Learn effective resistance stretching techniques to build strength and flexibility.
• Work skillfully and safely with diverse populations.

Art of Touch

• Perform hands-on cueing and myofascial release.
• Develop the ability to absorb information through hands-on techniques.
• Apply skillful adjustments during movement.
• Integrate manual stretching, bodywork and yoga techniques into Pilates sessions.

Personal Development

• Develop a plan for balanced living through goal-setting and self-assessment.
• Cultivate a meditation practice for awareness, purpose and clarity.
• Explore and apply life coaching skills to teaching and as a way to promote personal balance.
• Define and create a path for career success.

Venue - Center of Balance

The program will meet at Center of Balance in Mountain View, CA, the educational center I founded in 1997 and co-own with my wife and business partner, Karen deMoor. With a talented staff of instructors, our mission is to inspire life-long wellness through conscious movement and self-awareness practices. The community we've created is supportive and team-oriented, where everyone is committed to self-development and teaching excellence. We continue to develop and share innovative mind/body concepts, which makes Center of Balance a rich learning environment for teachers and students alike.

Schedule and Format

This is a 10-month process of learning and personal development:

• Course sessions meet 4 times in 3-day intensives
• Monthly group conference calls
• Self-study with meditation, life coaching, reading and practice assignments

Course Sessions

January 20 – 22, 2012
May 18 – 20, 2012
Aug 10 – 12, 2012
Nov 9 - 11, 2012

Hours

Friday 1:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Saturday 11:30 am – 7:30 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Cost

4 payments of $990, due prior to each Course Session.

Payment Plan:

$990 — due by January 20, 2012
$990 — due by May 18, 2012
$990 — due by Aug 17, 2012
$990 — due by Nov 9, 2012

Prerequisites

For teachers with a minimum of 3 years as a certified Pilates instructor from a recognized Pilates teacher training program. Also, students must have a strong commitment to their personal and professional development, and be willing to share and participate fully in this 10-month program. Application and personal interview with Tom required for acceptance.