For those of you who know me well, you know that I will obviously spend some time talking about fitness on this blog! Well luckily I have been doing a lot of exercise since Yasmin’s fitness business is directly next door to her apartment building.
When she and I first connected in 2006 on her first trip out for her Pilates certification, I was amazed by how similar we were in our passion for fitness and entrepreneurial spirit. Yasmin had been working as a Personal Trainer for over 10 years, often called in by Bollywood stars and models, when she decided to pursue her education further by learning Pilates in the states. On her second trip out (while she stayed with us for 6 weeks), we spent countless hours talking about the state of the industry and future of Pilates expansion in her country. I’ve been looking forward to seeing her studio and how it functions.
Much smaller than I expected (remember overpopulation!), the place is crowded with people as her 4 trainers work with a variety of clients on the weight machines, cardio equipment and Power Plate (vibrating machine). Yasmin is currently the primary Pilates instructor. The economic of the society don’t allow her to place her trainers through the rigors of the Pilates certification in the state; it’s just too expensive as clients only pay approximately $30 a session. Instead she works as the primary Pilates instructor while she slowly trains in her staff on the exercises herself. She has amazed me with her ability to pick up her Pilates training so quickly and I know it’s been a struggle for her to teach the last few years with no other instructors around her to feed off of and learn new things.
It’s been a pleasure for me to spend some time with her to go over exercises and talk shop. I’ve noticed that the “culture’ of the place is a little different; with people working on top of each other, there is a lot of chatting and interruptions. The Pilates machines are directly behind the Power Plate s
o it’s far from tranquil. Loud music from ABBA to Bollywood sounds blare through the gym while the AC blasts from a window unit above. The trainers have been watching our sessions as I’ve trained a few of her clients. I’ve included a pic of me training one of the “runway” models who plans to participate in fashion week in late October while 2 of the trainers look on.
I taught a Mat Pilates class today (5 people, pic included) which is done in her home since there is more room there to place mats on the floor. I couldn’t help while teaching to look out the window at the amazing view of the Arabian Sea! In general the focus here is on “weight loss” and many people in the community still haven’t caught on to the concept of strength training. Much like in the States, people are looking for the quick fix; a battle Yasmin faces daily. Of course there is a strong hold of Yoga in India, but I haven’t seen or heard of anyone actually doing Yoga with the people I’ve been hanging around with. I hope to experience going to a Yoga studio along my travels.
I know Yasmin’s biggest struggle with her business is the lack of punctuality and reliability amongst her clients. With India having such a “family and community” feeling, many people cancel last minute because they feel like she’s a fellow family member. Also it’s challenging for her to over price herself because people here tend to bargain and negotiate and look for good value. It’s difficult to rely on instructors as well, often finding that they might pick up and leave after completing training with Yasmin. All the business advice I could offer, is useless out here.
We visited a spinning class at the local Gold’s Gym, which is the major franchise player out here. Again we walked into a run-down looking building and climbed an elevator to find a nice, clean, fully quipped, AC’d facility that could look like it was in So Cal. The spin instructor gave us cues similar to a class in the states, of course with a different accent!
It’s great to observe how the “fitness world” functions out here and I’m glad to have had an opportunity to put my training to good use.
When she and I first connected in 2006 on her first trip out for her Pilates certification, I was amazed by how similar we were in our passion for fitness and entrepreneurial spirit. Yasmin had been working as a Personal Trainer for over 10 years, often called in by Bollywood stars and models, when she decided to pursue her education further by learning Pilates in the states. On her second trip out (while she stayed with us for 6 weeks), we spent countless hours talking about the state of the industry and future of Pilates expansion in her country. I’ve been looking forward to seeing her studio and how it functions.
Much smaller than I expected (remember overpopulation!), the place is crowded with people as her 4 trainers work with a variety of clients on the weight machines, cardio equipment and Power Plate (vibrating machine). Yasmin is currently the primary Pilates instructor. The economic of the society don’t allow her to place her trainers through the rigors of the Pilates certification in the state; it’s just too expensive as clients only pay approximately $30 a session. Instead she works as the primary Pilates instructor while she slowly trains in her staff on the exercises herself. She has amazed me with her ability to pick up her Pilates training so quickly and I know it’s been a struggle for her to teach the last few years with no other instructors around her to feed off of and learn new things.
It’s been a pleasure for me to spend some time with her to go over exercises and talk shop. I’ve noticed that the “culture’ of the place is a little different; with people working on top of each other, there is a lot of chatting and interruptions. The Pilates machines are directly behind the Power Plate s
o it’s far from tranquil. Loud music from ABBA to Bollywood sounds blare through the gym while the AC blasts from a window unit above. The trainers have been watching our sessions as I’ve trained a few of her clients. I’ve included a pic of me training one of the “runway” models who plans to participate in fashion week in late October while 2 of the trainers look on.I taught a Mat Pilates class today (5 people, pic included) which is done in her home since there is more room there to place mats on the floor. I couldn’t help while teaching to look out the window at the amazing view of the Arabian Sea! In general the focus here is on “weight loss” and many people in the community still haven’t caught on to the concept of strength training. Much like in the States, people are looking for the quick fix; a battle Yasmin faces daily. Of course there is a strong hold of Yoga in India, but I haven’t seen or heard of anyone actually doing Yoga with the people I’ve been hanging around with. I hope to experience going to a Yoga studio along my travels.
I know Yasmin’s biggest struggle with her business is the lack of punctuality and reliability amongst her clients. With India having such a “family and community” feeling, many people cancel last minute because they feel like she’s a fellow family member. Also it’s challenging for her to over price herself because people here tend to bargain and negotiate and look for good value. It’s difficult to rely on instructors as well, often finding that they might pick up and leave after completing training with Yasmin. All the business advice I could offer, is useless out here.
We visited a spinning class at the local Gold’s Gym, which is the major franchise player out here. Again we walked into a run-down looking building and climbed an elevator to find a nice, clean, fully quipped, AC’d facility that could look like it was in So Cal. The spin instructor gave us cues similar to a class in the states, of course with a different accent!
It’s great to observe how the “fitness world” functions out here and I’m glad to have had an opportunity to put my training to good use.
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1 comment:
This is a slice of life we definitely did not see on our trip last December. :o) Thanks for letting us in on your specialty, and Yasmin's as well!
-- Nancy (Anya Rashi's mama)
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