Body Form® Education
Can I Teach Reformer Pilates With an Online Course?
Yes, with the Fully Online Reformer certification. Here is exactly how it works.
The short answer
Yes, With a Real Reformer and Real Teaching.
Written by Kira-Leigh Rule, Physiotherapist and Founder of Body Form® Education. Last updated 14 November 2026.
Yes, you can qualify to teach Reformer Pilates through the Fully Online Reformer Pilates Teacher Training certification. It uses the same curriculum and assessments as the Hybrid pathway and leads to the same certificate. You still teach real people on a real Reformer, and you are assessed on a filmed class.
Employers, insurers and professional associations have their own requirements, so check with the one you plan to use.
| At a glance | Fully Online Reformer |
|---|---|
| Qualification | Certificate in Reformer Pilates Teacher Training Qualification, the same as Hybrid. The certificate does not show your pathway |
| Hours | 250+ |
| Online theory | 17 modules, self-paced, with no compulsory live classes |
| Practical learning | Recorded practical training led by Kira-Leigh, an exercise demonstration library and recorded classes |
| Practice teaching | 30 hours that you organise, on a Reformer you have access to |
| Assessments | 2 written programming and 2 practical teaching assessments, filmed and submitted online |
| Access | 8 months from enrolment. Many students finish between 4 and 6 months |
What you get
What the Fully Online Reformer Certification Includes
Everything in the Hybrid Reformer certification is in the Fully Online one except the in-person days. The practical side is delivered in five ways, all inside your learning portal.
17 Online Modules
- 136+ shared online hours across the 17 modules
- Anatomy, movement assessment, programming, cueing, pregnancy, special populations and professional practice
- Lessons, quizzes and digital manuals you keep
Recorded Practical Training
- Real practical training from Body Form intakes, led by Kira-Leigh Rule, a Physiotherapist
- Edited into individual videos you can pause, rewind and revisit for as long as you have access
Exercise Demonstration Library
- Setup and technique
- Progressions, regressions, layering and combinations
- Injury and pregnancy modifications
- Spring and prop considerations, teaching cues and ways to make an exercise harder or easier
Recorded Classes
- Real programming from actual Pilates classes
- See how sequencing, layering, transitions and coverage of each body area fit together
How to Progress Exercises
- You are taught how to progress an exercise, not just memorise it
- So you can choose the right next step for the person in front of you
Feedback and Certification
- Written feedback on every assessment
- One online Final Theory Examination of about 1.5 hours
- Your Body Form® Education certificate once every requirement is passed
The Reformer content covers footwork, supine foundations, planking, box and trunk programming, standing lower body, upper body push and pull, and the complete original repertoire, then goes beyond it into functional, dynamic movement. Spring selection and load are taught throughout. See the Reformer course page for the full curriculum.
Teaching real people
How Reformer Practice Teaching Works Online
Each discipline has 70 apprenticeship hours: 10 observation, 30 self-practice and 30 practice teaching. Practice teaching is where the online pathway becomes real teaching, and you organise it yourself.
Where You Do It
- A Pilates studio that welcomes student instructors
- A workplace or a hire agreement that gives you Reformer access
- A home or private setting with friends, family or volunteers
- Another suitable space with a Reformer
You do not need to complete your hours at a Body Form host location.
What Counts
- Actively instructing another person. You teach and they move
- Doing the exercises yourself is not practice teaching
- Teaching within your current competence
- Participant consent and a safe space
- Practice teaching hours are recorded in your apprenticeship logbook
When You Do It
After you officially enrol and alongside your online modules and other apprenticeship hours, at your own pace. Every hour must be complete before your certification is awarded, and some foundational knowledge first is recommended. Observation can include up to 4 hours online, and self-practice, where you take classes as a client, can be fully online.
The full breakdown is on the assessments and apprentice hours page.
Assessment
How Reformer Assessments Are Filmed and Submitted
You never travel to a training location. Each discipline has 2 written programming assessments and 2 practical teaching assessments. For each practical assessment you film yourself teaching a complete class with participants and submit it online.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Write | A written lesson plan for a 45 to 50 minute Reformer class. |
| Film | Teach that complete 45 to 50 minute class with participants. The recording must be one continuous, unedited take. |
| Participants | Assessment 1: at least 2 participants on Reformers. Assessment 2: a completely new plan with at least 4 participants at once and one suitable Reformer per participant, including a simulated third-trimester pregnancy and a simulated shoulder or back injury. |
| Submit | Upload the video and your lesson plan through your Kajabi learning portal, following the submission instructions in the portal. |
| Marked | By a Master Trainer from the Body Form assessment team, including Founder Kira-Leigh Rule, using assessment criteria and marking rubrics. Marking is within about two weeks of submission. |
| Feedback | If an assessment needs more development, you receive feedback on what to improve. You have three attempts at each assessment. |
Markers look at your programming, exercise selection, cueing, teaching technique, modifications, class structure and how well you apply what you have learned. Your participants are family, friends or community volunteers. They cannot be charged and they sign the supplied waiver. Assessment 1 must be passed before Assessment 2. Fully Online has no individual assessment deadlines, and everything is completed within your 8 months.
The full rules are on the assessments and apprentice hours page.
Recognition
What Recognition Applies
The training is internationally recognised, and the accreditation page explains what each body means and how to verify it. ITTAP accredits programs, not individual teachers. Recognition applies whether you complete Mat, Reformer or the full comprehensive pathway.
What Body Form Is
Body Form provides professional Pilates teacher training rather than an Australian government issued vocational Diploma.
What You Need to Check
Employers, insurers and professional associations have their own requirements. Before you enrol, ask the one you plan to use what they accept. Body Form® Education does not guarantee employment, insurance, a visa or professional registration.
Host studios may recruit or recommend graduates, but Body Form® Education does not guarantee employment. Body Form education supports safe teaching and adaptation. It does not qualify graduates to diagnose, treat or provide clinical care.
Before you enrol
What You Need Before You Start
Fully Online is self-paced, but it is not equipment free. Line these up before you start your practice teaching.
Reformer Access
- Reliable access to a Reformer for your practice teaching and your filmed classes
- That can be a studio, a workplace, a hire agreement or a home studio
- For Assessment 2, one suitable Reformer for each participant
- Studio or equipment hire is not included in tuition, and Body Form® Education does not arrange or pay for access
People to Teach
- At least 2 participants for Assessment 1 and at least 4 for Assessment 2
- Family, friends or community volunteers who sign the waiver
- Enough space to teach and film a complete 45 to 50 minute class safely
You do not need a Mat qualification first, and you do not need previous Pilates or teaching experience.
Compare
Fully Online or Hybrid for Reformer?
Both pathways use the same curriculum and assessment standards and earn the same qualification. You have 8 months of access either way.
| Reformer | Hybrid | Fully Online |
|---|---|---|
| Price (AUD) | AUD $2,950 in person in Australia. Other locations are priced in local currency | AUD $2,350 |
| Practical training | 14 practical hours with a local Master Trainer, usually across 2 to 3 days. Equipment is provided on practical days | Recorded practical training led by Kira-Leigh, an exercise demonstration library and recorded classes |
| Live classes | Scheduled practical days with 100% attendance required | No compulsory live classes. Self-paced |
| Travel | To a host location. See Locations and Dates | None needed |
| Assessments | 2 written programming and 2 practical teaching assessments | The same, filmed and submitted online |
| Assessment timing | Due 3 and 6 weeks after your final practical day, both passed within 12 weeks | No individual deadlines. Everything is completed within 8 months |
| Support | Your Master Trainer and an intake WhatsApp group | The education team and lesson comments in your portal |
| Certificate | Certificate in Reformer Pilates Teacher Training Qualification | The same certificate. It does not show your pathway |
AUD prices include GST for Australian buyers. There is no GST outside Australia. Prices outside Australia differ by location and are on the pricing page by region. The Mat + Reformer Double is on the same page.
A Fully Online student may be able to upgrade to Hybrid, considered individually and with the price difference paid. A Hybrid student cannot move to Fully Online. Read Hybrid vs Fully Online in detail and the Hybrid and Fully Online questions.
Is it for you
Who Fully Online Reformer Suits
Fully Online suits you if you can arrange a Reformer and want to study on your own schedule. Hybrid suits you if you want hands-on feedback in the room.
You Live Far From an Intake
- Complete your certification without travelling to a practical intake
- Locations without dates show Join the waitlist on the locations page
You Study Around Work or Family
- Self-paced, with no compulsory live classes
- You never have to arrange your week around a class time
You Can Get to a Reformer
- A studio, workplace, hire agreement or home studio
- Enough regular access for 30 practice teaching hours and your filmed classes
You Already Teach Another Method
- Add Reformer, or deepen your spring, load and programming knowledge
- Reformer is a standalone qualification
You Work in Health or Fitness
- A framework for Reformer in rehabilitation and exercise prescription
- Built on applied anatomy and biomechanics, and Physiotherapy-led
Hybrid May Suit You Better If
- You want a Master Trainer correcting you in the room
- You want a cohort around you
- You would rather use the equipment provided on practical days, although you still need Reformer access for practice teaching and assessments
“I was skeptical about doing an online course as I'm located in South Africa, but it has been such a beautiful experience.”
What an Online Course Does Not Include
I would rather you know this before you pay.
- No in-person practical days, and no cohort in the room
- No Master Trainer correcting you on a Reformer in person. Your feedback comes on your assessments and through your portal
- No scheduled one-on-one mentoring included
Not sure which pathway fits? Read Fully Online Pilates teacher training, ask yourself a few questions at Ask yourself, or see the course hours and how long the course takes.
Questions
Is the Fully Online Reformer qualification the same as the Hybrid one?
Yes. Fully Online students complete the same curriculum, apprentice hours and assessments as Hybrid students and receive the same certificate. The certificate does not show which pathway you took. Fully Online is not easier or shorter.
Do I need to own a Reformer?
No, but you need reliable access to one for your practice teaching and your filmed classes. That can be a studio, a workplace, a hire agreement or a home studio, and Body Form® Education does not arrange or pay for equipment access. For Assessment 2 you need one suitable Reformer for each participant.
Do I need a Mat qualification before Reformer?
No. Reformer is a standalone entry-level qualification and Mat is not a prerequisite. No previous Pilates, anatomy, fitness or health-professional qualification is required. If you want both disciplines, the Mat + Reformer Double Certification covers them in one enrolment.
Where do I do my 30 practice teaching hours?
You organise them yourself, on a Reformer you have access to, and you do not need to use a Body Form host location. Good places are a Pilates studio that welcomes student instructors, a workplace or hire agreement that gives you Reformer access, a home or private setting with friends, family or volunteers, or another suitable space with a Reformer. Practice teaching means actively instructing another person, within your current competence and with their consent.
Who marks my filmed Reformer class, and how long does it take?
A Master Trainer from the Body Form assessment team marks your submission within about two weeks. If an assessment needs more development, you receive feedback on what to improve, and you have three attempts at each assessment.
Are there live classes or one-on-one mentoring?
No live classes are compulsory, and no scheduled one-on-one mentoring is included. You can ask questions in the lesson comments in your learning portal and contact the education team about content, apprenticeship requirements, assessment instructions or feedback. Separate one-on-one mentoring is available to instructors who want more personalised guidance.
Will employers, insurers and professional associations accept an online qualification?
That depends on the employer, insurer or association, and each has its own requirements. Body Form® Education teacher training is ITTAP accredited through the Pilates Method Alliance, mapped with AUSactive in Australia, and audited and verified by Pilates Aotearoa in New Zealand. Check with the one you plan to use before you enrol. Body Form® Education does not guarantee employment, insurance, visa or registration outcomes.
How long will it take and what does it cost?
You have 8 months of access, and many students finish between 4 and 6 months. Reformer is 250+ hours, which is about 7 hours a week if you spread it across the 8 months. You can pay in full, in 12 weekly payments or in 6 monthly payments. Fully Online Reformer is AUD $2,350 and in person in Australia it is AUD $2,950. AUD prices include GST for Australian buyers. There is no GST outside Australia. Plan totals are on the pricing page.
Accredited and Recognised
Body Form® Education teacher training is ITTAP accredited through the Pilates Method Alliance, mapped with AUSactive in Australia, and audited and verified by Pilates Aotearoa in New Zealand. This applies whether you complete Mat, Reformer or the full comprehensive pathway. Employment, insurance, visa and professional registration requirements vary by country and employer, so check the requirements where you plan to teach. CPD certifications are continuing education for qualified instructors.
Recognition and accreditation
