Pilates Teacher Training & Certification in Orlando, FL
Why Soteria Education?
Most Pilates certification programs teach exercises.
We teach instructors how to think.
At Soteria Education, you’ll learn to assess movement, understand biomechanics, apply critical thinking, and coach with confidence. Our goal is to prepare movement professionals who can adapt to the individual in front of them, not simply teach a memorized sequence.
Experience The Soteria Education Difference
Three Principles That Guide Everything We Teach
Critical Thinking Over Memorization
Learn to understand movement, solve problems, and make confident clinical decisions instead of relying on choreography alone.
People Over Programming
Every client is different. Learn how to assess, adapt, and individualize movement based on the person—not the exercise.
Lifelong Learning Over Certification
Certification is the beginning of your professional journey. We prepare instructors to keep growing throughout their careers.
Meet The Instructors
Jessica Olin
FOUNDER/OWNER
MASTER TRAINER
OPERATIONS & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
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After 30 years in the health and wellness industry, Jess created Soteria Education with a simple belief: great movement professionals never stop learning.
As a Licensed Massage Therapist, NASM Certified Strength & Conditioning Coach, Certified Personal Trainer, Jess has spent her career working with real bodies, real injuries and real life limitations. Through that experience, she recognized a gap in education, one that goes beyond exercises and certifications to truly understanding the body, moving with intention, and confidently coaching the person in front of you.
Soteria Education was built to bridge that gap.
Jess’s mission is to share her knowledge in a practical, approachable way that helps instructors become more confident, curious, and effective in how they teach.
Her philosophy is simple: never stop learning, never stop asking why, and never forget that every BODY has a story.
Because when we understand movement better, we help people move better.
Naiza Davila
CO-FOUNDER & DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION
PROGRAM COORDINATOR
MENTOR
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Naiza has never been good at sitting still. Sports, cheerleading, dance, all of it, long before she could explain why she needed it.
A divorce in mid 2012 sent her into her own version of Eat, Pray, Love, and she came out of it wanting to walk alongside people while they figured out their own way through. Coaching certification followed in 2013, yoga in 2014. Then spinal issues sidelined her, and getting out of it took longer than she wanted and taught her more than she expected. Pilates showed up in 2016 with the precision she’d been missing. She went comprehensive and has been teaching it ever since. A serious accident in 2023 sent her back to the beginning, and she built her way out with the same tools she hands her clients.
She trains teachers to watch before they talk. Most of what a body is doing is visible if you know where to look, and you can’t guide what you haven’t noticed. What you say only helps if you saw it first.
Central Florida has been home for over 35 years. When the Pilates hat comes off, she’s with her partner Pete and her children, finding an adventure or saying yes to impromptu friend hangouts. Once both littles are in school and studio life calms down, she plans to pursue a master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, since so much of what surfaces in a session lives above the shoulders, past the heart, somewhere closer to the soul.
Ciara Feliciano Lopez
LEAD INSTRUCTOR
MENTOR
SALES & MEMBER ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST
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Ciara Feliciano Lopez wears many hats and loves reading, video games and board games. She is a fully comprehensively certified instructor with three years of teaching under her belt, she’s known on the floor for detailed cueing and thoughtful programming that meets each body where it is. Behind the scenes, she’s the person who makes sure every member feels supported and connected to the community. And as a mentor in our teacher training program, she guides the next generation of instructors with the same care and high standards she brings to her own teaching.
Certification Pathways
At Soteria Education, your education doesn’t have to be a follow a one-size-fits-all path. Our program is meant to be a hybrid of online and in person. We offer customizable modular and dual-track pathways designed to give you the flexibility to build your training in a way that works for you.
Start with Mat or a Mat + Reformer dual certification, then expand your education one apparatus at a time as you’re ready. Or, if your goal is Comprehensive Certification, choose a pathway that allows you to progress through the full program at your own pace.
Whether you want to specialize in one area or work toward comprehensive training, you can build your Soteria Education around your goals, your timeline, and the way you want to grow as an instructor.
MAT PILATES CERTIFICATION
Build Your Foundation. Find Your Teaching Voice.
Mat is where the fundamentals of Pilates come to life—and where great instructors learn how to see, understand, and coach movement.
Soteria’s Mat Pilates Certification goes beyond memorizing exercises. You’ll learn the complete Mat repertoire while developing the anatomy knowledge, programming skills, cueing techniques, and hands-on teaching experience you need to confidently work with real bodies.
And because mentorship is at the heart of Soteria Education, you won’t be expected to figure it all out on your own. You’ll practice teaching, receive feedback, ask questions, and develop your skills with guidance throughout the process.
YOUR TRAINING INCLUDES
- Complete Mat Levels 1–3 repertoire
- Progressions, regressions & modifications
- Applied anatomy & biomechanics
- Intelligent cueing & teaching methodology
- Class sequencing & purposeful programming
- Special populations & common injuries
- Teaching labs & supervised practice
- Hands-on mentorship & feedback
- Written & practical examinations
START HERE. BUILD FROM HERE.
Mat Certification can stand on its own or become the first step in your larger Soteria Education pathway.
Continue by adding Reformer, move into our Mat + Reformer Dual Certification, or build apparatus by apparatus toward your 500-Hour Comprehensive Certification.
Your education doesn’t have to happen all at once.
Start with a strong foundation. Build your education as you grow.
IDEAL FOR
Aspiring Pilates instructors • Fitness & movement professionals • Personal trainers • Wellness professionals • Anyone ready to turn their passion for movement into confident, intelligent teaching
Learn the movement. Understand the body. Teach with purpose.
Dual Certification
Mat + Reformer
Two Foundations. One Complete Starting Point.
Our Mat + Reformer Dual Certification goes beyond learning repertoire. You’ll develop the knowledge, confidence and real-world teaching skills to work with the body in front of you.
What makes Soteria Education Different? Mentorship is built into your education. Through hands-on-training, teaching labs, supervised practice, and personalized feedback, we help you understand not just what to teach, but why.
Includes:
- Mat levels 1-3 repertoire & progressions
- Reformer levels 1-3 + Jump Board
- Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics
- Teaching labs, supervised practice and mentorship
- Group & Private Programming
- Special Populations, Injuries and Modifications
- Written & Practical Examinations
- Paid Apprenticeship Opportunities
Ideal for new instructors and experienced movement professionals, certified personal trainers and physical therapists who want a strong foundation, personalized mentorship, and the confidence to teach in the real world.
Learn it. Understand it. Teach it with confidence.
Full Comprehensive Certification
Master the Full System. Learn to See the Whole Body.
Our most advanced pathway combines comprehensive Pilates education giving you the skills to teach across the full traditional repertoire while confidently working with a wide range of bodies, injuries, and special populations for pre and post rehab.
Includes:
● Complete Mat + Reformer mastery: All Levels + Jump Board
● Chair, Cadillac/Tower/Spring Board/Push Through Bar/Ladder Barrel/Spine Corrector & All Props
● Advanced Anatomy & Biomechanics
● Special Populations & Injuries
● Postural, Movement & Gait Assessment
● Corrective Exercise Principles & Modifications
● Advanced Programming for Groups, Privates & Specialized clients
● Teaching labs, Mentorship & Supervised Practice
● Paid Apprenticeship Opportunities
● Business & Studio-Readiness
Foundations
● Written & Practical Examinations
This pathway develops highly skilled, adaptable instructors who can assess, program, modify, and teach with purpose, not simply follow a repertoire or memorized choreography.
Ideal for career-focused instructors, future studio owners, and movement and rehab professionals who want the confidence and expertise to work with clients from fitness through rehab.
See the Body. Understand the Why. Program with Purpose. SAVE LIVES.
Testimonials
Frequently Asked Questions
Why Choose Soteria Education?
Our training is rooted in movement science and biomechanics, not just choreography. You learn why every exercise works and how to adapt it for a real client in front of you — whether they’re recovering from injury, postpartum, or training for performance. Small cohorts mean you’re mentored, not processed.
Do I need to be an experienced Pilates Practitioner first?
No, but a consistent personal practice helps enormously. We recommend a base of studio sessions before you begin so the repertoire is familiar in your own body. If you’re not there yet, we’ll help you build toward it — many of our trainees start as Soteria clients.
What will I be Certified To Teach?
We offer three programs: Mat, Dual (Mat + Reformer), and Full Comprehensive — all grounded in functional anatomy with the assessment and cueing skills to program safely for a wide range of bodies. Most students choose Dual: it’s in high demand, and mat and Reformer were always meant to go together, just as Joe intended. We build Reformer strength first, because the springs assist you where you’re weak and resist you where you’re building strength — preparing your body for mat. You graduate ready to teach group and private clients with confidence.
How is the program structured?
It combines hybrid coursework you complete on your own online via Kajabi schedule with hands on in-studio training weekends and a supervised student labs. Coursework builds in a deliberate sequence, so each module prepares you for the next rather than standing alone.
What makes this different from Stott/Balanced Body and other Big Box Educators?
At the big-box programs you’re one of thousands, and mentorship isn’t part of the deal — they charge extra for test-outs and student supervision, and graduation rates stay low because no one is supporting you or holding you accountable. Here you train directly with founder Jess Olin, co-founder Naiza Davila, and our senior educators in a small group, in a working studio, teaching real members from early on. We hold every authorized training center to the same standard of quality, so you leave with mentorship and a network, not just a certificate — and you’re never just a number.
Are you affiliated with the PMA & NPCP? Is this an accredited program?
Yes. Soteria Education is an approved training school for the National Pilates Certifying Program (NPCP), and we hold a Corporate Silver membership with the Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). Right now the industry is essentially unregulated — the Wild West — where anyone can earn a “Pilates certification” online or over a single weekend and start teaching bodies they aren’t trained to keep safe. That puts the public at risk and dilutes the work of instructors who took the craft seriously. Our affiliations are our answer to that: they mean our curriculum is held to nationally recognized standards, our training is comprehensive rather than a shortcut, and you graduate prepared to sit for the NPCP certification exam — the credential most widely respected across the profession. When you train with us, you’re not buying a piece of paper. You’re earning a certification that proves you can program safely and effectively for real bodies, that commands higher pay than the weekend-certified crowd, and that travels with you wherever your teaching career takes you.
How do student teaching hours work: observations, self practice etc.
Practice, observation, and student-teaching hours are completed in our studios and self-reported on the honor system, the industry standard. We encourage you to observe as many instructors and class styles as you can — it’s how you find your own voice as a teacher.
Where and When do courses take place?
Training happens at our Maitland and Winter Garden studios in Central Florida, with in-person weekends scheduled around working lives and hybrid coursework you complete between them. Book your discovery call today to join the next cohort. We also have Authorized Training Centers in Tampa and Tennessee and coming soon Ft Myers, FL
I am already certified elsewhere, is there a bridge program?
Often, yes. If you’ve trained with another recognized program, some or all of your prior coursework may transfer. Contact us with your background and we’ll map out the shortest path to completing your certification with Soteria.
Is there a final assessment?
Yes. Completion includes a practical exam — demonstrating class design, exercise selection, progressions and regressions, and safe equipment setup — alongside a written exam covering Anatomy and Movement Principles. Practical exams are completed in person by your educator or virtually via Google Meet. Written Exams are proctored in person or virtually as well.
What is included in the tuition and what does it cost?
Tuition covers your online coursework through Kajabi, your digital manual, in-studio training weekends, and mentorship. What’s NOT included are group classes, memberships, and private training — though student discounts apply — and optional streaming platforms like YouTube or Pilates Anytime for your own observation and self-practice, which are at your own cost. Student liability insurance is not included as well. Program pricing and payment plans are shared during your discovery call so we can match you to the right program — reach out and we’ll walk you through it.
Soteria Educator Partnership
Apply to Be an Authorized Training Center
Make A Difference In Your Community. Create Quality Instructors In Your Area.
The large programs are excellent at scale, but you’re one of thousands. Here you train directly with founder Jess Olin and co-founder Naiza Davila and our senior educators in a small group, in a working studio, teaching real members from early on. You leave with mentorship and a network, not just a certificate.