Tai Chi, Qigong and Pilates Teacher Qualifications: What Exists

If you are looking for a tai chi, qigong or Pilates teacher, you will meet certificates, association memberships and training hours. This page explains what we could verify about each, what these credentials do not tell you, and how to check for yourself. It is not a directory, and we do not recommend any teacher, school or organization.

Tai chi and qigong

Tai chi and qigong come from Chinese traditions, and many styles and family lineages exist. See Tai Chi, Qigong and Tai Chi Styles: Yang, Chen, Sun and Wu.

The 2018 paper describes a situation where numerous private training institutions in Australia, China and the US offer certification programs without shared accreditation standards across institutions.[1] It also notes difficulty finding qualified instructors who have the clinical training to teach people with medical conditions.[1] The authors proposed an accreditation guideline through an association they helped found, so they have an interest in the topic. Read their account as a proposal, not as an established standard.

Examples of private bodies, described in their own words:

• National Qigong Association (US). It says it was founded in 1996 and is the longest-standing 501(c)(3) membership organization dedicated to qigong in the United States.[2] Its instructor certification is open to Professional Members, and its first level asks for at least 200 hours of documented qigong training.[3] It also says your teacher does not need to be NQA-certified for hours to count.[3] The page describes a review of documented hours; we did not see a test of teaching skill or safety described.
• Tai Chi Union for Great Britain (UK). It describes itself as founded over 30 years ago for people interested in tai chi chuan and other Chinese internal arts, and says its instructors are assessed by the union.[4] We did not read the assessment criteria.

For tai chi in the US, Proper evidence not found for a single national credential in the sources we read. We read the 2018 paper and one US program's own certification page; private, program-specific certificates exist, but we did not find one described as a national standard.

Pilates

• Pilates Method Alliance (PMA). It describes itself as the not-for-profit professional association dedicated to the Pilates field.[5] Its ITTAP accreditation evaluates teacher training programs, not the individual teachers who complete them.[6] That means a teacher's training program may be accredited, but ITTAP itself does not certify that teacher. The PMA also publishes a Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice, which describes the services a Pilates professional is deemed competent to perform, and has a process for ethics complaints about members.[7]
• Pilates Foundation (UK). It describes itself as a not-for-profit organisation.[8] Its matwork training pathway is for people who wish to teach matwork in private, group or fitness settings and comprises a minimum of 450 hours over 9 to 12 months.[9] Its comprehensive training, covering studio apparatus and matwork, includes a minimum of 1,050 hours over 16 to 24 months.[9]

For what a Pilates class involves and how it relates to other practices, see Pilates and The Pilates Method: History, Principles and Equipment.

What a credential does and does not tell you

How to check a teacher yourself

• Ask which organization certified them, how many hours the training took and how long ago. Then check that organization's own site.
• Ask whether they have taught people with your condition, and whether they adapt movements for pain, balance or age.
• Ask what insurance and first-aid training they hold.
• Ask for a trial class and watch whether the teacher offers options and respects your limits.
• If you have a health condition, tell your clinician and the teacher. NCCIH says people with health conditions should talk with their health care provider and the instructor.[10]

The same questions apply to yoga; see Questions to Ask a Yoga Teacher Before You Join and Yoga Alliance, RYT and Other Credentials. For how these roles compare with licensed clinicians, see Physical Therapists, Yoga Teachers and Trainers: Who Does What.