The master of every craft, hobby and passion was once a novice.
Kennesaw State professor Emily Berreth discovered her love for Pilates and yoga during her time as a student at the University of Georgia. Now, Berreth teaches classes through the Department of Health Promotion and Physical education to spread joy and relaxation to students.
Berreth currently teaches beginning Pilates at KSU in addition to her classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the College of Professional Education at KSU.
Berreth’s methods of teaching Pilates and yoga recently paid off in a big way when she won the title of ‘Best College University Local Professor’ for the MDJ’s Best of Cobb 2019 list. She said that it was exciting and gratifying to witness the flood of support that she received throughout the voting process, as the award reflects the voices of her own students.
Berreth said that her biggest hope for students is that they leave her classes with improved feelings of self-confidence and a renewed sense of calm. She said that her classes are the perfect opportunity to meet fellow students from all walks of life.
“You meet people from different majors, different years in school, different backgrounds and you all come together for one common purpose which is to feel better and exercise,” Berreth said.
Berreth encourages students to join her classes for a fun and community-building activity. She said that with Pilates and yoga, everyone can learn something that they can take out of the classroom, no matter their level of experience.
The role of a professor is one Berreth fell into naturally, but it wasn’t always her dream.
“I didn’t graduate from school and say ‘I wanna be a Pilates teacher,’” Berreth said. “I just knew that it made me feel good and that I would continue.”
It is thanks to the encouragement from friends and family in her life that Berreth eventually decided to give teaching a try.
“Once I [started teaching] I got so much benefit from the interaction [with] the students,” Berreth said. “It just felt so natural.”
Berreth began her official career as a professor of physical education in 2014 but she first began teaching Pilates and yoga classes in January of 2010 through the OLLI, Berreth said that her progression from instructor to professor felt almost instinctive.
Berreth said that she realized the importance of physical activity while attending Pilates classes at UGA’s recreation center during her college years. As a student, Berreth was dealing with the stress of deadlines and other activities, but she said that Pilates helped relieve her anxieties.
“I felt so much better,” Berreth said. “I could think more clearly and I could do more work and I could be more productive. I could see my posture improving, my breathing improving — it just feel like it all flowed so well.”
Since then, Berreth has gone on to master the craft of Pilates in order to pass that positive energy on to others.
“There’s so much variety in what we do that you can take something and use it for the rest of your life,” Berreth said. “This is one class where you’re just kind of doing it for yourself and meeting new people.”
For information on the Department of Health Promotion and Physical Education, visit wellstarcollege.kennesaw.edu/hpe/index.php. To learn more about yoga and Pilates at KSU, visit cpe.kennesaw.edu/blog/yoga-and-pilates.
