I just returned from my first Yogafit training experience in Savannah, GA, this weekend. I am still a LOT tired, but I had some thoughts I wanted to write out while things were still fresh in my mind.
I have been comtemplating beginning a yoga instructor training process for some time. I have been practicing yoga for more than 20 years, off and on. I started out with a Raquel Welch yoga VHS back in college, and I have taken several varieties of classes in different settings throughout the years. I have loved some of the classes and others were not a great fit. But yoga itself appeals to many parts of me. It's not just great exercise, but it leaves me feeling peaceful, grounded, and connected with my inner light.
However, I had many obstacles to instructor training. It is very expensive in a lot of studios. If I did a local training program, I would have to commit one weekend every month, regardless of my personal life and schedule. I would also have had to shell out $3,000 all at once. Having three kids either in, or getting close to college, the training programs in my town were just not a good fit. Also, as an ACE-certified group fitness instructor and personal trainer, I needed a training program that would also get me ACE-approved Continuing Ed credits.
Yogafit allowed me to get my ConEd, to study on my own schedule, and to pay for workshops one at a time instead of all up front, so it worked for my needs.
I chose to take my class in Savannah, GA, because the timing worked and I had never been to that city before, so I got to take a little mini-vacation. My husband came along, and he got to tour the city during the day.
Our workshop began bright and early Saturday morning. At 8 am. We spent about the first hour reading a section of the manual that took me like, 20 minutes to read. So I had time to re-read. And lay on the floor. And check my email. And take a tiny nap. Around 9, after introducing ourselves to one another, we began our yoga practice for the morning. It is always a pleasure to take a class with a master trainer, and this was no exception. It was a delicious and invigorating class!
The rest of day 1, we worked through the instructor manual and we broke down some poses. Which meant holding poses a really long time while we got everything aligned properly and sorted out. I realized, not for the first time, that my right hip has issues. Now I know that when I return to my regular yoga class at home, I am going to ask my instructor to go ahead and let me know when I am out of alignment. Being cockeyed anywhere in your body, although you may still be able to function well, eventually causes issues in other areas.
One of the things I found interesting on day 1 was the variety of experience and fitness levels in the class. Some people had only taken a few yoga classes before committing to the training. I sensed that the workshop was very physically and emotionally draining for those folks. One woman actually left halfway through the second day. I'm not sure why, but she chose to go home after investing about 15 hours in the training. So, my tip for anyone looking at a yoga instructor training of any sort would be to take yoga regularly for at least a year first. Try different styles. See which type really speaks to you, and get in good "yoga shape," which is different from good running shape or weightlifting shape.
In any instructor training I have ever been to, it is typical that participants will not have a chair. In my first training, this was a surprise to me, but now I'm just used to it. We spent 18 hours either sitting on the floor in various uncomfortable positions or standing up and exercising. By the end of day 1, everyone is sore. By the end of day 2, sitting "comfortably" is a matter of finding the position that hurts the least. My tips for surviving the floor-sitting in any instructor training: prep for it ahead of time. Spend more time than normal sitting on the floor and eschewing chairs. This is tough if you have an office job, but even taking some time in the evenings to watch TV on the floor helps build up the low-back muscles that will support you. Also, get a couple of yoga blocks (or even bring them with you). You can stack 2 on top of each other and sit on them, like a supported hero's pose. I find this to be the most comfortable floor-sitting position. The worst, and where I often end up, is on my belly with my upper body weight supported on my forearms. It's terrible for my neck and shoulders and I always feel it the next day, but there comes a point where my low back just needs to stretch the opposite direction.
Also, many training rooms vary widely in temperature. They are usually fitness/aerobics rooms that tend to be kept right at the teeth-chattering point because people will be working out there. This will be great during the time you are working out, but once you finish, you will be sweaty and very soon you will get cold. For me, this is a recipe for a great cold. So whenever I go to a fitness training, I bring multiple changes of clothes in the bag that comes in with me. It's all flexible and comfortable, but I usually like two full sets of shorts, sports bras, tanks and underpants (so I can change everything after the workout) and a sweatshirt & pants. If they do the workout at the beginning of the day and I don't change my clothes, I get really tired of smelling myself by the end of the day. Instead, I do the workout, skip to the bathroom after, strip off the exercise gear, swab down with baby wipes, put on the clean clothes. Ta-da. Set for the rest of the day. My hair may be gross, but who cares?
Generally speaking, instructor trainings pack a lot of information into a short amount of time, so there are very few breaks. You start early, go till lunch, break for 30 minutes and go again from 1-6 or so. During this time, you'll have at least one real workout (maybe more) and you'll break down moves, work on form and technique, and run through small segments of a class. So you'll be exercising and your body will require energy at regular intervals. It is a great practice to bring a couple of easy-to-digest snacks along with you. Bananas, grapes, yogurt, protein bars, hard-boiled eggs, whatever works for you and your dietary needs, but you will most likely get hungry before you break for lunch or dinner, which can not only distract you, it can make you impatient, decrease your ability to perform the tasks you're trying to do, and generally make the experience less pleasant.
Most instructor trainings involve some theory and some hands-on instruction. Participants will generally have to lead a few moments of class to someone. In my Yogafit training, we worked up from cueing a partner through a short flow to a small group of 2, then 3, and finally 5 people. What I really liked here was that we gradually worked up to a larger group instead of having to start out with the whole room full of people. We also worked with different partners/groups each time, so we got to know more people in the training, which I though was great for team-building. Our instructor, Nelani, also spent a lot of time guiding us on providing constructive feedback, and all the people I worked with did a great job of that. I felt positive and motivated by their comments instead of torn-down. With each experience, I felt more confident leading.
The Yogafit level 1 instructor manual is a great resource. It spells out a few sample workouts--enough to get you started--with enough detail in the cues that you could literally just memorize the cues in the workbook and go. That's enough to get you through your eight hours of community service before you even have to start thinking about putting your own flow together. What a great resource!
I have been teaching movement for a while, so I came in pretty comfortable with the concept of talking a group through a workout. I can't say how the experience went for others who were making their first transition to the front of the room. I felt that the exercise science behind the Yogafit program was sound, and that the focus of the program is solidly safety-first. I like that a lot.
There are a few parts of the philosophy that might take me some time to get used to, like saying "we" instead of "You" during class, but the more I practice it, I can understand the goal behind it.
All in all, I was very pleased with my Yogafit training experience. I am looking forward to my next training, but next time, I will try to find one closer to home!
