Hi! So, talking about posts that are way overdue.
I’m a yoga instructor now! With a real permanent class on a real weekly schedule at a real paying studio!
I’ve briefly mentioned my yoga teacher training* journey here and there throughout the last six months, but I haven’t actually written a full post about it. Ironically enough, teacher training kept me too busy to do so!
But, hello! I’ve graduated and landed a permanent teaching job at a local studio here in Chicago. So all the hard work paid off!
Some of the deets, really quick! I completed a Yoga Alliance**-recognized 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher** Power Yoga Teacher Training**** program at CorePower Yoga’s Uptown studio back in December.
There are a lot of abbreviations used in the yoga world. I will use them a lot. For your reference:
*yoga teacher training = YTT
**Yoga Alliance = YA
***200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher = RYT 200
****Power Yoga Teacher Training (a YTT program specific to CorePower Yoga)= PYTT
It was an eight-week training program that started in October, and it. was. INTENSE. Seriously, so intense. A 200-hour training program condensed into eight weeks meant I was spending roughly 20-30 hours a week either attending lectures, taking yoga classes, studying and reading, doing homework or practicing.
Would I do it again? In a heartbeat.
In fact, not only would I do it again… I did do it again! Kinda. After I completed my eight-week 200-hour training program in December of last year, I started a five-week 50-hour Power Yoga Extension Program* in January.
*Power Yoga Extensions Program = PYXP, or XP for short
That program ended in early February, and the very next week, I had an audition here in Chicago at North Loft Yoga — a studio owned by two CorePower Yoga YTT graduates up in the Rogers Park neighborhood. One of my fantastic studio managers (Paco you are the best!) at my Uptown CorePower studio put me in touch with the owners, and they immediately reached out to ask for a resume and set up an audition. Ironically enough, I’d actually practiced at the studio before as one of my PYTT requirements!
I went in, taught part of a sequence to Maria, and was offered a job on the spot!
She and the other studio owner (Audrey) just had to finagle with the studio’s class schedule for a bit to find me a permanent class that would work with my personal/ work schedule. (Don’t worry guys, I’m still working full time at the Tribune.)
So, about two weeks later, Maria texted me (while I was on the beach in Mexico, actually!) to let me know that a class had opened up, and I’d be teaching at 8:30 every Thursday morning. How exciting!
I taught my first class last Thursday, and while I was a bundle of nerves before and during it, it went exceptionally well, all things considered!
If you’re not familiar with how a yoga class works, there’s (usually) a pretty basic format. At the beginning of class, instructors offer up an intention — is a word, phrase or mantra that students are encouraged to focus on throughout practice. Students are always welcome to choose their own. Then, throughout class, students focus on that intention while instructors lead them through the physical yoga practice.
At the end of every class, a lot of yoga instructors (especially those trained and teaching at CorePower) like to give what’s called a “personal share.” It’s a little bit of information about you as an instructor, outside of the yoga studio. We offer these up to better connect with our students. It’s very yogic.
Often times, yoga instructors set their intention based on their personal share. (I’ll talk more on this later, but a lot of planning out a yoga class happens backward.)
The intention I set for my first day of classes (I ended up teaching two last Thursday) was growth. Not upward growth, but outward growth.
At the end of class, I offered up my personal share — mentioning that teaching yoga was a form of outward growth for me — and told students that WHADDYA KNOW, this was actually my FIRST EVER REAL YOGA CLASS. I got a round of applause (I actually teared up) and when I asked for feedback, all my students told me that they never would have known I was quite literally brand new to teaching yoga, had I not told them.
It was so reassuring and felt like a huge weight had been lifted off my chest since I’d been nervous about actually teaching a full class by myself for MONTHS.
So, yeah! That’s that! As of right now, I’m teaching two Thursday classes at North Loft: 8:30 in the morning, and 6 at night. They’re both yoga basics classes, so it’s the same set sequence (CorePower Yoga’s C1 sequence, for those of you familiar with it), so you can expect a very similar experience every time you show up to class.
You can also expect my music, since I get to make the playlists. I’ll be sharing more about that in the future, too!
With that said, I hope to see you in my classes some time! I’ll be promoting them on Twitter and Instagram (yeah I’m your annoying yoga friend now), so follow along there for updates.
Or, you can bookmark North Loft Yoga’s schedule page, which is updated with our calendar (We use MINDBODY) quite frequently. I’m on the schedule as “Randi S,” so you can always see what classes I’m leading.
(I’m also Yoga Alliance-registered, and am insured for liability, FYI.)
I’ll be sharing more in the future about my experience with CorePower Yoga’s PYTT and PYXP training programs — why I chose them, what I loved about them, what the experience was like, etc.
But for now, I just wanted to give a little update about my new studio teaching job and share my good news with you.
And of course, to tell you all to COME TAKE MY CLASSES! I’m excited to share my love of yoga with you!
Namaste!
