Next level instruction: From performance to presence

Whether you are a sub or a regular instructor you never know who is going to walk into your room. Last week we talked about how integrating trauma-informed principles in fitness can help you hold space for you and your students to get the results they want out of your classes. Today we are taking that one step further with the practical application of those skills. Our work IN today are 3 next level instructor skills you can use in real time to help students get more out of their workout and for you as an instructor to move from performance into presence.

As a part of my mission to bring a legacy of resilience through movement, each month you can join me for a hike on the bike trail followed by a free trauma informed vinyasa class back at the studio on Main Street. Go to savagegracecoaching.com to see the calendar and join my newsletter, Yoga Life on Main Street, to stay up to date on all the latest studio news, events and gossip. And now… on to this week’s episode.

It’s time to stop working out and start working IN. You found the Work IN podcast for fit-preneurs and their health conscious clients. This podcast is for resilient wellness professionals who want to expand their professional credibility, shake off stress and thrive in a burnout-proof career with conversations on the fitness industry, movement, nutrition, sleep, mindset, nervous system health, yoga, business and so much more.

I’m your host Ericka Thomas. I'm a resilience coach and fit-preneur offering an authentic, actionable realistic approach to personal and professional balance for coaches in any format.

The Work IN is brought to you by savage grace coaching, bringing resilience through movement, action and accountability. Private sessions, small groups and corporate presentations are open now. Visit savagegracecoaching.com to schedule a call and get all the details.

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Transcript

Ep 214

Next level instruction beyond performance.

Whether you are a sub or a regular instructor you never know who is going to walk into your room. Last week we talked about how integrating trauma-informed principles in fitness can help you hold space for you and your students to get the results they want out of your classes. Today we are taking that one step further with the practical application of those skills. Our work IN today are 3 next level instructor skills you can use in real time to help students get more out of their workout and for you as an instructor to move from performance into presence..

There’s no doubt, when you are at the front of the room for group fitness there is a lot to think about. From the music to the temperature in the room, from the equipment to the class plan, oh and don’t forget the students themselves. When I was fresh into the fitness industry it was nerve wracking and part of that was because no matter how prepared I was for a class, inevitably something would go sideways and I would need to change what I had planned. Sometimes just a small shift here or there and sometimes I’d have to throw out the entire plan. It happened so often in yoga that I don’t even make a class plan anymore. I think it’s inevitable when you start to pay closer attention to the people who are in your classes. 

Group fitness instructors love their plans. Me and my type A tendencies like to be prepared for every possibility. A yoga colleague and teacher friend of mine told me once that yoga instructors become yoga instructors because they like to tell other people what to do and exactly how to do it. I have to admit that’s kind of true. Funny but true. What’s interesting to me is that I found my yoga teacher training made me a much better instructor of every format.  Perhaps it’s the deeper awareness of the body and breath but I think also it’s a better awareness of other bodies in the room. 

There’s a difference between a trained monkey and Second city improv. You’re gonna get a laugh at both but the experience is totally different. Same thing in fitness. There’s a big difference between fitness instruction based on planned performance and instruction rooted in connection and presence. These are my top 3 skills for instructors no matter what the format is that will take them out of performance and into presence.

1. Watch the bodies in the room.  Watch your students sometimes that means facing the room but it always means staying present. We can’t get lost in our head thinking about what's coming next, the music or what you want for dinner… This is much easier for you to do if you have left all your baggage at the door and you’ve done the work around self awareness and boundaries. And that’s why the ABC’s are so important in holding space because this skill of watching people move is part of the C the connection and co-regulation piece of leading a group of people. Our ultimate goal as a gold standard instructor is to move past performance and into presence with our students. You are with them. Be with them. There’s nothing more annoying to me as a student than taking a class where the instructor doesn’t notice or seem to care if I’m struggling.  It tells me that that instructor isn’t there for me. You can be a brilliant choreographer and a genius in kinesiology but if your students are unable to follow your cues or don’t know how to move that way yet all they get is frustration.  You won’t know that’s happening unless you can watch them as you are doing your thing.  Some formats require you to lead and do everything with your students but not all. But even if you are playing follow the leader you can and should be able to pay attention to what your students are doing and how they are doing it. I know yoga instructors who don’t put a mat out for themselves. Choreography can be designed to give you the ability to watch students build up skilled combinations.  Think about your format. Where can you give yourself the space to watch what others are doing?
2. Listen for habit cueing.  One of the best exercises I ever did in a teacher training was when we had to take turns watching the group and only cue for what we saw. Sometimes we get stuck in a rut with the words we say without any thought to whether students actually understand what we’re talking about. We have certain phrases that we say at certain times whether anyone in the room needs to hear or not doesn’t seem to matter. On the one hand those back pocket cues are good to have when you’re doing a million things at once, on the other they may have nothing to do with what’s actually happening in the room. Students become immune to those cues over time as well.  If you are watching your students when you cue and they make no adjustments that’s a pretty clear sign that there is some kind of miscommunication. One example I’ll take from yoga is the cue “listen to your body” Instructors say this all the time. Rarely do students know what to do with that cue. It can mean a lot of different things.  “you can change this pose any little bit to find more comfort and ease.” You can modify this.” “notice how you feel”  Listen to your body is a very vague cue. Habit cueing might look and sound beautiful but often it isn’t very meaningful. Whether we want to believe it or not, students in a group class (any format, especially if they’re new) are in a stressed state that by its very nature cuts them off from the rational thinking part of their brain and sometimes being able to hear you. Direct cueing is directing body awareness and offering choices for what to do in response. It’s based on the bodies that are in front of us, in the moment, If there’s nothing to be adjusted then simply encourage. Without the skill to direct accurate body awareness for students we may as well call ourselves performers rather than instructors. 
3. Be willing to stop the show. Ideally our class descriptions would help define the fitness levels that show up in your room but the truth is you never know who is going to walk through the door and what kind of injuries or challenges they might be bringing with them. Sometimes things look better on paper and then when you get into the moment you look out into the room and something has gone awry. I have been on both sides of this. As a student I was in a yoga class and was just listening to cues and somehow I got tangled up and into a position that seemed to defy the laws of gravity. The way I heard it I  would have been balanced on one arm floating in the air… After class I asked the instructor and I had totally misheard the cue. Actually heard something entirely different than what she actually said. This was online, so it was harder to catch. And I really struggle with highly choreographed dance classes. On the instructor's side sometimes we get caught up in our own performance and then look out into the room and see a bunch of flailing baby birds. One of our trauma informed instruction principles is NOT to call individuals out in a group setting. So I have a couple of guidelines about cueing based on whether there is 1 person struggling or multiple people. When there is only one person I might move closer to them, beside them or maybe facing, and physically do the movement with them, or if it’s choreography I might call every movement for the set. Remember people learn in different ways, auditory, visual and kinesthetic and it’s most effective when we can use all 3 in our cueing. If there are multiple people struggling in a class or it’s something that may be dangerous I stop the class and we do a breakdown of the alignment with options and modifications. As an instructor if there are multiple students who clearly aren’t getting what I’m cuing there is something wrong and it’s on my side of the equation and I need to rebalance it. You know how to do all the things you do, you have the experience, don’t be afraid to show it.  Even the most experienced student will be grateful that you care enough to make the point.

The thing we need to remember first and foremost when we step up to the front of the room is that that class isn’t about us, it’s not for us, it’s not our workout, it’s not our practice. It’s for them, it’s theirs and if we can’t provide pathways for students to make it 100% theirs then we have lost the plot. In order to do that we need to adopt some of these next level instruction skills, watching the bodies in the room,clear direct cueing, and being willing to stop the show.  These 3 skills are actions that back up the belief that what we are offering is truly for them. And they are a practical application of trauma informed principles in the real world of fitness. 

Whether you’re a fit pro or fitness enthusiast, coaching athletes or soccer moms, connecting the dots for your personal health and professional wellness can be daunting. You don’t have to go it alone. Head over to savagegracecoaching.com/theworkin you’ll find all the show notes for this and other episodes plus lots of free resources including a link to book a 30 min fitness success strategy call with me.  And of course I’d be ever so grateful if you would take a moment to like and subscribe to this podcast wherever you’re listening. 

Until next time, stop working out and start working in