A Body Flow Certified Instructor: I’m That Now!

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I can’t tell you how excited I am to get certified to teach Body Flow! You already know I lift weights and ride stationary bike…but doing the Body Flow class touches something deep in the core of my being. So, I want to highlight my journey to getting this certification.  I am not certified in teaching lifting weights and RPM…I just love taking those classes.

After my Initial Training,  I had 60 days to teach and pass in three categories: Choreography, Technique and Coaching.  Also, I had to now learn the entire release, that’s ten tracks. Yikes!  Not a dancer, not a musician,  I constantly felt butterflies dancing in my stomach!

With great nervousness, I started practicing with the Masterclass Video by Les Mills that I had downloaded for Initial Training.  I listened to the music, watched the presenters, and focused on the Choreography Notes.  Overwhelmed, more times than not, I kept practicing.  I kept reminding myself that this certification that I want was not for anyone else but for me.  I wanted to do the program correctly, for me!  That kept my nerves under control.

Not a good Form at all…

I had to  videotape myself teaching this release, and send it to Les Mills for assessment.  My deadline was mid October 2016.  After speaking to a few Body Flow instructors at the gym, I started taping myself teach in their classes.  My Body Flow instructors are amazing people!  With their busy lives, they took me under their wings.  They coached me and encouraged me.  They let me shadow with them, and answered my questions.

A must for me was practice, practice and more practice;  everyday, two, three or four times.  I had sore muscles in my body.  I practiced in my basement, bedroom and even bathroom.  I practiced at the gym, when no group classes were scheduled.  The cleaning person there knew I would be coming to practice, so he cleaned the floors before I got there.  He told me that he wanted me to get a nice clean smelling room.  That was very sweet.  I greet him every time I see him.

Result of my first assessment – SEND NEW VIDEO!  That meant I did not get certified.  Other instructors were encouraging and said that happens.  I knew right away why?   I was moving faster or slower than what the music allowed.  I needed to fine tune my work, and be on the beat of the music!  My assessor sent me a detailed feedback.  I read it a hundred times as I practiced.  I actually felt that this feedback that I received was great.  Had I been certified first time around, I really wouldn’t have known how to fine tune myself.

Form still not quite there…

I sent my second video a month later.  Assessment result – SEND NEW VIDEO.  What?  Even my Body Flow instructors couldn’t believe this.  I had felt pretty good with my taping.  So, what did I miss?  I read my second detailed feedback from my assessor.  I shared that with other instructors.  I had passed two out of three categories –  I made it through Choreography and Technique.  I failed Coaching.  I was very disappointed.  I started to lose the little confidence I had.  I fought with my own thoughts and felt totally discouraged.  I thought I was pursuing something I was not cut out for.  But something inside me poked me to get up and keep reading the feedback and practicing.  So, I kept going.  The feedback was written in an encouraging way and I never felt that the assessor wanted to fail me.  The assessor’s words had this powerful “push”; enough to get me lifted and going!

Coaching starts with Layer 1 Coaching.   As an instructor,  I would need to cover Layer 1 Coaching – “Alignment: Include the Pose Name, Body Part(s) and Direction of the Movement,this tells people what to move and where to move,”  per Les Mills.  Next in Layer 1 is giving Breathing Cues: “Encourage deep nasal breathing, which helps to oxygenate the brain and counteract the effects of stress.”  Lastly, in Layer 1 is giving Options to reduce intensity or advance the pose.  I was good here.

Next is Layer 2 Coaching.  This is where an instructor must Pause and Look at  the class participants.  “See what is really happening on the floor for your class.”  Then correct a pose if that’s what’s needed or cheer if the class is doing great with a pose.  Encourage and support the participants.  Video taping, focusing on passing, being on the stage, and teaching a real class was enough to make me forget coaching altogether!  And, you say Coaching had layers! 🙂  Of course I knew, but in those moments it was miles and miles away from my mind!

Then came Layer 3 Coaching.  My assessor wrote that I did do some Layer 3 Coaching, just not enough.  Layer 3 Coaching – “These cues coach your class, evolving, extending and enhancing the feel and experience of their poses, thus moving your participants closer to perfect technique and experience.”   Those wonderful, seasoned Body Flow instructors who were my biggest support system were shocked that I did not pass 2nd time around.  After seeing my detailed feedback, they said maybe I need my video reviewed again.  They all agreed that Layer 3 Coaching came with time and experience.  The instructors said that was never part of their passing criteria.

The National Lead Assessor (NLA) for Body Flow reviewed my video.  They said that the assessment standards had become stricter in 2016 and it was now more difficult to pass.  This change was done to align with global standards and meet partner demands.  They also wrote, “You (that’s me) sit quite well in the essence of Body Flow and teach with authenticity and ease that will serve you well throughout your teaching journey.”  I loved this part!  This hit me right in my core.  Remember, my core,  I mentioned it earlier.  I got what I needed to push me.  I loved reading NLA’s feedback over and over.  They sent me a beautifully crafted detailed e-mail.  Told me exactly where to go in my videotape and what to do.  They really wanted me to succeed!  I felt that deeply!

Third video, done!  In early December, I videotaped it in one of my instructors morning classes.  Then I videotaped a 2nd one that evening in another one of my instructors classes.  Nervously, but bravely, I did it!  I reviewed the videos at home.  Picked the second one and uploaded it to Les Mills.  Done!  This is it! I took a deep breath in and exhaled a long breath out!

Got the Form, the Choreography and the Coaching! And, the Certificate!

Three days before Christmas 2016, I fell sick.  As I rested I re-read all my feedback sheets from past assessments.  I checked the Les Mills portal everyday to see if the results came, even though Les Mills sent me a message saying that result would come by December 29th.  Still sick in bed the day after Christmas, I picked up my phone to check stuff and decided to open my email.  “CONGRATULATIONS! YOU PASSED YOUR ASSESSMENT VIDEO AND ARE NOW A CERTIFIED BODY FLOW INSTRUCTOR!” I am ready to move forward in this journey!  So happy!

My certificate is official!

P.S. Thanks to my assessor.  You were tough with me, but I needed it!  I clearly understand how I need to script my coaching.  

P.S. Thanks to my wonderful group of Body Flow instructors.  I couldn’t have done this without your strong support, advice and hugs!

If you are wanting to become a Body Flow instructor, I hope my article helped you.  I’ll answer any question(s) you may have.  Feel free to send them my way.

…thanks for visiting Coaching My Life To Healthy…until next time:)

Body Flow: My Journey to being Certified! The Initial Training.

I have a lot to learn, but I have come a long way.  I do weight training and I work enthusiastically on my stationary bike.  And, I work on simple yoga moves with elements of Tai-Chi and Pilates program which relaxes my tense muscles; stretches my body to where I feel amazing; strengthens my core and teaches me to breathe into my stretches.  I am in love with my new BF –  Body Flow – that’ the program I’m talking about!  And, now I’m certified to teach it 🙂 I’m clearly very excited!

In this post, I wanted to share my  journey through my Initial Training which took place at a local gym.  I signed up for this required two-day training.  The gym, obviously, must teach Les Mills Programs.  There’s a great story behind Les Mills success!

Calm and Centered; Long and Strong!

Calm and Centered; Long and Strong: These words are spread boldly across the BF page on Les Mills website.  I don’t just read those words, I’m immersed in them!

But no matter how much I love the program, getting certified is a whole different ball game.  I’m not musically oriented.  That’s one very big problem.   The entire program is based on music.  And I keep missing the beat.  I would either go too fast or too slow. Argh! So mad at myself for not catching the beat!  I know how much I love BF and how much I would love to help others enjoy it.  And, that’s why I don’t mind working hard towards my goal of working on becoming a great instructor.  I had decided back in summer of 2015 that I wanted to be certified in this program.   I have mentioned this in my About page too, when I started this blog.

Often I would check the website for training.  There were few, but nothing locally.  Then in May 2016, I saw a training scheduled for August 2016, at a close-by gym.  I jumped at the opportunity.  I signed up for the class right away.   But, I couldn’t  download any training material until two weeks before my training was going to  start.   Those two weeks when I should have been downloading and practicing,  I was out of the country.  This trip was planned way in advance.   My husband and I were in Peru.  We were there for almost two weeks on a hiking trip.  My return date was August 3rd.  Five days before training.

After I got home, one of the first things I did was to download all the material.  I told myself that I can do this.  I told myself that I had enough time to prepare and pass this Initial Training,   Eagerly, I started looking at the one song I had to learn.  Not understanding the choreography notes, I started to get nervous.  I really needed to learn this language of choreography.  I needed more time.  I did not have that kind of time.  Being the positive person that I am, I knew l could make it through the training.  And, with that thought, I met the bull head-on!

I made sure I had everything…

First day of training:  I reach the gym…I see other ladies waiting…we say hello and wait.  Our trainer, the owner of this gym, showed us to the room where our training was to take place.  We take our spots in this room by unfolding our mats.  The room has a stage.  Yes, a stage.  I started feeling a lot nervous now.

My favorite mat. My lunch cooler.

Once training started, the trainer went over expectations, process, tips and techniques to succeed in the two-day Initial Training.  He also led a BF class where we participated.  I did great here.  I have been participating in BF classes for several years now.  Just never taught one!

Next, he wanted us to come up on the stage and “teach” our one song.  Mine was the first song –  the Tai-Chi warm-up.  I completely screwed it up.  I was super nervous on the stage,  Words did not come out of my mouth.  A total failure!  (I had not had enough time to listen to the music, much less know the choreography. Remember.)  I was so bummed.  But a tiny hope remained inside of me.

Second and third time on the stage, I did not do well either.  I knew I needed to get myself together, I needed to forget about other ladies, who were doing the same training with me.  Most of them were a bit more experienced, and a lot of them were already an instructor in some other program.  No matter who was doing what, I needed to get my act together – No more excuses!  (These girls were very nice actually.  My music was not working initially, one of them helped me with it.  Later, another encouraged me, now fully knowing how new I was at this.  Another, sweetly hugged me and said I should just look at her when teaching my song so I’m not nervous in front of so many.)

Second day: This is it!  Either I will make it or I won’t.  The trainer gave us a good amount of time to work on our songs.  I sat on my mat, put my earphones in, turned the music on, and stuck my head in-between my knees and listened to the music with choreography notes.  Also, I watched the master video and practiced with it.

Last chance to show my trainer that I am a Body Flow instructor material.  I walked on to the stage.  I focused my mind to the music.  Then moved with the music listening closely for cues.  Timing was off a bit.  But at the end of the track, I thought I pulled it off.   Once everyone was done with their tracks, the trainer calculated the numbers and was ready to hand out our results.

He gave the sheet with results, face down.  I was so afraid to turn it over.  Then I saw a tiny smile on the trainer’s face as if suggesting it’ll be okay if I turned the paper over.  So I did,  turned the paper over.

The Result!

I PASSED!!  I did it!  First hurdle behind me.  (The trainer had encouraging words for me before I left his gym.  He said, I did fine for someone who had never done this.  He asked me to practice, practice and practice with the master video, music and choreography notes.  He said to me that I’ll make it if I get the timing right, and that it comes with lots of practicing.)

Done!  Initial Training in my hip pocket…I headed home. Relieved!

Off to practicing, not just my one song, but the entire release, that’s 10 songs, times infinity!  Then on to making a video for assessment.  Once I pass the assessment, I get the certificate.  My next post will be about my journey to making  video(s) for assessment..and passing that!

…thank you for visiting Coaching My Life to Healthy…until next time:)