My epic teaching day
Two of my yoga students play music while the class is in Child’s Pose. (I got permission from my students to share this photo.)
Sunday was an epic teaching day for me.
I taught my first official indoor cycling class.
Wikipedia defines indoor cycling as an organized activity, a form of exercise with classes focusing on endurance, strength, intervals, high intensity (race days) and recovery, and involves using a special stationary exercise bicycle with a weighted flywheel in a classroom setting.
Wikipedia also mentions that indoor cycling is commonly called spinning. This is true. But SPINNING® is a trademarked term and must be used correctly. I plan to write a post later on explaining this.
I had taught three impromptu classes when there was confusion about the class schedule around Thanksgiving and another time when the regular teacher had to cancel class. I just played my music and we went with it.
Sunday my playlist of music was planned out and how we rode to each song with hills, sprints, endurance, seated, standing, running, etc.
I had a pretty full class with about 12 students. (The most you can have at my gym is 16 if all bikes are in the room and in working order.)
I had many friends there to support me and another cycling teacher who has been my mentor and personal cheerleader.
I was nervous at first (though not anywhere as nervous as I was when I first started teaching yoga). But the class went smoothly. Students liked my music. I worked them hard. And I got a big applause at the end.
And I felt good about it.
After that I got cleaned up and changed and headed to Alameda to teach a yoga class, which started an hour after my cycling class ended.
When I got to my yoga class my energy was kinda nuts, but in a positive way.
I was excited for my Sunday class as two of my students who are musicians played beautiful music while the class practiced yoga. What an amazing treat for all of us.
For the last couple of weeks of my yoga classes I asked students (and GFG! readers) to tell me their favorite and least favorite yoga poses.
So Sunday (and Tuesday) we practiced favorite yoga poses. This coming Sunday and Tuesday we will practice the least favorite poses–but it will still be fun. I promise.