My First Time

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Gillian Olivia Witter

 

Do you remember your first time teaching a class?

 

My first time teaching a fitness class was when I was sixteen years old.

I started teaching fitness classes in high school.  My Physical Education teacher saw my potential and encouraged me to follow my interests.

 

I got my first paid teaching position at a gym in my neighborhood.  I was all pumped up.  I had new running shoes and workout clothes. I had my music cued up ready to go and I practiced for hours in my living room.  I remember the moment and feeling when I stepped in front of my first class.  I was incredibly nervous.  I had thirty pairs of eyes starring at me to lead them into a good workout.  The studio had no walls and opened into a busy free weight area.  There were a lot on lookers.

 

I hit play for my music.  I stood in front of this group of people and started teaching exactly as in my living room.  My mouth was dry. I had a hard time catching my words and my cueing.  After a few minutes a few people left.  Then, a few moments later more people left.  At the end, there were two people who finished the entire class.

 

I was horrible! I was completely crushed by this experience.  To add salt to my wounds, I ran into the changing room crying over my experience and over heard the other instructor’s commentary of my class bombing. I remember going home and telling my Mom, I am never going to teach a fitness class again!

 

This moment was my catalyst for change and growth. Years later, my career revolved around teaching fitness classes, educating, and empowering others through group fitness and personal training. I went to university for Kinesiology and Adult Education.  My first career was working at the YMCA for thirteen years. I got to shine and grow as an instructor and as an individual.

 

I love to teach. I love to teach fitness classes, workshops, and courses.  I respect and value the essences of adult education in vitality and well-being.  I’ve learnt to capture all the great parts of my personality through how I set up my cuing, music, and sequencing. I worked hard at it and I made it my priority to be the best.

 

After many years, fitness studios, running shoes, tapes, CDs, and iPods.  After the thousands of boxing, spinning, Pilates, gravity, muscle conditioning, and step classes, I knew I was meant to be doing this work. This was one part of my Life Purpose.

 

My first teaching experience was a catalyst to move me from horrible to good to GREAT! Now, things have changed for me.  My body has changed.  My life experiences have brought new and different insights to who I am and who I want to be. It is priority for any instructor to develop and foster a very strong foundation of self-love and care.  It’s natural to give so much of yourself away as an instructor.   It is easy to forget to take care of yourself first.  This was the MOST important lesson.  If the foundation of your self-love, self-esteem, and self-care is not established, burning out will be a reality for you.  In my eyes, if you do not know and reflect the values of vitality and your authentic self, how can you support others?

 

A long the way, their other equally important lessons I’ve learnt on my journey.  Here are a few more:

 

• Value Your Trials and Tribulations – Every instructor is different.  It’s important to embrace those days when someone leaves your class unsatisfied or complains to others.  These are gifts of great lessons. 

• One Third – There is a theory out there that 1/3 of clients attending your classes love you, 1/3 of clients are neutral, and 1/3 may dislike you. This has nothing to do with you.  What can we learn from this? It’s important to remember to cater to the clients that are supporting of you and your efforts

• Do Not Take It Personally  – A book that has made an impact on my life is The Four Agreements by Miguel Ángel Ruiz.  One of the agreements explains simply how to not take things personally.  I find this is one of the toughest things to do as an instructor. What others do has nothing to do with you.  A mood, expression, and attitude are a projection of someone else’s reality.

• Find a Mentor  – Relating to someone who is in your field of work that you admire or feel empowered by.  Who is this person for you?  When is the last time you spoke to them?  Staying in touch with your mentor is vital to your growth and success as instructor. If you don’t have one, set an intention to connect one soon.

• Love What You Do! – This is a catchy theme these days.  More and more people out there are realizing how important it is for a balanced lifestyle between work and home life.  This goes for the busy-on-the-go instructor too.  Next time you teach, do a check-in.  How did you feel before, during, and after the class?  What is your INTENTION for that class?  What was the best part?  What can stay the same, change up, or take out completely?  Most importantly, do you love what you do?

• Balance Out Teaching and Your Own Vitality – Your client’s look to you as the role model of health, vitality, and strength. Do a check in to see if you are balancing home, social, health, wealth, emotional, and your intuition?  Are you pursuing everything that’s important to you, while doing what you love?

• Be Perfectly Imperfect – At a certain point in my teaching career, I started to purposely mix up my cueing or do something to throw my participants off.  I learned to incorporate imperfection. I find when you throw in an imperfection, you teach your clients to be gentle and laugh at themselves.  There is room for a laugher and lightheartness everywhere.  Try it next time you teach, and see how it changes your mood, but also the energy of the class.

• Be Present - My last learning from my teaching career is to BE PRESENT NOW!  Each time you teach be present.  Breathe in every moment.  Notice your voice, people’s energy, the smell of the room, the temperature, and find ways to slip in a laugh or giggle.  Enjoy the moment, and it will serve you far greater than you know.

 

 

“FOCUS ON SERVICE.  Your soul desires only to joyfully serve, and to swim in a constant stream of bliss.  This stream continuously feeds you everything you need.  Put your entire focus upon staying in this stream of giving and receiving in every situation, and in all that you do.”

--Doreen Virtue