Yogafit Level 1 Training... As A Fat Girl Part 3

From Left: myself, Traci (my trainer)
Welcome to Part 3.

I'll just dive in with the biggest drawback of the weekend for me- sitting on the floor. My understanding is this is the standard for most yoga trainings and retreats. Quite frankly, it's not good for anybody who has mobility issues and back issues. At the end of the first day, I had significant back pain and nerve pain down my legs. I asked the facility who was hosting to provide some folding chairs for the second day (which they happily provided). I wound up being the only one who used a chair.

I find the assumption that the participants will sit on the floor for 9-11 hours per day to be exclusive rather than inclusive. If yoga training programs would like to encourage a wider variety of body types and abilities, offering more than the floor as a place to sit would be a good place to start. Having that offer come from the teacher legitimizes the option whereas it's intimidating to insist on something nobody else in the room is asking for.

Also, getting up from the floor upwards of 10 times a day is tiring and contributed to my overall exhaustion the first day.

I did not feel the training itself excluded plus size body types. It really does focus on the basic yoga poses and how to teach and explain them to students. The master classes used only poses from level 1 in different combinations which are very accessible to a wide range of people. Prop use and explanation was minimal to basic and I would love to see that expanded a bit more as many beginners use props in their practice.

 My advocating for what I needed added to an overall very positive experience. A basic, level 1 course cannot cover everything and we had a lot of ground to cover as it was, but I do think adding more prop cueing would create a more inclusive atmosphere.

Survival Tips:

  • Have access to a chair if you know 11 hours on the floor is not ideal for you. Don't be afraid to ask. 
  • Snacks! I had some trail mix and string cheese sticks with me and they got me through the day. 
  • Have a lunch plan. We did have a lunch break, but lunch wasn't provided at my training. I went out for lunch both days, but some folks brought their lunch. 
  • Bring a jacket and socks. We were in quite a cold room for our training and I was grateful to have a way to coverup during the lecture bits. 
  • Be open to the experience. Everybody in the training is going to be new to something. In my group, there were people who had practiced yoga for 10+ years and those who had only had one class. I was one of two participants who had taught an exercise class before. Everybody is nervous and everybody is new to some aspect of the training. Be open to the people in your group and the information coming your way and you'll have a good experience.


Plans for the future:

  • I'm currently team teaching yoga and plan to teach my own class by summer or fall of this year. 
  • I'd like to continue with Yogafit trainings and ultimately complete my RYT 200 certification. 
  • Within the available Yogafit trainings, I'd love to do their props class and yoga for seniors.
  • I also plan to do the online Curvy Yoga teacher training offered by Curvy Yoga within the next year.
  • I also have 8 hours of community service volunteer yoga teaching I need to complete for my Level 1 certification. I plan to complete these by August. 
Ultimately, I think this was the right choice for me given the support I have around me and direction in which my life is currently headed. 

If you have any questions about my experience, please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you!

Jump to Part 1
Jump to Part 2


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