Holistically Katie

Review of CorePower Yoga’s 50-Hour Teacher Training: A Fast-Paced, Deep-Dive into teaching a 60 minute Yoga Sculpt Class

If you’re considering CorePower Yoga’s 50-Hour Teacher Training, let me give you the lowdown on what you can expect. I recently completed this condensed program, which took just about two and a half weeks. The list price to join is around $1,300 dollars I believe, but I took advantage of an early bird discount and also had a gift card, so I got pretty lucky with cost savings!

While it was a whirlwind, I gained a ton of valuable knowledge, a deeper understanding of yoga, and a whole new skillset for teaching. But let’s be real: there’s a lot more to it than just showing up for class.

Why I Signed Up

As you all know if you’ve followed this blog for a while, I am passionate about moving my body and I’ve been doing yoga for years! I think the CorePower workout specifically is awesome, because it involves traditional Yoga sequence, in addition to cardio, sculpting moves, strength training, abs and more. I love that it is a full body workout in a heated environment- this allows you to improve endurance, flexibility, strength and connection to self. I’ve taken many workout classes over the year and there are certain attributes I’ve picked up that I really love, and others I would do differently. I thought it could be really fun to step outside of my comfort zone and give teacher training a spin! I knew no matter what, taking this course would ultimately deepen my own practice and I’d be extremely proud of myself for learning so much about movement.

What the Course Involves

The course was a blend of in-person sessions, required online modules, and plenty of at-home practice and prep. For those considering this program, it’s important to know that the in-person classes themselves weren’t the only commitment — the real challenge is all the work that happens outside of class.

The program ran on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. For the amount of content packed into that time, I felt like the days were long, but the course itself moved quickly. In just a few days, we were responsible for learning an entire 60-minute sequence, which included:

• Sun A and Sun B posture setup+cues
• Breath to movement flow, both with and without weights added
• Strength training– biceps, pushups, squats and more
• Cardio section (jump jacks, pop squats)
• Abs (crunches, bicycles)

We also also were provided a course guide. I ended up printing this out and marking all over it, which I highly recommend. There is going to be certain set up and muscle action cues (example: in Squat, shift weight into your heels to engage your glutes!)

Be prepared to jot down lots of notes and practice saying things out loud- like all of the time! But even with all the guidance from our instructors and the book, it was clear that mastering these sequences wasn’t going to be something I could do without a lot of independent effort. I practiced on my own with Josh being the student (he was such a good fiancé :)), listened to the music playlist often to ensure I was on the beat, practiced saying cues out loud, and attended/audited a handful of classes, outside of the training schedule.

Learning the Anatomy of Teaching

One of the most valuable parts of the training was learning the anatomy of teaching. It wasn’t just about getting the sequence down — we went a layer deeper to understand how to cue a posture correctly, from the ground up (literally-start with cueing the feet, then the core, then the arms to set students up correctly in a posture). The instructors broke down how to align our bodies in each posture and explained exactly which muscles were engaged during each movement.

Understanding agonist vs. antagonist muscles was especially eye-opening. It gave us the knowledge to communicate with our students in a way that made sense, emphasizing which muscles are working and why. For example, when cueing a squat, we learned to focus on engaging the glutes and quads (agonists) while keeping the hamstrings and hip flexors relaxed (antagonists) to ensure safe and effective movement.

This anatomical approach was incredibly helpful because it helped us understand why we were saying certain cues and how they would affect students’ bodies. It gave me the confidence to teach with more precision, helping my future students align their bodies properly and avoid injury. The most important piece that was drilled into us right away was that we were going to be taught how to teach a safe class and ensure students at every level were successful. An element that goes into this is ensuring we aren’t just spitting out random cues to move things along, but each cue had an intention to set up a posture correctly and then we added more deepening elements, referencing anatomy so students could customize their own practice.

Inside the Class: How We Learned

The course was interactive and hands-on, which I loved. We spent a lot of time in group reading sessions where we took turns reading out loud from the book. This was followed by Q&A discussions, where we could ask questions and clarify anything that was still unclear. Instructors also led us through the sequences, giving us a chance to practice while receiving immediate feedback.

One of the highlights was the Posture Clinic. Here, we broke into smaller groups and practiced different postures in detail, which helped us refine our technique and understanding of the moves. It was a great way to build confidence in teaching.

We also did “round robins,” where we practiced teaching by jumping in and leading short segments of the sequence. Afterward, we’d receive feedback from both our peers and instructors, which was incredibly useful in improving our teaching skills. The feedback sessions were always constructive, with positive notes as well as areas for improvement. The round robins were definitely intimidating for me, personally. The first time I went, I was so nervous that my breath was shaky and I had to “ground down” (literally sit on the floor) to catch my breath before moving on! Confidence didn’t come easily for me at first because there was so much to learn and a lot of pressure to learn it, but at the end of the course, I gained much more convinction in my voice and was so proud of myself when that shone through authentically!

Modifications for All Levels

Another great takeaway from this program was learning how to offer modifications so that the class can be accessible for anyone at any skill level. Whether you’re working with beginners or experienced practitioners, it’s essential to offer alternatives that make everyone feel welcome and successful. The instructors emphasized the importance of providing these modifications throughout the sequences, whether it’s using props, adjusting the range of motion, or offering alternative postures.

This aspect of the training made me feel even more prepared to lead a class because I now know how to cater to a variety of bodies and abilities. It’s something I hadn’t thought much about before, but I can already tell it will make a huge difference when I teach. When teaching to a class, it is important to cue to the bodies. For example, if you notice someone struggling, how can you provide a safe modification to ensure they can keep moving? If you notice someone who may want to amplify, what can you offer so that they can get the most out of their practice?

The Real Work (Outside of Class)

Now, let’s talk about what happens when you leave class each day. The outside work was intense, and I think better expectations need to be set about how much is expected outside of the in-person sessions. Here’s a breakdown of what we had to juggle on our own:

• Writing our own script for the 60-minute sequence~ this isn’t required to get your certification, but it is strongly recommended. Our instructors also commented on our sequences and made edits, which was so helpful and much appreciated as it was obviously time-consuming. You have to turn in your script for the audition, so it just made sense to get it done while you were absorbing so much information!
• Learning the 60-minute playlist provided and knowing when each song would end. This is crucial for timing. On our last day, we were assigned parts ahead of time and each of us taught a portion of class. Knowing when our song was meant to begin and end was super important so the timing of the class flowed naturally, and no one went extremely over/under time. If timing does get a bit off during class, it is crucial to know how to pivot and flex each section to end on time.
• Practicing our script until it became second nature. Literally reading it out loud over and over again with the music–whether you are driving, on walks, hanging around the house.
• Online curriculum: There are courses you need to complete on the online platform to get your certification done, outside of the in-person hours.
• Taking yoga sculpt classes and auditing them to get a feel for different teaching styles. This is not recommended, but extremely helpful for me. When I was taking sculpt classes, it stuck out to me just how much I learned! I noticed the cues and setup much more.

To be clear, this wasn’t a walk in the park-haha. The at-home work required a serious time commitment, and I found myself spending hours outside of class trying to make sure I was prepared.

Auditions & What Comes After Graduation

Upon completion of the 50-hour training, you earn a certification — but this is just the beginning. To become a full-fledged CorePower instructor, you have to audition. For most auditions, you’ll get a Playlist ahead of time to understand the music and timing, which is very helpful. You must come in prepared with your script and intention for the class. You’ll also be expected to demonstrate your teaching ability on the spot.

The audition isn’t just about running through Sun A, Sun B, and the weight demo; you’ll be given a portion of the class to teach outside of those areas (it could be Squats, Biceps, Sculpt sides). You do NOT get this piece ahead of time. This is why it’s so important to really know the skeleton sequence inside and out. You need to be able to adjust and flex on the spot, seamlessly guiding students through a session with confidence. And let’s be honest, when you’re on~ confidence is key!

If you pass your audition, they’ll ask you to submit availability for all studios. You need to teach a minimum of two classes per week. You’ll submit your availability for all studios, and then you get placed into available openings. It’s a big commitment of course, but obviously an amazing opportunity to continue developing your own unique teaching skills and be part of the yoga community!

Auditioning is obviously nerve-wracking, but we got so many helpful tips during the training on how to practice, what they are looking for, and what would happen even if you don’t pass. I really like how you still get a second chance if you don’t pass, and the instructors will even coach you by giving constructive feedback. It makes it feel like you can give it your absolute best shot, but it is not the end of the world if it doesn’t happen right away! Confidence is built with more practice- hitting the correct muscle action cues, creating an encouraging energy, being on beat with the music, and having fun with it!

The Positives: Knowledge, Growth, and Community

The training itself was extremely valuable. The content was rich and informative, and the instructors were incredibly knowledgeable. It is clear that each one of them was very passionate about teaching and teaching safely+ effectively. I learned so much more than I expected, and I now feel confident in my ability to teach a yoga sculpt class.

And while the work was tough, one of the best parts of the program was the camaraderie. I met amazing women in the group, and we bonded over our shared experience. My posture clinic partner ended up becoming a friend and is so lovely…very grateful to have been able to meet such wonderful people and form new friendships!

Final Thoughts: Worth It, But Be Prepared

I have no regrets about taking this training through CorePower. It was intense, fast-paced, and at times overwhelming, but I walked away with the skills and confidence to teach a yoga sculpt class. I still need more practice before I’m ready to audition to become a trainer, but I now know exactly what I need to work on!

The experience was transformative, and while there were moments of frustration (essentially frustration at myself, all of the practice needed outside to get it right, going over the script over and over) I’d do it all over again. If you are thinking about signing up, please be aware its a lot of work and commit to showing up. Be prepared to be uncomfortable, mess up, and learn from it. Through all of that, I promise you will build your confidence and leave feeling so proud of yourself. I know I am.

Thank you to Josh for being such a good sport and coming to our last “bring the beginner day!” Having his support was so grounding while I went for my section and I’m so grateful for that ❤️