I Tried CorePower Yoga’s 50-Hour Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training in 2023

I grew up in an active household, so fitness has always been a prominent part of my life. My mom, a certified personal trainer, constantly encouraged me to find movement I enjoyed so that I could reap the physical and mental health benefits of moving my body. Just a few of these include the prevention of chronic disease and premature death, as well as improvements in overall health status. Exercise can also improve self-image and social skills, enhance cognitive function, reduce stress, and even alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression. In school, I played sports like soccer and field hockey, but it wasn’t until I tried dance and cheerleading in my early teens that I found a type of movement I really loved. I eventually started coaching both, which is where my passion for teaching began. 

In college, when I was no longer a part of organized sports or working as a coach, I started getting involved in fitness training. I tried out dozens of group fitness classes, like barre, Pilates, and (of course) yoga. I enjoyed testing out different forms of movement to find the right one for my body—the one that left me feeling strong, positive, and happy. I also took to the gym, creating my own workouts and learning more about fitness, health, and the human body. I was having a good time incorporating this movement into my life, but it wasn’t quite… enough.

After graduating from college and moving to New York City, I was eager to find a new fitness studio to join—so when I found out that new CorePower Yoga clients get their first week free, I knew I had to take advantage.

Unbeknownst to me, my decision to try out this studio would not only result in finding my new favorite workout (yoga sculpt), but it would also lead to once again being able to share my talent and passion for fitness through teaching. 

So, how did I go from being a diehard student to being a certified CorePower yoga sculpt instructor? Read on to find out.

My Journey With CorePower Yoga

 CorePower Yoga is a brand of over 200 yoga studios across the country that offers five main types of workout classes, including traditional yoga and strength training, as well as yoga teaching certifications. 

The first time I stepped into one of the city’s CorePower Yoga studios, I was greeted by a smiling instructor and told to place my belongings in a locker before heading over to the sweltering, 96-degree heat of studio number two for a yoga sculpt class. 

The next hour was filled with a perfect combination of yoga, cardio moves, and free weights. I was hooked. I’d taken hundreds of fitness classes, but it wasn’t until my first yoga sculpt class that I realized I’d found my absolute favorite. 

Soaked with sweat, I left the studio feeling stronger and more energized, with a greater sense of peace. Who knew 60 minutes of downward-facing dogs, planks, squats, and sweltering heat could do that? It wasn’t just the workout itself that I’d fallen in love with, either.

Disclaimer: Once my free week was over, I did not end up paying for my membership (or my training, but more on that in a minute). Coincidentally, I had been in contact with the CorePower public relations team before I had even tried yoga sculpt at the studio, thanks to an event launch they’d invited me to. We stayed in contact, and I was very pleasantly surprised when they extended me the offer of a free class and membership.

Before I knew it, I was the proud holder of an All Access Membership, which features unlimited in-studio and online classes in-studio and online, priority booking, free buddy passes for friends, 15% off in-studio retail purchases, and 15% off all teacher training programs. CorePower believes that “yoga can power transformation—on and off the mat,” and its classes most definitely have transformed me. 

After taking about 30 of them in four months, I caught myself wondering what it would feel like to be the person at the front of the room. Yes, I already had some teaching experience, but that was different. For starters, I’d been instructing young children all those years ago. Was I capable of leading adults through a 60-minute yoga sculpt class? Could I really teach and inspire them the way my favorite instructors had been inspiring me? 

The CorePower Yoga team, ever wonderful, had noticed how much I’d been enjoying yoga sculpt and offered me the chance to complete the 50-Hour Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training at no cost. So, despite my doubts, I embarked on my training journey in January 2023. And now that I’m a certified CorePower Yoga Sculpt instructor, I’m here to tell you everything you need to know about teacher training, my experience, and whether it might be right for you. 

The Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training Program

There are three levels of teacher training to choose from at CorePower Yoga. If I had the goal of becoming a full-on yoga teacher, I could’ve enrolled in either the 200- or 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training. These two programs are recognized by Yoga Alliance, meaning that graduates can utilize their certification at other studios as well.

But my heart was set on yoga sculpt—and I didn’t mind that I would only be able to instruct yoga sculpt, and only at CorePower—so my choice was easy. Here are the details you need to know: 

Cost 

The yoga sculpt training is $1,199. All-Access Members get an additional 15% off training, though, which would’ve brought my final cost down to just under $1,020, had the company not so generously covered my tuition. If you’re not a member, they also offer early bird discounts at 15% off training, should you enroll two weeks before the program start date. Plus, BIPOC scholarships are also available. There are also 200-hour and 300-hour courses that teach more advanced and generally practiced yoga styles — those cost $3,700 and $4,000 respectively, and you get a Yoga Alliance certification at the end (if you pass the courses).

Financing is also available through shopPay. I saw sample plans that broke the cost into three quarterly payments of $409, or 12 monthly installments of $108 (both with 15% APR).  

Membership fees to take classes in the studio vary by location. For instance, while editing this review in August 2023, one of my editors near the Northwest Portland, Oregon, studio was quoted $175 per month for membership. Whatever the price at your local studio, I definitely recommend trying your free week first to see if you enjoy CorePower and its classes as much as I did (and still do).

Curriculum

The 50-Hour Yoga Sculpt Teacher Training requires in-person and independent study to complete. Students study the relevant anatomy and physiology necessary to instruct and correct proper form via 12 hours of online, self-paced study. 

This consisted of video lessons followed by short quizzes to test my knowledge about what I just learned. Topics covered in the online courses included sequencing, anatomy, how to cultivate community in the fitness world, and more. For each lesson, we had three chances to earn a passing grade on the multiple-choice quizzes—which I found was more than enough to learn the material and succeed in the course. 

The bulk of the learning happens during the 38 hours of in-person training, which trains participants in CorePower’s Yoga Sculpt sequence and explains how to teach it—and customize it to fit your personal teaching style. It also involves practicing using visual assets and vocal cues to lead a group through workouts—another essential component of teaching a sculpt class.  

Those who complete all 50 hours of the training have the option to attend an audition to become a teacher at CorePower (if you’re accepted, you’ll be eligible to teach yoga sculpt). 

Signing Up for Teacher Training at CorePower Yoga

CorePower handled signing up for me, but the sign-up process is simple: All I would have had to do is go to CorePower’s Teacher Training Page, select the type of training I was interested in (50-Hour), and my nearest location from a list of about 30 studios. Next I would’ve checked out, and then waited for a representative to reach out with additional details on getting started. 

Anyone can enroll—no prior experience is required! Keep in mind, though, that training does take place mostly in person, so you’ll need to live within driving distance of a CorePower studio.

Before in-person training began, there wasn’t much to do besides create an account on CorePower’s online learning platform, where I would later complete the 12 hours of online courses and self-study. 

So, the waiting game began. As the first day came closer, I grew increasingly nervous and excited at the same time. I was about to enter a room filled with teachers and students I didn’t know—it felt like the first day of starting a new school all over again. 

Teacher Training Taught Me Way More Than Just How to Lead a Yoga Sculpt Class

My first session took place on a Friday at 6:30 p.m. When I entered the NYC studio, the energy was positive and contagious, like usual. But this night was different—I wasn’t about to take part in classes, I was about to begin to learn how to teach them. 

I was greeted by our lead instructor, whose smile and warmth made me feel just a bit more relaxed, and then was ushered into the studio to find a mat to sit on. We began that night by introducing ourselves: our names, a bit about us, and why we wanted to become teachers. Usually, icebreakers like this make me nervous, but instead, I felt eager and compelled to share after hearing a few classmates go before me. It was so refreshing to hear everyone’s story, and I was already starting to feel like I knew the people around me. 

After introductions, our four instructors that night told us more about what to expect throughout the entire teacher training program: what we’d be learning, how the in-person sessions would be formatted, and how to prepare our bodies and minds for the busy and intense three weeks to come. Then they enthusiastically led us through a 60-minute sculpt class, using the playlist that we would be learning and practicing over the next three weeks. (We all needed to use the same playlist to learn together and practice with each other as classmates throughout the training.) We finished up at 10 p.m. that night with instructions to get a good night’s sleep and meet back again the next day at 12:30 p.m. 

That first weekend consisted of three training sessions: Friday from 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday from 12:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., and Sunday from 12:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m. To say I was exhausted by Sunday night would be an understatement. 

The next week we had a break from in-person sessions, and were instructed to focus on completing some of the online coursework—primarily, lots and lots of anatomy lessons—which helped me to better understand the human body and how it worked in terms of a yoga sculpt class. This would become hugely important as training continued and teaching eventually began. 

In the third week, I attended four in-person training sessions: Tuesday from 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Friday from 6:30 p.m.-10 p.m., Saturday from 12:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., and Sunday from 2:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. During those sessions, we learned the entire yoga sculpt sequence, more relevant anatomy, how to create our own sequences, and how to effectively lead a class and cultivate a community. We got to practice teaching with partners—as well as in front of the whole class, which filled us all with nerves and doubt in the lead-up. But we got through it all with the help of each other’s encouragement and the support from our instructors.  

On the final Sunday of training, I remember sitting in a circle just as we had during introductions that first day, but it was so different this time. Those once strangers were now friends, the nerves were now excitement, and any doubts I’d had were now blossoming into confidence. We had all grown together as students and as teachers and had gained an even greater appreciation for the practice that had brought us into each other’s lives. 

The instructor asked us each to say one word to express a feeling we had. Some said things like “grateful,” “connected,” “energized,” and “happy.” 

Before the final day of in-person training was over, the instructors gave us all of the information we’d need to audition, if we so chose: time, location, and what to prepare. We then completed a mock audition, which I found to help calm my buzzing nerves. 

I and many of my classmates were ready and eager to continue to the audition process now that all 50 hours were complete, while others intended to audition at a later time. Some of my classmates even opted out of auditioning completely, having only taken the training to deepen their yoga sculpt practice. 

And, honestly, I have never grown as much as I did during this teacher training. It impacted me as a student, as a teacher, and also as a person. I left that experience with more compassion, more curiosity, and more confidence than ever before—it had become about so much more to me than merely learning how to teach a yoga sculpt sequence. I left with a lot of gratitude, confidence, and passion that I carried forward with me into teaching.  

Audition Time

One week after that final Sunday, it was time to audition to become a CorePower yoga sculpt teacher. I was nervous again. Several classmates-turned-friends and I auditioned in front of a panel of two judges, in the same studio we’d trained in; the audition took about an hour from start to finish, and consisted of teaching two portions of the yoga sculpt sequence to our fellow auditionees. I walked into the studio a bundle of nerves, somehow managed to enter the audition room feeling a bit calmer, and left with an overwhelming sense of pride at my performance.

We were told it would take at least a day to hear back—or possibly up to fourteen. This was my only real complaint with the whole experience. That range, 24 hours to two weeks, seemed so dreadful at the time. It still does now, remembering the stress of my classmates constantly refreshing our email inboxes once the clock struck hour 24. In fact, it wasn’t until five days later that I found out I had passed the audition and was finally on my way to becoming a teacher. 

With that good news raising my spirits, the next steps were easy, mostly involving filling out a form with the days and times of the week that I was available to teach, and which studio I preferred. I began teaching my favorite workout in the world only four weeks later. This meant that it had taken about two months from the first day of training to my first day of teaching: a long and tiring—but also beautiful and life-changing—experience.

Teaching My First Class

My first class was on June 11th, and seeing my name on the schedule was enough to make me overwhelmingly excited and anxious at the same time. I had been creating my playlist, practicing my sequence, and preparing my cues for weeks—it was finally time to teach. My closest friends, mother, and boyfriend were all signed up for my first class—filling me with both comfort and nerves. I showed up to the studio 30-minutes early to find that my class was completely full—32 out of 32 spots filled, with four people on the waitlist—my stomach dropped. What if I forgot a portion of my sequence? Was I confident enough to correct my students’ forms? Could I seriously pull this off? 

After checking all 32 students in, I took a few deep breaths to ground down before class—a practice we’d learned during training. I entered the 96-degree room, this time as a teacher, started my playlist, and took to the front of the room. I began with asking my students to set an intention for class, just as I set my intention: growth. However those next 60 minutes went, I would be happy, proud, and passionate about the growth I’ve seen in myself over that entire experience. 

I thanked my students for showing up for themselves and for letting me share this practice that I love so much with all of them. I finally revealed that this was my very first class—information I’d intentionally withheld up till this point. Once we’d sealed our practice with a community breath, the room erupted in applause. My friends, family, and new students left the room grinning and drenched in sweat, just like I had left my first class. 

It had been an overwhelming success, according to my students, who delivered only positive feedback. I felt so happy, proud, and passionate then, and I feel that same way after every single class I teach—it never gets old.