The Hot Room Leadership Institute provides opportunities for dedicated practitioners to be trained to teach the modalities offered at The Hot Room, gain a deeper understanding of their personal yoga practice, and cultivate the skills to be a powerful leader in their community. The Hot Room Leadership Institute Scholarship for People of Color is a full-tuition scholarship opportunity that is open to any self-identified POC who would like to deepen their yoga practice and gain the skills necessary to lead inspiring and powerful classes in their community.
We asked Gabby Love, one of our 2020 Fall Hot Power Vinyasa scholarship recipients, a few questions about her experience and her why behind her decision to become a yoga instructor.
Why did you enroll in the training?
I had the honor of being in one Erin Polley’s practice classes when she was getting her training certification about 5 years ago. It brought me fully into my yoga practice and brought me to The Hot Room. I have always been inspired by her, the teachers, and the community at Hot Room as a whole, and I wanted to learn how to teach to be able to share this incredible practice. I also have taught horseback riding lessons and trained horses in the hunter/jumper style of riding for almost half my life. I wanted to learn how to combine the two, as I noticed an improvement even in my own riding through my yoga practice.
What compelled you to apply for The Hot Room Leadership Institute’s People of Color Scholarship?
The aspect I love about the Hot Room the most is its diversity compared to the majority of yoga studios throughout the country. In my first official class as a student in the Hot Room, for the first time, I wasn’t the only BIPOC in the room, something I had been at every other yoga studio I had ever been to. There is a very obvious lack of diversity in the yoga world and I want to be a proactive part of changing that.
How has your practice changed since the start of your training?
It has deepened my personal practice so profoundly and in every aspect: My alignment, my breath, my love for the practice. All of it! The solid connection that this training has now fostered between my mind and my body is something I had been really working towards achieving. I feel through this training I have achieved that and I know I can now nurture it fully and maintain that connection.
What advice would give future trainees?
Be inquisitive: ask your facilitators all the questions that come across your mind. And most importantly, inquire within yourself. There is so much self and inner work involved in the training. And with that a tremendous opportunity for growth, not just as a teacher but as a human. Dive into all the questions you have about this practice and yourself and explore the possibilities in both
As part of your training, you were assigned a final service project. Share about your project and what you will do.
I plan to create a personal yoga training practice and business for equestrians that will better help maintain the mobility and health of the horse and rider, helping riders to ride better and more safely. I will also train riding instructors how to teach from a yogic perspective, while also teaching yoga instructors how they can teach Baptiste Journey Into Power Vinyasa specifically to equestrians. I will then take proceeds from this business to develop riding and yoga programs to benefit underprivileged communities, as well as expanding Hippotherapy programs in the Indianapolis area.
What is one big takeaway from your leadership training with The Hot Room?
This training has changed my life in so many ways. Teaching me how to teach the practice was the smallest part of it. Deepening my own personal practice through this training has been one of the most profound and needed tools for me in my life. And knowing that I can change others’ lives in this manner through my ability to teach is something I am so honored to do and be able to share. This practice has the ability to save lives, and in many ways, this practice has saved mine. I am so grateful for this opportunity through this training.
Is there anything else you would like to share about your experience with The Hot Room Leadership Institute?
If you are even thinking about doing this training even just a little bit. If it even crossed your mind for a second, DO IT! It is worth every single second and you cannot put a price on what this training truly does for your life.
