Meet Zoe - Yoga Sports Coach™ Trainee and Follow Her Journey...

trainee yoga for athletes yoga sports coach Dec 01, 2019

Hello fellow readers! This blog will capture my journey from start to finish with The Institute of Yoga Sport Science® as I train to be a Certified Yoga Sports Coach™

I thought I would begin by introducing myself and telling you a little bit about my background. My name is Zoe Sorrentino. I grew up and live in the British Virgin Islands, a small set of Islands in the Eastern Caribbean. To say I enjoy sports, competing and exercise is an understatement. Since I can remember I have been participating in sports in the BVI, throughout the Caribbean and in the UK. I love squash, field hockey, Crossfit, surfing, tennis and just about any sporting activity. I thrive on it! So, it is safe to say, my mindset is fairly competitive and I am wired as an athlete. I love pushing my body to its limits in competitions and training.

"Sports are where I find my mental and physical release"

Yoga? Yoga Sports Coach™? How did I get here?

To begin, I wasn’t the typical Yoga enthusiast and I haven’t been practicing yoga for years. I had participated in classes from time to time and enjoyed it but with my sports orientated brain and my competitive nature I often found yoga too slow. Also, I didn’t feel the usual physical demands, strain and tiredness from a hard workout so I wasn’t fully committed to yoga as part of my exercise regime.

How did I become a Yoga Instructor...

I hit a wall. My constant need to learn and always be stimulated came crashing down on me and I needed a change. I needed to get off the island to find a new adventure and experience. I wanted a goal; I felt “I need something that I am doing, something that I am working for”… That is when my sister suggested Yoga. “ Take a course, try it out?”At first I thought, no way! How random… but then something inside of me decided… just try it! Why not!

I could get a qualification and maybe teach but if not I will always have something to fall back on. So I did some research and a couple of months later I found myself in Bali on a Yoga Teacher Training course. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with it. The surroundings, the teaching, the theory behind it all blew my mind. There was so much more than just the Asana. There was the history and culture and connection to a world I never knew existed. Connection to the mind, body, breathing - it was like nothing I had done before and I got hooked.

The hardest part was slowing it down… I was training with Yogis who had been practicing for years and years and I was brand new.

Sanskrit - Asanas - Anatomy

I had to change my mindset and not try to throw my body into these intense poses competing to be the best. Instead, I had to learn to peel back, start slowly and build my foundation.

Being so competitive this was the most challenging part of all.

After my training course, I returned home to continue my practice and I also went back into my usual routine of training at the Crossfit Gym and local squash club. However, I found that something had changed. My movement and mindset was different and sure enough when members heard I was a qualified Yoga instructor I was flooded with questions and requests for stretches and techniques to help them with all kinds of strains or injuries they had acquired. They weren’t looking for a continual practice to prevent injuries or to enhance their performance (that thought hadn’t even crossed their minds) but a quick fix to stop the pain so they can get back to what they were doing before… to what had caused their injuries in the first place.

Wouldn’t it be great if I could help prevent injuries? What if I could be a part of their training and not a part of recovery or rehabilitation? That was my first light bulb moment; I made the connection in my brain. I wanted to use yoga to get better, stronger and increase my abilities. I wanted yoga to be a part of training to help avoid injury and to increase the athletic ability of people doing and competing in sport. That is when I began searching for Yoga for athletes, and specifically teacher training. This is when I came across YSS.

Instantly I knew YSS was the training I was looking for. Their teachings and understanding of the sporting mindset as well as the physical and mental demands of sport and how beneficial Yoga can be. This was what I was looking for, the connection between both worlds. Hook, line and sinker, I knew this was the place for me!

Starting the Course...

Jumping to the present and weeks into the course.

First feelings: excited, overwhelmed, nervous - ready to go but hesitant. Anatomy? Biomechanics? Science? These are areas I do not excel in at all. I come at this training as a newly qualified yoga instructor and as a competitive athlete. However, my curiosity outweighs my fears, I have jumped in with both feet and am already enjoying it. I am learning so much new information and reviewing things I know from years of competing and from my teacher training. YSS creates bridges and takes all these ideas, concepts and teachings merging them together to create a new approach and relationship between coaching, athletes and yoga - adding volume and depth to my knowledge and understanding of these areas.

My mindset has already shifted. Watching athletes train and looking at them before and after workouts. Looking at posture, body composition, range of movement, restrictions and common injuries.

The wheels in my head are turning!

Are they tight in the shoulders or Hip flexors? Is this affecting their performance? So many questions that I can’t wait to be able to answer and I am so looking forward to learning from the amazing Tutors at YSS. The journey is just beginning and I cannot wait to dive deeper into this new world of Yoga and Sport.

Stay tuned for more of my story...

Don't miss out on applying for the next Course which begins on

September 12, 2020 - Register today and reserve your spot TODAY!

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Ends Monday, Dec 2nd, 2019 @ Midnight