AAPI Heritage Month: Teacher Q&A

At CorePower Yoga, we know that it’s the unique and diverse voices within our communities that make CorePower what it is, and we are dedicated to uplifting and amplifying these voices every day. We want to share stories that enrich the CorePower community and expand perspectives by sharing other people’s points of view. In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, our CEO Niki Leondakis sat down with South Boulder teacher Bailee Mulholland for an intimate conversation about her experiences at CorePower.

They discuss what inspired Bailee to teach at CorePower Yoga, what makes her classes special, and how she celebrates and honors her Chinese heritage.

Niki: Bailee! Hello. It’s so nice to meet you. You’re in Boulder, is that correct?

Bailee: Hi Niki. Thank you for having me! Yes, I've lived in Boulder my whole life. Well, I was born in China, but have lived here since I was adopted at ten months old.

Niki: Oh wow, that’s amazing. What an incredible place to live. Boulder is so beautiful!

Bailee: Yes, it’s a hard place to leave.

Niki: And you’ve been teaching for CorePower since 2017, I think? Did you do your teacher training with us?

Bailee: Yes, I’ve been teaching at CorePower since 2017 and I think I’ve done every CorePower teacher training at this point. My first was the Hot/Hot Power Fusion 200-hour training, and I taught Hot Yoga for a while. Then, I did the 200-hour Power training and any intensive training I could get my hands on. I teach Yoga Sculpt, CoreRestore, Strength X, and I even took the first 300-hour teacher training that was offered. I have actually thought a lot about doing the 300-hour training again.

Niki: I'm so happy to hear this, Bailee. I strongly believe in people pursuing their education as fully and completely as possible.

Bailee: I just love that CorePower makes something like the 300-hour teacher training program available to existing teachers.

Niki: Honestly, I feel like it’s our duty as the largest yoga company in the world to educate and provide continuing education to our teachers so they can grow and learn and feel fulfilled in their yoga journey with us. I want us to always be providing as much learning and development as we can.

What brought you to CorePower Yoga originally?

Bailee: I was a student at the University of Colorado in Boulder and the CorePower studios are so convenient; you can walk to them from the campus. It was easy to take my classes and also go to yoga, and I built those yoga classes throughout my regular schedule.

Niki: How wonderful that you were introduced to yoga, and maintained a consistent practice, while you were in college! Looking back, that’s something I wish I would have done.

What is your WHY for teaching at CorePower?

Bailee: For me it’s really about the community. In the time I’ve been at CorePower, I’ve connected with so many of the teachers, and a lot of them are really close, personal friends. We hang out outside of class, we go to classes, and spend a lot of time together. I also love the connection with the students. I’ve taught yoga at a lot of gyms and other places, but I love the regular students I have at CorePower who have a consistent practice and are working towards something. I get to be a part of creating a growth journey with them, and see the progress in what they’re working through. Getting to be a part of this, and connecting or reflecting with students, is a way for me to give back to the community.

Niki: That’s wonderful. When I first came to CorePower Yoga and started listening and learning from teachers, employees, and students, the sense of community was the WHY for so many people. The community connection seems to be the backbone of what CorePower Yoga means to those closely involved with us, and I love that you see it as giving back and helping make a difference in people’s lives. That’s what it’s all about for me too.

I’m curious, Bailee, in the classes you’ve taken as a student at CorePower Yoga, what’s one thing a teacher has done during the class experience that really made an impact on you?

Bailee: One of the very first teachers I had at CorePower, Tunde - who still teaches in Boulder, has had such an impact on me. I love her classes because she’s so real in them. She really shares about her life and her personal struggles. At the beginning of every class she has everyone introduce themselves which helps build the sense of community. It’s really nice because so often you come to a yoga or fitness class by yourself or with a friend and don’t have the chance to connect with anyone else. In Tunde’s classes, you always meet someone you didn’t already know, and then next time you see them at the studio, there’s a connection.

Niki: I love this. I’m curious how Tunde does this. Can you tell me more?

Bailee: It’s really quick. She has everyone turn to a person near them who they don’t already know and she gives us two minutes or so, sometimes even giving us a prompt to share. Maybe share something you’re grateful for. Not only are you meeting someone new, on a deeper level, you’re also able to ground yourself. Then when you start the class, and take your initial breaths, you’re less distracted.

Niki: You’re right. When you get to class, coming from work or school – or even if you’re just starting your day, it takes a few minutes to get grounded and be present in the moment. I think that’s such a nice way to help people transition to class and connect with the people around them. I’m definitely going to seek out one of Tunde’s classes. Thank you!

Can you tell me, Bailee, three things students can expect from your classes?

Bailee: I try to curate a journey throughout the poses so it’s really well-sequenced. I want to hit every area of the body so students feel ready and warmed-up for peak poses. I also really want to sustain a positive energy throughout class. So I start by giving people time to acknowledge where they are, how they showed up, and fully drop into the class with their body and mind before we start to move.

I know people come to CorePower to work out, energize, and have fun. I spend time making sure my classes are fun, unique and exciting - both through movement and flow. In my experience, students at CorePower are really driven, active and motivated, and they have a lot going on. Therefore, they sometimes have a harder time slowing down. I make sure to balance moments of high intensity with moments of rest. We do a great job of building the rest and recovery moments into classes like CorePower Strength X and Yoga Sculpt, where it's more obvious that when you skip the moments of rest you can’t perform in the next interval at the level you want. I think it’s important to prioritize that balance in other classes too.

Niki: You articulated that so nicely, Bailee. I fully agree, the rest and recovery portion of class is critical. And I think it’s such an important metaphor for life too. We have to balance the intensity and stressors in our lives with moments of rest and recovery so that we can be our best selves.

Shifting gears a little bit here, May is a month when we celebrate AAPI heritage. I’m curious about what this means to you, Bailee.

Bailee: Heritage is something that is really important to me. My parents adopted me from China when I was ten months old, so they don’t share the same heritage as me. They’re both from the U.S. with Caucasian backgrounds, but they’ve made a big effort since I was young to celebrate my heritage, like celebrating Chinese New Year together. In college, I earned a degree in Chinese language and culture, because as I got older I wanted to be able to connect back to my roots. I think being in Boulder, especially, since it’s not a very diverse area, that it’s important to curate ways to connect to my culture in my own ways. I do that a lot by the friendships I have with other adoptees who share my heritage, and it’s nice to be able to connect over that. Food is a big one for me. I like to learn about my culture’s food and then share that with my friends as a way to connect.

Niki: Is there anything you might do in the studio or your classes to infuse some of AAPI heritage into the experience for your students?

Bailee: I love how CorePower is a space where people can come exactly as they are and I think culturally it’s really important not to feel judged, or explain anything, but for people to know they can just show up and be there.

Niki: We definitely hear this from CorePower students. They say it’s like their home away from home, and a place where they can truly be themselves. When you’re in the studio and teaching, how do you foster community and ensure students feel a sense of belonging?

Bailee: I try to be vulnerable in the things I share and in theming for class. I build my class around what’s going on in my life. I want to design a class that I’d want to take, both in the movements and the theme. I think it’s important to weave in common themes. Everyone is so unique and individual, and yet people share common patterns that we’ve all gone through or are going through in the same season. I think connecting back to that and sharing what’s going on for me, creates a space where students know it’s safe for them to be vulnerable - all they have to do is show up.

Niki: I couldn’t agree more, Bailee. I think when you show up authentically as a teacher and can be vulnerable, it helps people feel comfortable doing the same. They can be exactly who they are, and show up just as they are. I love that.

Bailee: I also try to give a lot of modifications. When you’re teaching a flow, you want to make it interesting, exciting and challenging but you also want to make sure everyone can do it regardless of how experienced they are. You want everyone to be able to show up and feel successful. As a student, if you can’t do a pose and there is nothing else offered, you might leave the class feeling bummed out about the experience. I try to figure out ways to use props, or variations of the pose, to level up or take a step back based on how a student is feeling.

Niki: I think that’s fantastic. Modifications in both directions, advancing or stepping back. Every day is so different, even for the same person. You might be feeling strong and courageous to move deeper into a pose, or your energy might be down. Either way, you can experience the benefits of the practice. It’s so true.

As you know, last year we put words to CorePower’s purpose: To power love from the inside out. Can you share a little about what powering love means to you personally?

Bailee: I think a lot of people correlate love with relationships. Whether it’s for family, friends, or significant others, they put love into this outer field. I've noticed that I’m able to give the most love and support to my other relationships when I'm making time for myself and giving myself what I need. And also acknowledging myself. I feel like self worth is easier to give to other people. You think about your friends and you think, wow, they are so amazing. It's more difficult to acknowledge your own accomplishments and all the ways you’re really amazing and special. When you can have an honest conversation with yourself and acknowledge yourself, you’re able to bring more to your other relationships.

Niki: What you’re saying, Bailee, is so salient. In order to power love, you have to honor yourself first. I couldn't agree more. When we’re running on empty, we don’t have anything to give. It’s critical that we do things that fill our own cups. When we do, we can power love externally.

It sounds like you’re spending time reflecting on how you power love within yourself and others, which is so great. How do you think CorePower, as an organization, can live up to our higher purpose of powering love?

Bailee: I think CorePower does this really naturally, because students are coming into a space with complete vulnerability, and there is a very clear path of improving. They’re getting more comfortable with poses, discovering themselves, and what their bodies are capable of. And this path builds self-love and growth. Even though the path isn’t always linear, because life happens. Maybe you showed up hungry or out of balance; just making it to class is really powerful. Providing the space for people to grow and be themselves and work through what they need, creates internal power in students that they can take out into the world.

Niki: We’re always working to improve and grow, as a company, just like our students are as individuals. We want to be that space where everyone can be themselves and feel like they belong.

Bailee: It helps that the teachers are so diverse within CorePower, and the marketing features real teachers which I think is so important. People need to see different body types and different faces, and not the same generic, good-looking people. It reinforces that CorePower Yoga is for everybody.

Niki: We will continue to do that, Bailee. You’re right, an experience that might seem unattainable to people, can feel more accessible if they can relate to and see themselves in the imagery and messaging we put out there. And this idea is at the heart of our Empower Everyone core value; to embrace our differences and foster an inclusive environment where everyone feels a sense of belonging.

Bailee, it was such a pleasure to spend time getting to know you. Truly, it was the best part of my day. I’m in Denver at our Studio Support Center frequently, and I can’t wait to get to Boulder to take your class. I can tell how much love and care you put into your classes and it’s really inspiring. We’re so lucky to have you!

Bailee: Thank you, Niki. I really appreciate this opportunity!