Coach Yari
Hi, My name is Yarixa Ferrao. I know, sounds like a mouth full, so let me make it easier. You pronounce Yari as Ya-di. And everyone just calls me Coach Yari (Ya-di). 2004 Olympian, Rhadi Ferguson, gave me that nickname, and it stuck.
I think, to be a really good Personal Trainer and Fitness Coach you need to really love people. And I do. But that could not be possible if I didn’t take the time to love myself, and take care of myself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I firmly believe that before you can take great care of others you must take care of Yourself.
It’s also really important to be up on all of the latest teachings, and that includes fitness, nutrition, and health. So I make it a point to take part if all of the education opportunities available in my industry.
My friends, students, and clients (those words are interchangeable to me) tell me that my strengths include being able to motivate and inspire. In a way, being motivated and enthusiastic is easy for me because it is a blessing to do what I do- to help my friends achieve a happy and healthy life. I guess you could say I not only “talk the talk, but I walk the walk” If you’ve been trained by me, than you know how dedicated I am to your health!
A Little On My Background and How I got into my career
I am originally a native of Puerto Rico “La Isla del Encanto”, and I have spent most of my life in the flavorful environment of Miami. I have been passionate about fitness, health and athletics since I was a kid. At the age of 10 I began playing competitive soccer. And as I got older I got into other team sports such as basketball, softball and badminton.
My introduction into the world of training and fitness occurred in 2001, when I competed in a South Florida figure competition. I could not believe it, I finished in 2nd place. Well, as you can imagine, this had an immediate impact on my life. In fact, this experience inspired me to become a teacher of health and fitness.
I began teaching in a South Miami Fitness Studio where I experienced working one-on one as well as teaching “hardcore” boot camp classes. Later, I gained initial notoriety in the profession as the official Fitness Specialist for Univision’s morning news fitness segment, Al Amanecer (“When Awakening”).
I continued to work for gyms in South Miami area until I found a professional home at the prestigious Sports Club L.A. at the Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Miami.
In my journey, I was discovered by a scout in Miami who was looking for the perfect person to train a Royal Prince for several weeks and had already been looking searching in major cities such as New York and L.A. But, Lucky Me got the position and trained the Prince in Sardinia, Italy
What a great experience for a young woman (23 year old at the time) from Miami! At the time,I could not believe I was chosen to train a Royal Prince in Italy. Traveling to Italy was an adventure I could have only dreamed about, but now I was living my dream.
A short while after returning from Italy, I was seleccted from among 8,000 international applicants to serve as a Performance Coach at IHP (Institute of Human Performance) in the first-ever “Personal Training Apprentice Hunt” conducted by fitness industry leaders Juan Carlos Santana and Phil Kaplan.
Soon after this, I was chosen to be on the cover of Personal Fitness Professional Magazine. I also have been a featured guest numerous times on the Performance Nutrition Radio Show, hosted by Dr. Jose Antonio. He later cast me to be a “Power Princess” on his other Radio Show “The Strength Power Hour”.
My most recent adventure included becoming the “2008 Fitness Phenom Grand Prize Winner” in a National Contest in the U.S. and Canada! Here is what they said: “After sweating it out through two grueling rounds and after battling it out with nearly 100 other contestants, Yari’s compelling fitness routines and persuasive personality caused her to stand out from the crowd.
That was really awesome! But my passion to Coach my friends and students to the body of their dreams, is still my greatest victory!
Today I have my own company, CoachYari LLC, which has allowed me for the past 3 years to successfully provide personal training, group fitness, online and corporate fitness services. My greatest achievement has been to host one of the most result driven group programs, Get Fit in 6 (www.getfitin6.com), in Delray Beach, Florida.
If you want to shed those unwanted pounds and get the body of your dreams, and you live in South Florida, come to Delray and join my friends in fun and exciting fitness adventure! And if you’re not in South Florida, you can still join the fun by taking part in the online version of “Get Fit In 6″!
Jacqueline Pfeffer
Jacqueline Pfeffer is a Certified 200 RYT Vinyasa Instructor and Barkan Hot Yoga Method Level II/III certified.
Jacqueline began practicing Yoga in 1999 when she lived in Maui. There she practiced several yoga styles including: Kundalini, Bikram, and Anusara. It wasn’t until she moved to San Diego that her true heart’s desire for Yoga was found. It was the Vinyasa style – a very powerful and beautiful practice. She fell in love with breath, sweat and how the asanas transformed her body via the movement and beat of Vinyasa (flow). It inspired her to study and train to teach in the style, and she began teaching it in 2008.
Her journey has supported her in offering classes which offer a fun flow – a time to dance with your breath and honor where your body is at in any given moment. Jacqueline believes everyone should follow their bliss and that yoga supports that quest. Her class is a time to be free and play. Yoga is known to change practicioners bodies and minds. It is the perfect complement to any other form of physical exercise – with added value – it calms the mind, opens the heart and soothes the soul.
As Jacqueline guides the practice she will be sure to remind you to connect to breath and check in with alignment – key points to preventative measures and assuring a most enjoyable experience.
Breathe and Just Be…
