5 TIPS TO PREPARE FOR YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
As I gear up for a new
season of yoga teacher training, I am thrilled to share with you that from 2018
we will be offering our first yoga teacher training program as well at the studio. As I sit down to
draft the program, I am reminded of my own days of being a student at yoga
teacher training. And the hours of work, practice, and excitement put into yoga
teacher training. A study conducted in 2016 by Yoga Alliance
stated that 36.7 million practitioners are currently practicing yoga in the US
alone. While it was just 20.4 million in 2012. And an estimated 80 million were
estimated to try yoga for the first time. In the US alone, there are thousands
of yoga teachers being churned out each year. There is no way to get an exact
number on the total number of teachers produced each year. But it is in the
thousands. The truth is it is easier to become a yoga teacher today than ever
before. So it is more important than ever before to work hard towards setting
yourself apart from the rest. I hope these 5 tips to prepare for yoga
teacher training are helpful to you. They are…
1.
Train before the
training
2.
Develop a home yoga
practice
3.
Read books – even if
you do not understand them
4.
Explore different
styles and lineages
5.
Create time for home
study
Train before the
training
What you get out of a
yoga teacher training mostly depends on what you put into it. Begin to develop
a learning mindset. Especially if it’s been a while since you hit the books.
Being a yoga teacher doesn’t only entail being able to do yoga poses well. It
requires proper training and one needs to read books, practice, absorb
information, remember it and apply it. All this in a short span of time.
So it’s not always going to be easy. But with practice, it gets
better. So get training before your yoga teacher training starts. Start attending
more yoga classes regularly. Not only your level but different levels and
styles of yoga. Start noticing what you like, what you don’t, the students in
the room, adjustments offered etc… And try to expand your thinking to take all
the information in and not just be aware of your own practice. Check with your
local yoga school, if they offer any pre-course work or suggested reading.
At Shiva Yoga, we offer a pre-course work for students who sign up early. And
if one is not available, try doing some additional work on your own if
possible.
Develop a home
practice
A home practice is
where you do your own yoga practice. An opportunity to become the teacher and
the student. This is especially valuable when you are a yoga teacher trainee.
In your own practice develop a mindset of curiosity, awareness and thinking
mindset. This is invaluable as a new yoga teacher. If you can get into your own
body and experience what a yoga pose does to you. And remember that. When you
teach, instructing poses will become easier. While doing your home yoga
practice, keep away from any distractions like your cell phone, people or
coffee and keep a journal and a pen near your mat. Write down what you observe
or do not understand. This will help you learn better in your training.
Read yoga books even
if you do not understand them
One of the best things
I did in my first yoga teacher training was to start reading yoga books. I
started reading a book recommended by my teacher the day I enrolled in the
program. This was one of the best things I did apart from attending more
classes regularly. I also bought a couple of other popular yoga books and just
started reading whatever I could. In my enthusiasm, I picked up Patanjali’s
yoga sutras as well. Though I did not understand the sutras well back then, I
tried my best to read all sorts of books – practice books, yoga philosophy,
etc…Nowadays you can even listen to yoga podcasts apart from reading yoga
books. This gave me more knowledge than what I had and I felt more confident
being in the yoga teacher training.
Explore different yoga
styles, lineages, and levels of Classes
As a yoga
practitioner, you may have a preference as to which style of yoga you prefer.
But it is to your advantage to explore different styles, lineages, and
traditions of yoga even if they do not make it to your favorites list. This
requires patience, time and effort. But will help make you a better-informed
yoga teacher. So when you start teaching and have a student who says they have
come to your class from X style of yoga, you have some idea and a reference
point. And being well informed about different styles of yoga in your field
will help your students trust you more.
Create time for study
Becoming a yoga
teacher one needs to take into account the additional number of hours needed to
go through course material, practice teaching skills, prepare assignments
etc…It is never about just attending class hours. If the yoga teacher training
you are considering says that there is nothing additional other than class
hours. I would suggest you look for another yoga teacher training. You will be
(hopefully) studying this training only once in your lifetime. And you are
investing time, effort and hard earned money into this. So make it count. For a
few weeks, clear out your calendar. Wind down your social commitments. Stay
home more. And direct those extra hours to study and practice. Trust me it will
be worth it. I have seen students come to a full day yoga teacher training
after partying on a Saturday night and just not be able to keep their eyes
open. If it really means this much to you, then make time for it.
Sincerely.
So there you have it.
5 tips to help you succeed in your yoga teacher training. I hope these help
you. If you did something that helped you apart from these 5 tips, please share
your experience in the comments section below. Good luck.
