Thoughts on Yoga Teacher Training

As soon as I walked out of my first yoga class, I knew. Knew down to my bones that I would one day be a yoga teacher. Knew I had to tell everyone about yoga.

Flash forward many years and not only did I complete 200 and 300 hour training, I also dabbled in training with one of my teacher’s teachers, and made it through about ⅓ of a yoga therapy training. I’ve practiced and studied with many teachers, and I’ve learned some things you might find useful.

It may be worth your time, energy, money. First and foremost, I believe Yoga Teacher Training is a powerful growth opportunity, a call to action, and the means to keep growing all rolled into one. If you find the right training for you, it can change how you experience yourself, your mind, your body, your energy, your life, and the world -- for the better. But it takes time, dedication, and practice, like most worthwhile things in this world.

Not every teacher is YOUR teacher. And you can’t expect the teacher to know whether they are your teacher or not. It is for you to know. Take classes with anyone you are interested in studying with. Schedule a meeting. Ask questions. Listen to how your body reacts to these things. Listen within and you’ll know.

It’s not the teacher, it’s the teachings. Anyone can spout opinions. Finding a teacher who knows what they are teaching, why they are teaching it, what it is meant to do for you, how you can benefit from practicing it, etc. is incredibly beneficial. Maybe that’s not your yoga thing. I’d still put forth that you can always choose to move forward teaching a purely physical class. Never mentioning to your students the whys, the purpose beyond “you’ll get stronger.” The teachings matter. You’ll be a better teacher having received that knowledge, than you if you never received it. It shines through. And it certainly makes standing up in front of strangers getting all bendy much more comfortable. To have the substance to back you up.

You don’t have to teach yoga if you complete training. You don’t. You can join a training to get deeper understanding, focused time in practice, consistency, etc. Even the exercises / practices in teaching will benefit you going forward. You will increase your spatial relations, giving verbal cues to move people’s bodies through space. You will increase your own capacity to show up for yourself and others. You will increase your capacity to hold space for others. You will increase your comfort speaking in front of others. And so much more.

Online training is not the same as in person. This is not a judgment, it is a statement of fact. There is something to be said for sharing space, sharing energy, sharing experience. There is even more to be said for having a teacher to can scan the room and see if everyone is on the same page, see if everyone ‘gets’ the material, see if you need more info or a modification or a deeper explanation. You can get some of that online, if it is LIVE, and if your teacher is the kind who cares whether you understand the material or not. [But online training is so affordable. Yes it is, because much of it is prerecorded with very little or no personal follow-up and opportunity to ask questions, or explore things in greater depth.] I had the opportunity to run 200 hour and 300 hour trainings online after the pandemic shut everything down and I chose not to. For me, yoga is passed from person to person, with enough presence to make sure the teachings are understood.

Will Upward Facing Dawn offer Yoga Teacher Training again? I am open to the possibility. So open, that I’m starting an interest list. Click here to add your name and contact information to that interest list.