First and foremost, congratulations on starting your own yoga teacher training journey! Most people know yoga as a stretching exercise. But it’s actually more than just reaching for your toes and bending your back. It can heal, transform, and inspire one’s life through deep focus and meditation. In short, it’s regarded as one of the most fantastic, inspiring, and life-changing things you can do for yourself and for others.
As mentioned, yoga teacher training doesn’t stop at learning fancy postures. In fact, the course will teach you the philosophy, mindfulness, and anatomy of yoga. That’s not all, you could learn different types of yoga as well along the way.
With thousands of yoga teacher training courses out there, how will you know what’s best among them? Here’s a piece of advice that may help you. Don’t look for the best, instead try to look, discover, and see what’s right and perfect for you. Check out training programs from providers like Blooming Lotus Yoga and the like to see if it’s for you.
If you’re still feeling undecided, then you’re in the right place. Indicated below are some of the aspects you may need to look for in a yoga teacher training program:
1. Define Your Style
Begin to narrow your options by picking your preferred style of yoga. Choose a style that fits your intention. Some are challenging and require a lot of rigorous training while others are relatively easy and focus more on meditation.
Identifying your preferred style may help you focus better on training and may even help you improve a lot faster.
2. Check If They’re Yoga Alliance-Certified
After examining your chosen yoga style, it’s highly recommended to check whether the yoga teaching course of your choice is recognized by yoga experts.
Ask whether they follow an international set of standards used by different yoga training schools. These standards promote the well-being of their students, especially their employees. Consequently, if you choose a certified facility, you’ll have a chance to receive assurance and train in a safer environment.
Yet it doesn’t mean that training in a non-certified school is a mistake. Surely, there are great non-certified yoga training schools out there. But you don’t want to lessen your chances to teach safely, right? In this case, utmost precaution is advised.
3. Learn Their History
Always research the history of the yoga training institution before you decide on which one you’ll go with. You may learn some things about them that may help you decide to move forward with your application. These things can be their yoga journey, their way of teaching, or their certification process.
On the contrary, being certified doesn’t automatically mean that a yoga teaching school offers top-quality services. Its history and experiences may help in putting them above others. So, take your time to do some background checks by asking people who have been through the program or by reading some of the reviews available online.
4. Study Their Philosophy
Different schools have their own different philosophies and ideals. These serve as a guideline on how the school conducts its operation. It’s also a system used to achieve the school’s mission and vision.
Moreover, check if their teaching style aligns with their philosophy. This is a factor to consider to determine how passionate and committed the school is. So, examine their philosophies and see how they might help you reach your goals as a yoga teacher.
Furthermore, learning their wisdom may give you an idea of how they can help you achieve a healthy life.
5. Discover How They Teach Anatomy
Anatomy is an essential part of any 200-hour yoga teacher training program. It gives you a fundamental knowledge of how the body works in the yoga meditation process. Therefore, a school with a strong anatomy foundation is highly wanted.
Besides, a strong anatomy foundation will help you learn what posture is right for a specific type of body. It’ll also deepen your experiences as you become more aware of the connection between the subject matter of anatomy and your body’s physiology.
Make sure you find a training ground that doesn’t just focus on teaching proper postures but also helps you understand the human body’s physical makeup and composition.
6. Research About The Instructors
One of the most important things to consider is checking the background of your yoga instructors. Look at how long they’ve been practicing the meditation, how long they’ve been teaching, or who trained them. These are just supplemental information for someone who doesn’t have any knowledge about them.
You may look for their social media accounts to have a hint of their personality. Also, you may try to participate in some of their public classes to know them well. This may help you easily build a connection and form a vibe with your future mentors.
7. Look Up For Information Regarding Their Program And Curriculum
While there are not-so-great programs out there, it’s necessary to look for a yoga teacher training course that basically covers every topic needed such as:
- Anatomy and physiology;
- Philosophy and history;
- Business and ethics;
- Equipment and adjustments;
- Meditation and breathwork; and
- Pose breakdown.
Some may find it boring and less interesting if the program they choose focuses only on understanding anatomy and physiology. So, check the program if there’s a balanced discussion and emphasis between different topics.
Additionally, be wary of recorded video classes. It may look easier, but it may not give you a quality experience and may not boost your confidence as a teacher. Moreover, it’ll close the opportunity to hear honest feedback that may help you improve your ways. Therefore, it’s important to look for a program that promotes and encourages active student-teacher participation and communication.
8. Know Your Expectations
At the end of the day, there shouldn’t be any surprises. Look for a sample yoga training schedule, check out their websites, examine their venues and accommodations, and have a list of possibly required readings. To boot, you should know the dos and don’ts of the training ground and what essential items to bring. Make sure you know all of these pieces of information ahead of time.
The Final Stretch
Yoga teacher training programs are certainly not cheap and usually intense. It’s also physically and emotionally demanding. But you’ll absolutely learn a lot and may even improve your quality of living. Make sure to get the most out of your budget and most importantly enjoy the whole process.
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