Yoga Teacher Training Journeys

5 Questions to Ask Before Making the Transition to Yoga Teaching

April 22nd, 2008 Posted in Yoga Teacher Perspectives | No Comments »

Written by: John Ogilvie

As any yoga fan knows, it’s very easy to become passionate about yoga. For many, this translates into a desire to become a yoga teacher, however, the transition from yogi or yogini to yoga teacher is a commitment not to be taken lightly. For some, it can even lead to a reduced passion for yoga, simply because the demands of teaching yoga are so much greater than the demands of simply ‘doing’ yoga.

After being introduced to yoga twenty five years ago, my transition to yoga teacher five years later was a natural and simple decision to make. By that stage I had already engaged in a yogic way of life - taking on a vegetarian diet, meditating daily, practicing my asanas several hours a day, etc – so the decision to become a yoga teacher was a way of integrating this further.

I was also fortunate to have some guidance from my spiritual master, Srila Prabhupada, who set the task of spreading knowledge about yoga far and wide. The lesson he taught, and the lesson I teach my students, is that you keep what you’ve got by giving it away. In practice for me, this means I keep my passion for yoga by sharing it with my students and yoga teacher trainees.

So how does a passionate yogi or yogini discern the difference between a passion for doing yoga, and a passion to actually become a yoga teacher? Whenever potential yoga teacher training students enquire about a position in one of my courses, I encourage them to go through a process of reflection to help clarify their desires and ensure that yoga teaching is in fact the ‘right path’ for them. This process would ideally involve asking the following questions:

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Yoga teacher training challenging but fulfilling

March 15th, 2008 Posted in DURING Yoga Teacher Training | No Comments »

Written by: David M

So far, I am finding the yoga teacher training course a lot more personally challenging than I expected - this is not a bad thing, as I am sure it will lead to significant personal growth. I feel that the course adequately provides the framework, information and environment for me to learn and grow, and it’s up to me to apply myself and make a determined effort to achieve everything I hope for. At the half way point of the course, I have made some progress but have come nowhere near achieving what I am capable of.

One of my expectations was that I’d be able to improve my health and fitness and reduce my chronic back pain, but unfortunately, due to perhaps too much yoga in the first two weeks, with little understanding of correct postures and what was good for my body, my back pain has been considerably worse in the past week. But this is in itself a great help as I’m beginning to learn what not to do as much as what I need to do to care for my body. The challenge with my own health has been a discouraging distraction in the past week, but I will be making a concerted effort in the remaining three weeks of the course to learn as much as possible about yoga and teaching.

Anatomy and Physiology Enhance Understanding of Yoga Asanas

March 15th, 2008 Posted in DURING Yoga Teacher Training | No Comments »

Written by: Lauren

In some ways the Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training course modules have exceeded my expectations. I did not think that we would be teaching yoga so early on and I am amazed at the proficiency with which my colleagues are already teaching and how much progress they have made.

I did think that we would be learning more asanas but limiting the number has made it much easier to feel more comfortable and be more knowledgeable when teaching. I also thought that there might be more emphasis on developing our own yoga practice and that we would get more assistance with improving our asanas - but I realize that this is something that we can spend time on in our own practice.

I am looking forward to doing more of the applied anatomy and physiology so that I can get a much better understanding of how the asanas physically affect people.

I am keen to do as much yoga teaching practice as possible so that I can forget my nervousness and concentrate on enjoying the teaching and giving the students the best possible experience.

Yoga Teaching – A Tool for Helping Others

March 15th, 2008 Posted in BEFORE Yoga Teacher Training | No Comments »

Written by: Mat S

I am doing this yoga certification course because I want to be a yoga teacher. I see the course as a great opportunity to learn new skills to take me on to a new stage of my life. I see yoga as a suitable vehicle for me, to learn the step by step process in life to get to where you want to go, being conscious of the small steps and journey, rather than aiming and going straight to the goal.

My experiences in yoga have shown me how to relax, how to de-stress, how to come back into the moment and I see it as a great tool for the people everywhere to try and experience a moment of stillness.

I want to first help myself - then help others and yoga is another tool for helping.