Aug 18, 2019 What a Yoga Teacher Training Really Entails
Talk to any group of people that have been through a yoga teacher training experience and you’ll often hear a common theme: “I learned a lot about myself.”
Now you might be thinking, “shouldn’t I be learning yoga?”, and you definitely do. But, the most amazing thing about the yogic practices is the self exploration. And the incredible thing is that most of the time you don’t even realize it’s happening. You see, lots of teacher trainings brush the surface of the 8 limbs of yoga, with a major focus on asana and meditation. Both of these practices help us to create awareness. Awareness in our bodies, awareness of our thoughts and awareness of our surroundings. Getting on the mat and coming to downward facing dog, we can notice the connection of our hands and feet grounding down. We can notice our hips and sit bones drawing up. We can tune in to the sensations of the breath when we are seated in meditation. We are asked to become more mindful of our thoughts. And that’s just skimming the surface. And for some people, becoming more aware and mindful of your body, of your thoughts and your choices can have the type of impact that changes the trajectory of your life.
No matter which category you fall into (and there are many versions in between the two), ask yourself, “why wouldn’t I do it?”
Now that doesn’t mean that a yoga teacher training will completely change your personality, but it could possibly make you more confident in your voice. It could possibly allow you to be more truly connected to your thoughts and emotions. And it certainly creates more awareness in your physical yoga practice. It’s even been known to create more empathy and compassion in people.
On top of that you get this wealth of knowledge of the practice itself, the philosophy and origins of the practice, exploration in breathwork and anatomy, just to name a few. You get to meet like minded people and hear their stories. You will take classes and do homework that consists of practicing the things you cover in training. And you’ll read. A lot. Like, a whole lot. All with the purpose of getting you more knowledgeable and comfortable with and about the practice.
Obviously every teacher training is different and even two people sitting next to each other in the same exact yoga training will experience it in two totally different ways (thank goddess for that…could you imagine a bunch of yoga teacher clones roaming around saying and doing the exact same thing? No, thank you!). You’ve heard the saying “yoga is the journey to the self, through the self” and we feel there’s so much truth to that. Some people hope to just learn more about themselves through their own yoga practice- the technique, anatomy, philosophy, etc. Others truly have the heart to teach and just need some guidance in the process of self-discovery and finding their own authenticity as a teacher. No matter which category you fall into (and there are many versions in between the two), ask yourself, “why wouldn’t I do it?”
Peace & Love,
Andie
