Most often people get Yoga Retreats and TTCs mixed up. They are two different courses. If you are planning to take a Yoga Teacher Training, then you should know how to prepare before you join the course.
7 Steps on ‘How to Prepare for Yoga Teacher Training?’
1. Take different Yoga Classes
First practice. Attend different in-person and online classes too. Get familiar with the practice of asanas and the class environment. At this phase, do not worry about Yoga styles. Whenever you get an opportunity to attend a class, join and practice.
2. Find the Yoga Style that suits you now
The more you practice, the better your understanding of yoga styles will be. There is no hierarchy in Yoga styles. They are just different from each other. I would suggest inclining towards the traditional Yoga styles such as Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga or Vinyasa Yoga as they are in practice for centuries.
3. Find the Institute that is Authentic
Yes, this is a hard task. It is always difficult as there are so many schools offering different Yoga Teacher Training Courses.
However, read the syllabus of the course, read reviews of the past students. Some Yoga Institutes may not have the best website or description but may have good quality in their courses.
More than anything, look at the structure of the training. The teachers would be highly skilled. But if there is no defined structure, it is hard for you to put everything in your head. You will carry the same chaos into your head after the training.
Read ‘A Yogi’s guide to choosing Yoga Teacher Training Course’
4. Practice is the Key
If you are taking serious yoga teacher training, I strongly recommend having at least 60-min Yoga practice every day. It does not matter if you are flexible or not. Do not worry if you are not able to do certain asanas. However, practicing regularly in the last 6-8 months makes a huge difference when you are in the course.
5. Practice Meditation
I do not recommend a lot of studies before the training. I would rather say, go with a clean-open mind. However, sit and meditate for at least 5-8 mins every day. It helps you to meditate and enjoy the meditation when you are in the training.
6. Set your Sleeping pattern
Yoga Teacher Training is not just about the asana practice. If you are choosing a good school for your course, you are going to reflect on transforming the lifestyle. Therefore, it is good to restructure your sleeping habit of going to the bed and waking up at the same time. This helps you to set your biological clock and prepares you well for intensive training.
7. Eat Healthily
You are what you eat. Eating healthy will keep you energised and sets you ready for the training. Setting healthy eating habits before the teacher training can help you in enriching your experience of training. Of course, you will discover a little more about what you can change in your food habits during the training.
Read ‘BeYogi’s article on 8 healthy food habits for Yogis‘
Don’t be nervous to take Yoga Teacher Training. Being a Yoga Teacher is nothing but being a student of Yoga forever. Every other student is also a seeker of knowledge. It is going to be an exciting journey and you should be excited.
If you have completed your training, let us know how your experience was and what do you think is the most important tip that you would offer for a new student?
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