Yoga certification programs help you in your personal training as well as in your pursuit of a job as a yoga instructor. You will learn about the yogic tradition, various forms of yoga, and its philosophy in this course.
A 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) course approved by Yoga Alliance is required to get certified before you can start your new profession.
After having dedicated a significant amount of time to practicing yoga as a student, a 200-hour yoga teacher training course is commonly the logical next step for yogis/yoginis.
Sometimes it is not to teach, but rather to learn in-depth information about the texts, ideologies, human anatomy, practice methods, and methodologies.
The practice and mastery of yoga asanas are not all there is to it. Your patience will be put to the test, and your limits may be pushed. You will learn a lot and gain greatly from this unique experience.
However, there are a few things to consider before enrolling in your first yoga teacher training course if you’re considering making your love for yoga your career.
So, if you have made up your mind to join a Yoga Teacher Training course, below are 7 things you must know before enrolling for it.
You are not going on a vacation
If you’ve been searching about YTT courses and the organizations that offer them, you might have also come across images of picturesque locations where people are performing asanas or studying some literature.
This may lead you to think of various activities you could do whenever you get some free time from studying.
We are sorry to break your happy bubble, but you will not be getting enough time to explore the nooks and crannies of the place you will be staying for the YTT course.
Intense programs lasting a few weeks with up to 10 hours of training per day are common for training courses conducted abroad.
So before booking a YTT course overseas, make sure you have set your mind to concentrate on the course rather than return disappointed for not taking some time out for touring the said place.
Yoga teacher training is a rigorous course
The training curriculum won’t be as simple as you may expect. You’ll be challenged to the very verge of your physical and mental capacity. The majority of the course’s practical work consists of you doing asana 4-5 days a week, or as prescribed by the curriculum, sometimes all day long.
A normal training program includes lots of daily physical asana practice as well as a study of all facets of yoga, including its history and philosophy as well as human anatomy and physiology.
This may result in you experiencing extreme exhaustion and fatigue along with tight and stiff muscles.
However, the knowledge that your gain by the end of the course and the discovery of your voice for guiding the students make all the pain and tiredness worth it!
You should be consistent with your practice
As every YTT program has a minimum requirement for practice hours, you should have a good deal of practice under your belt before enrolling.
Before enrolling in a course, making a commitment to regular yoga practice will guarantee that your practice is up to par and will create the groundwork for your training.
Invest more time in your meditation, pranayama, and other spiritual pursuits to learn the fundamentals. Additionally, you should start reading up on some literature so that you are able to understand the core philosophies of yoga.
In order to achieve your goal, you must be emotionally and physically prepared for a rigorous regimen.
You do not need to be an advanced practitioner
It would be wrong to assume that YTT is solely about learning new positions and pranayama techniques. You don’t need to be an expert at advanced balancing positions like a headstand, the crow pose, a plank, or other advanced balancing poses to participate in a YTT course.
You’re there to learn, after all. Nobody is counting on you to be an expert.
You should be able to perform some intermediate and advanced poses, not because you think they are a requirement for the course but because you want to strengthen your body and make yourself flexible.
Your willingness to persevere is the only factor that counts before you begin your teacher training.
The method of teaching will differ greatly between teachers
No two courses are similar. While the basic curriculum has been set by Yoga Alliance, the delivery of the curriculum is what matters the most. This is why it becomes important to do your preliminary research thoroughly. The teaching style and approach play a big part in how well the training program goes.
Look into the teacher’s qualifications. Seek out the content that is well-structured. Check through the promotional materials to find a proven teaching strategy. Examine the interaction between mentors and former students.
See what people have said about the instructor and the training course. Your ability to teach yoga will greatly improve as a result of these additional features.
A lot of hidden emotions will come forward during a YTT course
When you decide to study something in detail, it’s very normal to experience fatigue, unanticipated emotions, tears, and even a feeling of being overwhelmed. In general, suffering is a necessary part of every path of personal development.
Spend some time digging deep inside of yourself to identify any internal barriers that might prevent you from fully experiencing the yoga instructor certification course. These psychological and emotional barriers that could get in the way of your achievement must be understood.
Remember that everyone attends the course with a unique set of worries as you begin your path toward the empathetic yogi lifestyle.
The benefits of teacher training increase with your level of openness.
It will be a life-changing experience
Meeting people from various racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds is one of the biggest strengths of YTT. It aids in broadening your outlook on people in general and expanding your perspectives. You come to understand the character and nature of those around you as you start your metamorphosis from the inside out.
As you progress through the program, you might start to pay more attention to what you eat and develop more stable behavior. Your sense of authority and self-assurance will increase.
You can be loving yoga and can’t wait to learn more one minute, and the next you might not be willing to look at another yoga mat.
You are bound to go through a roller-coaster of emotions, feelings, and sensations; take it all in stride and make them a part of your self-development.
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