Are you ready for a Yoga Teacher Training Course?
Tanja FOY owner and Yoga Teacher Training Instructor school – Elite Pilates & Yoga Services (Teacher Training).
Is Fear Stopping Your Yoga Teacher Training?
I was encouraged to become a Yoga teacher by a friend, a fellow yoga & Pilates teacher. My initial reaction was “ But I am not good enough! I am not ready for that! I am not flexible enough etc etc”
In fact the most frequent remark I hear is “I am not ready for yoga teacher training. Am I ?”
Well as with most things there are a number of things you can do to help you on your journey to become and know if you are ready to become a yoga instructor. Likewise there is a pecking order of things to focus on.
But I am not Ready YET!
Firstly – if you wait until you are ready then you will never start. That seems to count for a number of things in life. Ask your self:- Is that a genuine reason for not starting or is it coming from a place of fear. Are you just procrastinating?
Stop aiming for perfection! If you wait until your yoga asanas or meditation etc has been perfected, then again you would never start or be ready. Stop trying to perfect things. Just do!
Start a daily practice of asanas, get tuned into your body. Do the best that you can do on that day, at that time, and do not beat yourself up if it doesn’t match what you think it should look or be like.
Practice your ‘concentration, your meditation. Along with this goes practice with your breath, and breath control. Remember that originally the seated postures (and technically all asanas) are for you to ‘be in’ whilst you focus and meditate.
Now how much and to just what extent you practice the above will probably be dependant upon which Yoga Teacher Training course you opt for.
As I didn’t think that I was completely ready for my course (again – you never will be) I chose and now teach, an entry level YNCA qualification. That is a Hatha Yoga course that focuses almost exclusively on the asana, postures.
For me I was far more daunted by the philosophy and rich history of Yoga and in this department felt inadequate. That is why I encourage anyone else, that the best place to start is mastering to some degree the postures. Whilst still reading and learning the more in depth , and in my opinion from a spiritual perspective – more important philosophical / spiritual side of Yoga.
Find the Right Yoga Course Provider
At Elite Yoga teacher Training, I encourage potential students to follow us on facebook and Youtube; come and visit us and join in a class or two to see if we are a right fit with you. As is encouraged throughout Yoga – get in touch with your intuition and make a judgement/ you will instinctively know if a training provider is right for you.
Anyone can undertake a yoga teacher training course and pass, but they must be willing to put in the work. There is invariably a lot of reading and studying to do, it is a big commitment, and can be challenging not physically so, but when you deal with the ‘inner stuff’ that comes with most Yoga courses.
It may be physically challenging, but you don’t need to be able to perform headstands etc. I myself was not flexible at all, and that was my biggest concerns when I asked my self the question “Am I ready to start a yoga course?”
Likewise I was not particularly physically fit – well not in my opinion. I was always judging against what others where doing.
What taking the course taught me, was life is not a competition. If the person of the next mat was stick thin, super flexible and contorting their bodies into wobnderful postures , then good for them. That just wasn’t me and I learned to be happy and content with what I could do on that day, at that time. Because I found that just what you can do, does indeed change from day to day.
Of all the courses that are offered out there, I would advise to stay clear of the exclusively ‘On-line’ courses.
Most people can become a yoga teacher, not everyone can become a very good yoga teacher. One should have the ability and confidence to be and have hands on, in correcting an other persons form.
I do agree and encourage online learning. Providing that is mixed with, hands on work.
Another approach, usually for obvious reasons more costly and time consuming, is a Yoga course of longer duration where everything is done in person. No online learning.
There can be a host of reasons why any one course may resonate with a person. It may be time and or cost restrictions. Family, partner, work or child care issues may make you favour one course over another. My best advise – do not just go for the cheapest option!
This genuinely is an investment in ‘you’. Take the time and effort to learn as much as you can about the provider before making the decision.
Much Love x Tanja x
(Newton Abbot – DEVON)
You can find Tanja FOY at Elite Pilates & Yoga Teacher Training on facebook or online
If I can be a Yoga Teacher then anyone can – if you are willing to put in the work.
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