As a yoga teacher training school in Nicaragua we have many tips
for those who are looking for a yoga teacher training. There are some
things to consider before jumping on board the “yoga as a career” train. If you
have decided that you want to teach yoga or if you simply want to explore the
deeper meaning of yoga you would want to join a yoga teacher
training. Depending on your goal with the program you would want to have a
few things in mind when searching for the right training for you.
It can be rather challenging to choose from the many different
yoga teacher trainings programs available. There are many different styles of
yoga and there are, in each style, many different teaching methods. This requires
you to do some serious contemplation on what it is that you are looking
for. Here are a few tips that we hope will help you choose what is
right for you.
What Are You Looking For in a Yoga Teacher Training
Many people who contact Ashtanga Yoga Nicaragua don’t have an answer when we ask what they
are looking for. If you are looking for a career change you
will understand that the first yoga teacher course is the first small step
that will, over the course of many years, lead you to becoming a confident and
successful yoga teacher. A yoga teacher that can lead a room full of
people with different back grounds and different challenges. Being a yoga
teacher is in a way no different from any other occupation. You need to study
hard and practice regularly over a long period of time to get skilled.
Yoga Teacher or Yoga Advocate
Not everyone is cut out for teaching. You might have a strong
practice, be devoted and dedicated but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you
are suitable to teach others. There are so many paths in yoga and living a
yogic lifestyle can mean sharing yoga with others in many different ways. Your
career path can be something very far from being a yoga teacher yet it’s a yogic
path where you use the yogic wisdom and power to help others and make this
world a better place. If you feel that this is what’s resonating with you, you
would want to make your choice different from what suggested in this article.
Rather than focusing on the teaching skill parts you would want to look for a
yoga teacher training that is focused towards more self-development in general.
A yoga teacher training with more devoted time on subjects like pranayama,
meditation, kriyas, yoga sutras and chanting perhaps.
Self Practice is The Key
In the Ashtanga
yoga tradition
we start every morning with self practice. It can be asana practice,
pranayama or meditation. This is your foundation, the ground from which your
teaching will sprout. When choosing a yoga
teacher training you
would want to choose one where you are sure to get the foundation for your own
self practice. Your self practice is going to be where you connect back to
the source of yoga, allow your true self to come forth and use the
insights to support and help others in their journey. We always recommend
teaching what we practice and practicing what we teach. Every student on
their individual level can share what they practice with others.
Practice Teaching
When choosing a yoga
teacher training program
with the purpose of teaching you should look for a training program that have
practical teaching skills on the curriculum. A proven step by step method on
how to teach different series to different people. How to effectively teach a
class and how to set up the teachings for a course are all necessary skills to
learn properly. By practicing teaching together with your fellow students in
the program you will be prepared to lead others in a yoga class.
Tradition Yoga Style vs Modern Yoga Style
A yoga style that is rooted in the old yoga tradition is to
prefer over a newly invented yoga style. You want to make sure that the yoga
teacher training includes Sanskrit learning and yoga philosophy. To understand
yoga you need to study its philosophy and include it in your teaching. The
teaching of yoga asana, postures, always bounces back in the philosophy.
Without the philosophy there is no yoga. There are many traditional styles of
yoga with a modern tweak to work in the modern world but still based on the
ancient teaching. What we see here in the West today is a danger with
diluted yoga styles where the traditional roots are lost. There must always be
a balance between the tradition and the new inventions so that we can evolve
with the practice and fully understand the many dimensions of
yoga.
This is a recap of what you want to consider when choosing a yoga teacher training if you are looking for a career change:
1. Choose a traditional
style of yoga for your
yoga teacher training so that you can build a strong foundation.
2. Your own self
practice is key to
everything else and that has to be prioritized.
3. Make
sure there is plenty of time for practicing teaching in the curriculum.
4. The philosophy
of yoga and Sanskrit is
important for understanding the many dimensions of yoga.