When I first decided to take my first teacher training I was adamant that i didn't want to be a yoga teacher. Absolutely convinced! All I wanted was to deepen my relationship to myself and to continue to grow the bliss in my body mind that I had begun to taste.
Yoga had, in every way, transformed my life since I first stepped onto the mat, way back in 1998, and I was hungry for more. Very quickly I realised that the benefits of a teacher training ran deeper than 'inhale exhale'. (that's not to say the breath isn't everything - it is!)
I knew almost instantly that the journey of self-discovery that the training was taking me on was more than I ever could have imagined.
Remember that yoga is the only practice out there that is a system of psycho-physical practice meaning a system that utilises the mind-body connection. Mind-body connection is central to the practice. We can’t just call any spiritual practice ‘yoga’. Yoga means connection or integration.
Embarking on a Yoga Teacher Training is one of the most transformational experiences you can put yourself through, but naturally there are fears that show up!
Are you feeling called to this journey but you have some inklings of IMPOSTER SYNDROME? What fear barriers are coming up for you?
Below I have started to debunk some common fears that come up for people when they are considering this pathway.
Have you heard yourself say "I want to do a YOGA TEACHER TRAINING BUT..."
I am worried my asana practice isn't 'strong' enough? Sometimes I still feel like a beginner?
Many people worry that their asana practices isn't advanced enough when they begin a teacher training (I remember I had the same fear). You wonder if you will be able to keep up with the physical demands or the more complex postures. But I still can't do a handstand unaided or come close to the splits and I have been teaching now for over a decade. A true yoga teacher understands their limitations and teaches what they know. Being 'good' at yoga is not about what you can physically do with your body. Being a true yoga teacher is about holding space for others and guiding students to experience the poses for themselves. If you can practice presence and compassion with your students then you are advanced enough to teach.
Will I cope going 'back to school' after so many years?
The journey of yoga is never ending and being a student of yoga is never ending. We are constantly learning more about the body and discovering more about yoga history. There is a lot of information gifted to you in a Yoga Teacher Training and some of it will stick and some of it won't. Some of it you will come back to years later. You can never know everything. You will find ways of connecting to the information and through the training we will review, review, review. You will teach what you know and what you don't it doesn't matter anyway!
Do I need to be able to stand on my hands or my head?
NO! Whether you can do a headstand or a handstand is an added extra. Being a yoga teacher is not about how many complicated shapes you can twist your body into.
How will others on the training perceive me? Do I look like a yoga teacher? Am I too old to take this training?
Some people worry ... do I look like the 'sterotypical' image of a yoga teacher? That could be worries about body type, age, gender, race, flexibility, strength or lifestyle. Some students worry about not being accepted into the yoga community or accepted by their future students. DIVERSITY is crucial in the yoga world, and there still isn't enough of it. Students want incredible, integrated, mindful and compassionate teachers - whatever their age, gender or body type. Students want safe spaces where they can explore and be vulnerable on the mat. Students want to belong, so they want teachers that can make them feel welcome in their classes and who put them at ease.
I don't think I know enough about yoga history & philosophy?
A Yoga Teacher Training is the beginning. It is a springboard for you. There will be some pre-reading for you and there will be lots of time for us to discuss and explore all aspects of the historical, cultural and philosophical aspects of yoga. We will question the way Yoga History, Philosophy, Politics and Ethics are taught in many other teacher trainings across the yoga world and we will do things differently. Inviting NEW THOUGHT, we will look at relational power dynamics, super structures and cultural dynamics within the contemporary world of yoga (New Ageism, Capitalism and Institutionalisation). This will help us understand the rich and varied ways in which yoga has interacted with society and our responsibility as yoga teachers within that. There is no way you can know everything before you start, in fact there is no way you can ever know everything.
I am terrified of public speaking!
A Yoga Teacher Tranining is the perfect opportunity for your to work with fears like this, and break and habitual patterning. We will be working in a small group setting and each trainee will be supported through the journey to become brave in the light of their fears and break down these boundaries.
I am afraid of spending so much money on myself!
Yoga Teacher Trainings are an investment. We have designed the programme around the working week to enable trainees to continue to work throughout the course. Often in life we invest in property, or holidays or cars and we forget about investing in our own self-development. Investing in yourself is one of the most supportive things you can do for your own spiritual growth.
I am afraid of being vulnerable in a group!
A Yoga Teacher Training is a journey for your soul. It is a deep, introspective voyage into the unknown that will instigate personal changes and transfromations. It might be shifts in lifestyle, relationships, self-perception. Yes it can be scary, opening yourself up. But it is truly EMPOWERING and way more powerful than decades of talk therapy!
Do I have to want to be a yoga teacher?
No of course not. I didn't! And remember there are so many directions this journey can take you on... so many different types of yoga and so many connected practices. You might find you become inspired by one specific aspect of yoga and go on to take advanced trainings in the that...
If you are considering joining but any or all of these questions are holding you back then get in touch and talk things through with me on a discovery call.
Are you YEARNING FOR YOUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE to deepen? YES
Do you wish to TRULY UNDERSTAND YOUR BODY and all of its power? YES
Have you heard the words MINDFULNESS AND MEDITATION thrown around in the media and have you got an appetite to ACTUALLY LIVE YOUR LIFE incorporating these practices day to day? YES
Then my Yoga Teacher Training is for you and I am here as your guide to walk the path with you.
Comments