Want to Join a Yoga Teacher Training and Start Teaching Yoga?

Posted by joev prude on April 29th, 2017

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.