Choosing a teacher training has to be one of the hardest things a potential yoga teacher needs to do.
There are thousands of options. And so many locations. And varying costs, and lead teachers, and styles, and religious bases! Aaahhh! I’m getting overwhelmed all over again!
So, what happens when you’ve picked one, and it’s not right for you?
Firstly, we could get all yogic and say that there are no wrong decisions, only obstacles to overcome that teach us lessons.
Or I could let you know why it sucks and what you can do to fix it.
I picked the wrong training. Totally.
It was very basic level asana, with the worst anatomy teacher known to yoga. I don’t think she had ever done yoga.
Our philosophy teacher was great, and the other teacher who did some of the asana training was also good, but nothing quite hit the nail on the head.
I did not feel prepared to teach safely or complete adjustments. I did not feel at all confident to put together a sequence that made any sense or followed a theme. I didn’t fully understand the anatomy of a pose, or which muscle groups were being used. I didn’t learn or try out a single new asana. I barely did any of the ones I already knew. I felt robbed.
All my learning came after the training was over.
I learnt that I knew more about yoga than I thought I did.
I learnt that the instructor was in me the whole time, I just hadn’t given her a voice.
I learnt that I had let my lack of confidence in myself make decisions for me. And that I am not satisfied when I am not challenged. But that I’m scared to challenge myself for fear of not being the best. Catch 22.
I gained confidence. Because I had proven to myself that I actually knew my shit, and my peers in the class were super supportive of me. I’m sure one of them told me my lesson was the best one. (Just going to throw that in there ;-)).
But this isn’t helpful yet. So, here’s some things to think about before choosing a yoga teacher training:
Research the teacher. Take lessons with them, email them, learn about them and their style.
Find out what students have thought of their previous trainings. I wish I had done more research on this, because although I personally stalked and PM’d a few students, I later found a reviews page that outlined everything I didn’t like about the course. How I wish I’d read that beforehand!
Don’t have your heart set on a particular location. This will cloud your opinion.
Find out what is included in the price. Maybe it’s cheaper than most, but is accommodation and food covered? I also found this out the hard way.
Challenge yourself. I chose a training that didn’t require any prerequisites. For one of the students, it was her first class. Good for her and I loved her, but the training that was right for her was not the same one that was right for me.
Know that this is the first of many. Truly, this is the one piece of advice I had to keep telling myself so that I didn’t drown in the guilt of selecting the wrong course. Also, it takes the pressure off. I know there is another training in my future, maybe more than one. I certainly hope so. And it is this knowledge that leaves me lots more room to grow.
Unfortunately, in conclusion, I am going to get all yogic and say that there are no wrong decisions, only obstacles to overcome that teach us lessons. Because in the end, it did teach me a lesson. A few lessons in fact. So maybe it wasn’t the wrong training after all.
(It was).