If you have been practicing yoga for over a year, you might be wondering if its time to step up to the plate and take a yoga teacher training course. Many of us can feel a bit overwhelmed and intimidated about the idea of enrolling because you might think you are not ready or good enough. But the truth is that taking a yoga instructor training program is more then just about teaching professionally.
Get More From Your Yoga Practice
While a 90-minute class can help you stay fit and healthy, a yoga teacher training will allow you to go deeper into many of the modalities and philosophies being taught in a studio. In a class environment, the teacher will never have enough time to truly go through the finer points of the practice because they have to ensure everyone moves through all the asanas and can still get back to their office, family, or personal life. Via a yoga certification course, you are immersed into the teachings for 200 hours where you can truly discover more about the practice and yourself.
Yoga Is More Then Just Asanas
So many people correlate yoga with the physical practice that they know very little about the entire scope and its meaning. In fact when yoga first originated in India, the asana practice had not even been invented. Yoga was the path of the yogi who was seeking to become enlightened. This was the path of the “Guru”. In the East yoga is more about cleaning, fasting, meditation, nutrition, and using your mind and thinking as a way towards healing oneself. In a yoga teacher training you are able to study and practice these methodologies that cannot be done in a yoga class.
Becoming Your Own Doctor
In the West we are accustomed to looking for outside advice and support when it comes to taking care of our health. But when you become a yoga teacher, you are now your own doctor because it teaches you about all the facets of anatomy, food, proper breathing, and how the mind and body work together. In a yoga teacher training program you will learn how the entire body functions and what creates stress and blockages.
The Truth About Yoga Teacher Trainings
What most people don’t realize is that only around 15% of students who take a yoga certification course actually become professional teachers. All of the other students taking the program are just doing it for their own self-improvement. And while of course you can always use your training and take the path of becoming an instructor, it’s not necessary.
So if you have been practicing yoga for a while and feel it might be time to take that next step, you might want to consider enrolling in a yoga teacher training program. If you do, its best if you can leave the city and go to a retreat where you can fully immerse yourself in the lifestyle 24/7 with no distractions.
Sergio Diaz is the founder of Yoga Training Guide, the most comprehensive resource to becoming a yoga instructor.
Categories: Uncategorized | Permalink