My Yoga Teacher Training Experience
I had been practicing yoga for fifteen years before I decided to do my teacher training. I remember wanting to do my yoga teacher training for years, but never feeling quite ready. When I look back now, I realise there were signs that I should do it that I didn’t recognise, and it ended up taking a very big sign that I couldn’t actually miss, to make me realise this was the path I was meant to take. I laugh at this now, because when I started my training many of the other teacher trainees had only been practicing for 6-12 months. This isn’t to say they weren’t ready, or that they aren’t great teachers, it just highlights that I had a particular view of being ‘ready’, that wasn’t what others had.
My teacher training was one of the greatest experiences of my life. I remember being terrified, the course I had chosen was very intense and had a large written component, and it had been years since I’d had to write an essay. But our very first lecture was on Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, and I remember a feeling of warmth spreading through me as I realised this was exactly where I was meant to be, every moment in my life had led me to this place. It felt like I was returning home, I knew all of this information was deep within me and this course was just a process of remembering knowledge I already had.
I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have a practical teaching component as part of your teacher training, especially if you intend to teach. I know a lot of yogis whose training didn’t include a teaching component and they have been too scared to get out there and do it after graduating. I know I would have been like this if I hadn’t specifically chosen a course that included teaching classes to the public. Nothing can prepare you for teaching the public, I remember sitting in lectures where a teacher would say ‘You will have complete beginners show up to your Advanced Power Flow class’ thinking ‘That would never happen to me’. Fast forward a couple of weeks, my very first public class was a Power Flow and the sequence I’d prepared was full of arm balances and inversions, who rocks up? Two complete beginners.*
If you’re thinking of doing a teacher training know that one of the absolute highlights is the wonderful people you meet. You’ll get to spend time with like-minded people and feel part of a beautiful community. It was through my teacher training that I met an amazing woman, Denise Orloff (you might know her!) She taught me to trust myself as a teacher and teach from a place of authenticity. In a course that was very prescriptive, she was a shining light that encouraged me to cultivate my own light and let it shine. Whether or not you want to teach, if you do decide to do a teacher training find these people first, talk to the teachers who inspire you and ask them who they recommend and why.
Stay tuned for my next installment, What to Expect Once You’ve Finished Your Training.
*FYI, that teacher was right, this happens ALL THE TIME!
Stephanie Jackowski is a true yogi soul who will let you take it at your own pace, but will offer up plenty of juicy challenges if she thinks you’re ready. Did we mention she’s an opera singer and sound healer? This beautiful nightingale will serenade you in Savasana, transporting you to a place of pure bliss. Get ready to feel amazing!
IG: @stephj_yoga
