Yoga Teacher Training in the era of lockdowns

Namastey!

This pandemic has created problems and struggles of unforeseen magnitudes both for our outer and the inner world. Yoga has become an answer to these unseen problems to millions of people over the world.

As more seekers look out to find their perfect guru, it has become challenging for experienced practitioners to become certified teachers.

There are around 100,000 Yoga Teachers registered with Yoga Alliance and more than 36 million Yogis in USA alone (..according to this survey). Needless to say we need more and more trained teachers to spread this knowledge of spiritual awareness and yogic lifestyle. Lucky for us, the pandemic has revolutionised the learning process of this vedic science. It has convinced us to believe that the future of Yoga Teacher Training is online.

Every day, centuries old Yoga schools from India and worldwide have started offering an online certification course for beginners or advanced teachings. No matter if you are starting off with the basics of Ashtanga Yoga or looking to broaden your horizons by specialising in Yog Nidra, Teacher Training courses are available online for every need.

Here are some of the benefits of the pros and cons of shifting to online learning experiences :

Pros :

Easily accessible from the comforts of our own Yoga Mat

Option to use a location of our choice to complement without learning experience increases the efficiency of the process drastically. Online teacher training courses can use tools like PDFs, podcasts etc. as extension of their lessons

This knowledge has never been cheaper

Online TTCs are undoubtedly the cheapest solution to learn these practises. Not only does it save the travel cost to an ashram in Rishikesh or a random part of the world, it also allows teachers to reachout to more students at once.

Options are endless

Since you don’t have to travel or adopt an extremely new lifestyle, you can explore the different techniques and schools of yoga. From the oldest schools Iyengar Yoga, Sivananda Yoga to newly expanding techniques like Yoga Nidra, you can specialise in any domain you want

Cons :

Not a complete break from our daily lives

One thing which I missed the most was not having a dedicated experience at a serene location away from my professional and family life. Having an ashram/school environment around really getting in the feel of it

Lack of focus

For many students, one of the biggest challenges of online courses is focusing on the screen for long periods of time. Students tend to get distracted with social media or any activity happening around them.

It’s evident that corona has impacted our lives for better or worse. One thing I am thankful for is this new opportunity of learning and I am optimistic that it will help many like myself. I strongly recommend doing a 100 or 200 hours teacher training course. Not only does it open up a positive career opportunity., it also allows us to understand the depth of yogi lifestyle. Here are some of the handpicked online Yoga Teacher Training courses which I could find. You can read the course details and register straight away from the above link. Hope this list helps you in finding your perfect guru.

If you have any suggestions or more courses to add please contact us on blissu.official@gmail.com

Requirements for Yoga Teacher Training: How Much Yoga Experience Do You Need to Become a Yoga Teacher?

You have decided to become a yoga teacher and you wonder what the requirements are for following a yoga teacher training. One of the most common question we get about requirements for yoga teacher training participation, is how much yoga experience is necessary in order to embark on this journey. This sounds like a very obvious question to ask and yet it’s quite a new question. The first yoga teacher trainings were given in the 80’s by seasoned teachers to loyal students. These students would share their practice with their teacher for a long time, before being initiated into teaching. These days the teacher trainings are open to anyone who is physically and mentally healthy and ready to take the responsibility of following a training. This created opportunities for many different people to enter a teacher training. Besides future teachers, any level student can now join a teacher training to deepen their practice. This means you don’t need much experience to enter a yoga teacher training.

A side-note before you read on

We have not mentioned it yet, but you need to keep in mind is that we are talking about becoming a yoga asana teacher. In this article we discuss the requirements for yoga teacher training participation with the goal of becoming a yoga asana teacher. The term ‘yoga’ is most of the times loosely used to describe the ‘practice of yoga asanas’. When we talk about becoming a qualified and skilled yoga teacher, what is actually meant is becoming a qualified and skilled yoga asana teacher. This distinction is an important one to keep in mind. It doesn’t mean that as a yoga asana teacher you will merely teach the physical aspects, as if yoga is just another form of exercise. If you feel ready for it, you can convey some of the underlying concepts of yoga during your classes (if your students are ready for it, too!).

Requirements for Following a Yoga Teacher Training: Are You Experienced Enough?

If your goal is to become a yoga teacher, it can be quite intimidating in the on- and offline world of yoga. You might think of the endless stream of pictures on Instagram of perfect yogi’s or the amazing students you meet in yoga studio’s. Often social media shows you the yoga teacher as someone with an impeccable body and stamina that students can look up to. This is a misconception on what being a yoga teacher means. Teaching yoga and practicing yoga are two different activities. Someone who practices yoga in an advanced stage doesn’t necessarily have the skills to be a teacher. Most of your students will never look like the famous yogis on Instagram, why should you be any different? Every person has their own limitations and every yoga teacher has difficulty with certain poses. By showing your own challenges, your students will relate more to your teaching and they will be more open to explore their own challenges.

The desire to learn and teach yoga outweighs experience

So what does it take to become a yoga teacher? What are really the necessary requirements for you to possess before signing up for a yoga teacher training?

First of all, you need to have a strong desire to learn. With this important ingredient, you can overcome any obstacles in becoming a teacher. There have been many cases to show this. For example, students who hardly speak English and completing their training with high marks. Another example is a student arriving to her training in crutches and finishing her training as an excellent teacher. You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it. This desire is also closely linked to your attitude. Often the less experienced yogi’s are the disciplined ones. They achieve the most growth and show the best results in their teacher trainings. Even a seasoned yogi is usually a beginner in teaching. This makes the teacher training challenging for anyone.

Yoga teacher versus yoga instructor

Being a teacher means that you are irreplaceable. Instructions and demonstrations can be found anywhere, but a good teacher can eventually motivates students to aspire more. You will know how to give your students the right answers at the end of a class. This is the moment that you can pass on knowledge and advice in a personal way. Being a teacher means knowing how to help others to acquire knowledge, competence and virtue. It’s more than demonstrating and instructing students into poses. It’s providing students with a challenge, giving the right information to increase body awareness and to be there to prevent any injuries. These are the tools that are handed through a teacher training and they do not require the teacher to perform the outcome.

Every body is different

An online instructor will not be able to correct anyone. This is where you can excel as a teacher. Looking at your students body, you will know what stops them from going further. To gain this knowledge, it’s important to find a yoga teacher training that is offering anatomy alongside the asanas and corrections. You will learn that not everyone will be able to do all the asanas. As a teacher you have to motivate your students. At the same time, you will discover what stops your student from going further. Learning the difference between a challenge and a limit is something that will take you time to understand. You will have to teach and observe your students, focusing on their practice instead of your own. By gaining this ability as a teacher, you will have an invaluable role in the practice of your students.

You Feel Ready to Follow a Yoga Teacher Training – So Now What?

In the end, the goal is to become a person that can lead a class with confidence. This confidence comes not just from your own practice, but from the knowledge and hands-on skills you take home from your teacher training. A well rounded yoga teacher training will give you knowledge in yoga philosophy, teaching methodologies and functional anatomy. This will form your basis on which you can build your teaching career. Ask yourself, how do you study best? Do you work well under pressure? An intensive training of a month could be your thing. Would you like to have more time to digest and reflect? Then there are many teacher trainings spread out in weekends.

Read: How to choose the best yoga teacher training for you

Read: 4 Reasons Why It Is Possible to Become a Certified Yoga Teacher in 4 Weeks

We advise our students to start teaching as soon as possible to preserve the confidence you will get after receiving your certificate. Another part of this confidence will come through self-exploration and development through your own practice as well as the classes you will give. Being a yoga teacher means a constant gain of experience. No matter in what stage you enter the world of teaching, with consistent effort and professional awareness, your knowledge and skills will keep improving.