Interested in yoga but unable to understand how to prepare for yoga teacher training? Well, yoga is quite a journey in itself where you need to get engaged with all heart and embrace everything with open arms. It is an expedition of learning and evolving.
Yoga teacher training is not just enrolling for a yoga teacher training program and involving in classroom tasks. It is a lot more than that as you also need to prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally beforehand. You cannot just randomly be an enthusiast for yoga and join a yoga program.
It is an ever-learning process you should prepare yourself for. It is a long process you should be aware of. So, here is a yogi guide for you on how to prepare for yoga teacher training. Follow these simple steps with a disciplined mind and all perseverance and you are set to become a successful yoga teacher.
Set Your Intentions
Yes, intentions! What you intend to be in life is of utmost importance and hence, you require right intentions from the beginning. You should reflect on your why - why you need to join yoga teacher training programs. As a matter of fact - you should ask yourself why you need to become a yoga teacher. Is it because you wish to choose a strong career option or looking for personal growth? Because once you define your goals, it becomes easy for you to fulfil them. You get mental clarity on what to do to achieve your goals and what not to do to avoid failure. Also, when you set your intentions, you stay focused and motivated throughout your journey.
Be Prepared Mentally and Emotionally
It is a known fact that yoga requires you to be physically fit in order to practise it intensively. You cannot have a disturbed mind and then expect to give it wholly to yoga experience. You need to be balanced on various levels, whether it is physically, mentally, or emotionally, before you dive into the world of yoga. It is because when you are mentally and emotionally available, you can easily cultivate self-awareness and practice mindfulness. Moreover, you should know your strengths and weaknesses so that you know your limitations while practising advanced yoga. You can practise meditation to prepare your mind and body.
Assess Personal Readiness
In simple words, personal readiness is all about your ability to render the task. So, before you step into the yogic world, make sure you are all prepared. Check if you have physical ability to carry out yoga poses and mental stability for meditation and workshops. See if you would be able to commit required time to yoga practise on a daily basis. It is because you would also be required to dedicate some time to reading yoga books and doing assignments. Another thing is preparing yourself financially because you need to pay cheques to get tuition and accommodation for your yoga teacher training.
Practice Regularly
By now, you must have understood that you should have a basic understanding of yoga before taking up yoga teacher training as your full-time journey. And how would you achieve that? Well, there is only one way to do so - practice yoga regularly. Establish a routine and work on building strength and flexibility in your body. The more you practise, the better you would be at performing yoga asanas and meditation. Once you are aware of these fundamentals, you would easily be able to take up 200-hour or 300-hour advanced yoga teacher training courses.
Explore Various Yoga Styles
There is no doubt that practising yoga regularly includes exploring various yoga styles. Yoga is quite a vast discipline and you must get into its depths to explore its benefits. Whether you are a beginner or an expert yogi, you should diversify your practice routine so that you understand the dynamism of yoga. Moreover, when you practise different styles, you get to understand what is beneficial to your mental and physical states. Also, you can get many benefits from each yoga style. For example, Hatha Yoga helps you in flexibility, while Vinyasa Yoga helps you in heart health.
Embrace Yoga Philosophy
Check out the ancient texts related to yoga such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and the holy Bhagavad Geeta. These are some texts which showcase the true Indian philosophy. And as it is important to incorporate philosophical thoughts into your life while practising yoga, you must spare some time to read them. It would not only deepen your practice but also provide you with various teachings related to concepts such as non-violence and truthfulness. This way you would be able to align yourself with yogic philosophy. Moreover, it will help you connect with your students as a yoga teacher as you would be able to understand their personal values.
Understand Yoga Anatomy and Physiology
Understanding yoga anatomy and physiology is extremely important for yoga practitioners around the world because when you are aware of your body, you would understand the right ways to perform yoga. It would not only enhance body awareness but also help you practise flawlessly during your alignment and yoga training sessions. Consequently, you would be able to prevent injuries, optimise breathing techniques, and promote safety and effectiveness.
Develop Teaching Skills
How can you become a yoga teacher unless you know how to develop teaching techniques, right? So, make sure, during your journey, you keep learning new skills and tactics to enhance your awareness. You can participate in mock yoga classes and practice teaching. You can also conduct mock classes so that you can work on your communication skills, teaching techniques, and ways to connect to your students. You can also resort to seeking feedback from your students or fellow trainers. Yes! You can ask them to provide constructive feedback so that you know what areas you need to improve.
Learn Breathwork Techniques
Pranayama makes for a significant part of yoga learning because it is pranayama that affects your mental and physical aspects of practice. While performing various yoga asanas, you need to incorporate breath and then synchronise it. These breath awareness exercises would help you have a seamless yoga experience. Moreover, when you are perfectly able to integrate yoga and pranayama, you build confidence in yourself. And this is how you can become a good yoga teacher for your future students.
Nurture a Meditation Practice
Like pranayama, meditation is also a significant part of yoga learning. It is meditation that helps you become focused and determined for your yoga teacher training. Mediation is not practised only for relaxation as it also helps you manage your stress and depression, reduces negative feelings, and allows you to be creative in life. You can establish a daily routine to practise meditation, whether you are looking forward to mantra meditation or mindfulness meditation. You can also attend meditation retreats every week to explore the depths of meditation and understand how immersing yourself in it is quite helpful in creating a balanced life.
Build Physical Endurance
Imagine you are physically weak and keen on learning advanced yoga asanas. Would you be able to perform it with all force and interest? Of course not! That’s why it is important to build physical endurance before you take up a yoga teacher training program. There are several activities such as hiking, swimming, weight lifting, and jogging which can help you improve your overall fitness. Moreover, when you are physically fit, you can easily practise tough yoga asanas, which in turn, help you develop flexibility in your body.
Get Reading Materials
It is not just yoga anatomy and physiology you need to be ready about. There is whole yoga literature which you can explore if you wish to understand foundational texts. You can read on teaching methodologies to understand how to become a good yoga teacher. You can explore the spiritual side of yoga by reading books such as Autobiography of a Yogi and Light on Yoga. To successfully read these texts, you can either create a plan on your own or join a book club or study groups.
Become a Part of Yoga Community
Engage in community events and partake in various yoga sessions or workshops to engage yourself and meet like-minded individuals. This way you would be able to create a network of support and eventually, become a part of the yoga community. Also, when you network with teachers offline or online, you can get mentorship opportunities and valuable insights into the teaching profession. Isn’t that what you are looking for? You can also attend local yoga festivals and other related celebrations to build relationships with yoga instructors.
So, this is how to prepare for yoga teacher training in the right manner. Hope you have understood these points and are all ready to incorporate them into your routine. Good luck for your endeavours and be the best trainer out there.