I emerged from a three-day workshop with Ana Forrest last spring with a rising feeling of power and clarity in my heart and an unmistakable sense that I needed to learn more from her. That intuitive feeling of connection ended my year-long search for the right yoga teacher-training program. I was so drawn to Forrest and her philosophy that it didnt matter that the program cost a bit more than some others I was considering, nor did it matter that it was scheduled right in the middle of my busiest season at work. It was what I needed to do.
Responding to your intuitionthe feeling that youve found a teacher who seems to speak directly to youmay be one of the oldest methods of choosing a teacher-training program. For those who feel a strong pull toward one teacher or guru, the process of deciding on the perfect program can be quite simple. But what if you dont feel it? What should you do if you want to learn more, but you arent pulled strongly toward a certain school of yoga?
Whether youve decided you want to teach or simply dig deeper into your practice, it can be daunting to sift between the many yoga styles and teaching methods, so its important to spend some time contemplating. Most programs cost quite a bit of money and will require you to take time away from the rest of your life. And though there may be demand for yoga teachers in your community, a yoga teacher training is not necessarily a vocational track; when you emerge, theres rarely a guarantee of a job. So when youre drawn to enter a teacher-training program, its good to ask: what am I really looking for?
The good news is that you have options. Theres a broad spectrumfrom the guru-disciple school to franchised one-size fits all programs, which have success here, because in the US, consistency is wanted, says Veronica Zador, yoga teacher and vice president of the Yoga Alliance, which counts 9,940 yoga teachers as part of its registry of certified teachers. With so many choices, it helps to meditate on your goals. Do you simply want to learn complicated advanced poses, or do you need a job right away and want to find a program that will lead to quick employability?
If work is what youre looking for, think carefully about the market for yoga in your area. Sometimes, Zador says, a yoga studio will be more inclined to hire students who have graduated from its own program. But she warns against choosing a teacher training just to get a job. While many of us have dreams of living the yoga life, most long-time yoga teachers will tell you to approach learning as a process, without striving too hard to teach before you feel ready. A skilled practitioner of Vrischikasana (Scorpion Pose) may not be ready to teach a classroom full of wide-eyed novices, and theres nothing wrong with that.
For those who are more certain about wanting to teach, Marla Apt, president of the BKS Iyengar Yoga National Association of the United States, urges students to look for schools that offer practical teaching skills. Some schools focus a lot on learning poses, she says, but Im not sure when people get out there that theyre ready to teach.
There are other factors to consider: every program places a different value on various elements of yoga. In my month-long intensive course, I spent almost no time learning Sanskrit or studying the yoga sutras. That was fine for me, because I wasnt looking for those things at that time in my life. But if thats something you want, ask before you sign on.
In the end there is no easy formula for choosing the right training, and the best advice seasoned teachers and trainers can give is to spend lots of time reflecting on what you need and asking questions of your own teachers and fellow students. Of course youll need to investigate costs (some programs are as little as $1,500, while some cost more than $5,000), location (many trainings take place in urban yoga studios, some take place in isolated ashrams), and schedule (some are intensives, typically lasting up to month, while others are spread out over many months and are more incorporated into the students regular life).
And if you can, take classes with many teachers to see what really moves you.
In order to become a teacher, take an educated, intuitive approach, Zador advises. Know the teacher and the program, and know if the practice is strong. But then still keep all eyes and ears open, and close to the ground. After all, teaching yoga requires every part of usinvolving our emotional, spiritual, and intellectual centers simultaneously.
Another nice piece of wisdom comes from Apt, who reminds us that making it thorough a program doesnt bring you to the end of the yoga road. Just because youve gone through the training it doesnt mean your training is over, she says. We are always students.
Rachel Brahinsky is reporter for the San Francisco Bay Guardian and a brand new yoga teacher who hopes to keep learning new things about yoga for the rest of her life.
Leslie Booker teaches yoga and mindfulness to teenagers who are incarcerated or involved with the court system.
How to Choose a Yoga Teacher Training Program
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