How do you Know Yoga Teacher Training is Right for You?
In Indian philosophy they say there is a right time for everything. You will know it is the right time to do yoga teacher training when you think you are ready to teach yoga to others. You also know the time is right for doing yoga teacher training when you want to improve your personal yoga practice and not necessarily because you want to teach yoga. Just remember, before you step into formal yoga teacher training you should have established some kind of foundation in your personal yoga practice and be familiar with the basic tenets of yoga philosophy, practices and yoga asana. A good foundation in yoga practices will hold you in good stead during you yoga teacher training.
Style of yoga
You know you want to further your yoga experience when you have already selected a style of yoga that you have come to like. This could be Hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Iyengar yoga or Vinyasa, traditional yoga as taught in India or the more modern styles of yoga that have become popular in other parts of the world. If you are serious about yoga teacher training then you must select a style that is approved by Yoga Alliance and for which there is a certified teacher training course. If you are not sure about the style then you need to research and even explore to find out more about yoga styles so you know which style will work best for you. Without knowing what style to practice, study or teach your yoga teacher training cannot be successful.
Leaning towards teaching
Have you discovered the hidden yoga teacher in you? It could be that you enjoy teaching yoga to your friends and colleagues. Did you enjoy teaching yoga when your yoga teacher asked you to conduct a class or help others in your yoga class because they were struggling. Have other people liked the way you were able to teach yoga? Has your yoga teacher ever suggested to you take-up yoga teacher training because she can see your leaning in that direction? Ask yourself if you enjoying teaching yoga and if you would like to improve on your yoga teaching skills because you wish to teach yoga more knowledgeably and effectively.
Resources
Do you have the financial resources to be able to travel and to attend a yoga teacher training programme? You might want to do the course desperately but without the financial resources it might not be possible. However, there are some yoga schools that do offer you a yoga scholarship so you could look for a yoga teacher training school that provides a scholarship or allows you to complete the course in two sessions. Besides having adequate financial resources, you should also be free from family commitments and pressures so you can study with a free mind. You should also have the available time needed to complete the full length of the course, be it a week long, month long or a couple of months long yoga teacher training.
Leaning towards teaching
If you decide to go in for yoga teacher training, then make sure that the yoga school you opt for is recognised by a yoga body like Yoga Alliance and the yoga teacher training curriculum is certified so you and receive your certification. There are a number of yoga schools that offer other yoga programmes which might be recognised but not certified, so select wisely because a qualification recognised globally has more value. Besides researching the yoga school, also find out who the yoga instructors are and their reputation as senior yoga teachers. How old or how new the yoga school is and how many batches of yoga teacher training the yoga school has done. The yoga school must also impart an effective yoga teaching methodology and guide you in setting up a yoga school or studio of your own. All these should all be deciding factors on choosing your yoga teacher training school.
Yoga can be completely transforming and a good yoga teacher training programme must train you so well that you are able to bring out transformation in your own students. They should benefit from the yoga training as much as you have so that a healthy mind, body and spirit can be the prerogative of all yoga learners and practitioners.