My Yoga Teacher Training Experience (350hrs)
On Saturday 9th January 2016, after attending my second yoga class at Flow Studio Belfast, I sat in a café and wrote in my journal, “I really want to do teacher training for yoga…DREAM JOB”. I also wrote it at the back of my journal under my long-term goals, together with moving to Australia.
Fast forward to Wednesday 6th December 2017, I paid my deposit for my very first yoga teacher training at Stretch Yoga, in Brisbane, Australia.
Fast forward again to today, Sunday 25th November 2018. I have completed my first ever yoga teacher training and graduated with 350 hours!
I started half-heartedly practicing yoga on and off in 2015. It wasn’t until mid-2016 when I developed a regular practice. By February 2018, when we had our first day of teacher training, I had dedicated a lot of time and energy to my practice, attending hundreds of yoga classes and committing to a regular home practice. However, by the end of the first weekend of teacher training, I felt like a complete beginner again and it was humbling.
I wrote in my journal at the end of the first weekend, “It’s been made obvious to me I’ve been treating yoga as simply a form of exercise, rather than what it was intended to be, a way of life. Our first weekend of teacher training was about the history of yoga and the 8 limbs of yoga, which has opened my eyes to the side of yoga I always knew was there but I’ve never explored. Really excited to commit the next 10 months of my life to learning”.
The past 10 months taught me more than I’d expected. I learnt so much about how to use yoga philosophies in everyday life, on and off the mat. I now use it daily in my personal life and work life, I always teach my patients stretches or breathing techniques to aid their recovery. I use the 8 limbs of yoga as a constant reminder of how to live a wholesome, peaceful life.
As well as delving deeper into the teachings of yoga, I made deep, meaningful connections with my fellow trainees. Going through this together formed bonds that will never be broken. I’m so appreciative of the amazing group of people I have been surrounded with for the last 10 months, teachers and trainees alike. How good is it to have friends who love yoga?!
I also learnt how to be vulnerable. Being vulnerable is something I’ve always actively avoided, I used to think being vulnerable was a sign of weakness. Whereas now, I can’t imagine being a good teacher without it.
However, the greatest learning curve for me was learning how to use my voice. Sounds simple, right? When I started training I was terrified of speaking in front of a group of people and now, I can now confidentially hold a space.
On the first few weekends, we went around the room taking it in turns to read from the module guide. I would sit there, heart racing, palms sweating until it was my turn to read. I’ve always struggled with my voice, as a child I was shy, through school I dreaded reading aloud in class and as an adult I’ve always lived in places where my accent was different. I lived in Oxford for 4 years and now Australia for 2 years. Throughout my time living in these places, people have always mimicked my accent, it’s always light-hearted but it continuously reminded me that my accent was different. Northern Irish people, you’ll get me, especially since a lot of yoga cues include the words “cow” and “down”.
By the final weekend of my teacher training, I noticed the shift. I wasn’t afraid anymore. I had taken ownership of my voice and realised it’s one of the greatest tools I can use to help others. I thought less about how I sounded and more about how the words resonated with other people. This was something I didn’t think I’d gain from doing a yoga teacher course, but it has made a massive impact on my life.
For anyone considering doing yoga teacher training. I say do it! If you just want to deepen your practice and learn more about yoga (and yourself), the 200-hour training will be a great fit. However, if your intention is also to teach, I highly recommend doing a minimum of 350 hours. When we completed the 200-hour training I was not ready, but when we moved onto the 350 hour modules, that’s when things started shifting and resonating and I started to feel confident enough to teach.
If anyone is considering if and has any questions, please let me know! I’d be more than happy to help.
