Be a teacher, not an instructor.

I have been leading 200 hour yoga teacher trainings for nearly 10 years now. We run in-person trainings at least once / year, qualifying up to 20 individuals each training. We also lead online 200 hour teacher trainings, a constantly rolling course which is a mixture of pre-recorded content and live calls with the option to meet up as a group in person once / month. We have around 30 individuals enrolled on that course at any given time. Some complete the content in 6 months others on on the training to learn about themselves and stay for much longer. In total we have qualified around 300 hundred students so far.

When creating a 200 hour teacher training course, there are a certain amount of hours designated to specific subjects in order to meet the Yoga Alliance Global certification criteria.  These subjects include anatomy, physiology, philosophy, ethics, methodology and practice to name a few. There are then remaining hours which can be put towards the style of training of that particular school. In our case, we focus on a specific form of psychology, using self-enquiry to promote self-development.

I am certain that the success of our studio is a direct result of the level of self-development that our teachers undergo in their training. We look for those who are teaching more than yoga, who have done the work and broken through their own ‘stuff’. We believe that Yoga teachers must be able and willing to speak from the heart in the hope to help others – that is what makes the difference between a yoga instructor and a yoga teacher. 

A yoga teacher can tell you where to place your body on a mat, but a yoga teacher will share from their own experiences, infused with yoga theory, philosophy, psychology to educate on the 8 limbs of yoga, on ethics, ways of being, offering tools to help students step out of their own way to get to where they want to be.

You want students to come out of class having learned something about themselves, to be changed by your class, mentally, energetically and spiritually not just physically. As a teacher, you should make a difference with what you do.  The challenge of the physical practice should teach us the psychological lessons required to navigate life peacefully, if taught in that way.

Being able to share authentically, anchored with yogic philosophy, in layman’s terms, whilst instructing a coherent sequence, looking for alignment and more, is a skill. That particular skill can only be developed in an environment which feels safe enough to explore your own experiences, that safe space is what we provide, no matter what. A safe space is created through a set of conditions which include congruence (honesty), unconditional positive regard (acceptance) and empathy, the modality of presentation, online or in-person does not effect this. 

Our training is much more than the usual yoga instruction qualification, it will be one of the most intense growth periods and rewarding experiences of your life.