Things to Consider Before Yoga Teacher Training

I get people asking me about Yoga teacher training a lot – if you have been thinking about doing a Yoga teacher training course there are some things worth knowing before you sign up!  With so many trainings to choose from it’s good to consider a few key points…

Get some info on the teachers

How long have they been teaching?  What styles?  Where did they study?  What further training have they done?  What other professional or educational background do they have that gives them perspective as a Yoga teacher?  Is it their full time job?  Do they have a meditation practice or is it all asana based?

The more information and clarity you get on the teachers’ credentials, the easier it’s going to be to eliminate courses that don’t fit your needs and hone in on the ones that offer you what you want.

What is the teacher’s focus?  I believe the best teacher trainings are those that keep an open mind towards teaching all aspects of the practice, including the parts they’re familiar with and excited to teach as well as the parts that are less known or boring or they are less confident about.  If you personally love your hot power flow class but the idea of studying philosophy and energetics makes you yawn, ask yourself, should I do a Yoga teacher training or should I just learn to teach a set sequence of a brand of Yoga instead? Every course is different, and I have stated what I believe to be important – but fundamentally this is your choice about what you want to teach.  The question is do you know why you want to do a Yoga teacher training in the first place?  Being honest with yourself is key to course selection.  So…

Be clear on your intention

Collect those course outlines and study them from start to finish (no skimming!)  decide your budget, when you want to do the course, subjects you’re interested in, how strict you want the assessment criteria to be, how much time you can commit in terms of contact hours, and all the relevant course requirements to suit you.  Most courses will have all of this information available on their website and if not, you should be able to email the studio or teacher directly.

Go deeper as well.  It takes a lot of time, energy and money to do a Yoga teacher training so get really clear on your intention behind it.  If possible, it’s great to speak with your current teacher or teachers and get a first hand account of what it’s like to be a Yoga teacher and what the chances are of you getting a job once you’ve completed the course.  

On the other hand, your intention for doing the course might be for your own personal development or to dive deeper into your own Yoga practice.  If that’s the case, you could do a British Wheel of Yoga foundation course.  After looking into teacher training programs, you might decide that this in fact would meet your expectations the best.  I wasn’t sure about my intention to become a Yoga teacher, but after I did this course I was determined!

Merge your expectations with reality

It sounds crazy but there are no government regulations of Yoga and fitness or wellbeing generally, so you’ll find many differences of opinion and huge variables on the quality of the content of different training courses, with many being sold as a short-term experience rather than setting the path for a long-term career.

If you’re considering doing a course local to your area, get to a class with some, if not all, of the Yoga teachers who are teaching in the course and see if their style resonates with you.  At the very least, try to find out who created the course and who is teaching it?  Is the person teaching the course the one who developed the course content?  I would personally consider it a red flag if the teachers on the course didn’t either create the course or hadn’t previously attended it.

Again, talk to Yoga teachers you know about what teachers they’ve studied with and who they recommend.  If you have narrowed your search down to a few options, they may have an opinion, and if not then it shouldn’t be too difficult to find testimonials online.  Most courses will publish reviews on their websites, but you could also see if they have a YouTube channel or other way of finding out a bit more about them to develop your own opinion.  Your final decision should be yours and yours only, but sometimes it helps to hear what other people think.

Traveling to teach

Doing your training overseas?  Great.  This can be the only way to train with certain teachers. It is also the only way to train in Yoga’s homeland of India (which is not necessary but may be a nice thing to do).  Overseas trainings have further points to consider, however.  For one thing, they tend to have a much higher intake of students, meaning chances are the amount of personal attention you’ll receive could be low.  For your first training, I would recommend a school that offers a more intimate group size so that you can experience maximum support as you take your first steps.  Having a teacher that makes you stick to your homework and study schedule, as well as providing you with the opportunity to practise teaching under their observation is the best way to make the most of your teacher training time.

Ultimately, when you’re making the decision about who to study with and where, ask your Yoga teachers for help.  They are there to support you and they absolutely want you to have the best experience.  Have clarity around your intentions, and around your prospective teacher’s intentions, and if they align then chances are you’ll have a strong foundation as you embark on the path of Yoga teacher training.

About Lucy: I am the co-founder and one of the lead teachers at Yoga One Bournemouth.  You can talk to me about all things Yoga anytime before or after class.