Although it has ancient origins, yoga is only recently becoming one of the most popular forms of exercise in the world. And it is easy to see why, when you consider that the benefits of stretching, holding challenging poses, and deep breathing techniques are universally-valuable for all ages, shapes, and sizes. From heavy metal yoga to kitten yoga, there really is a type of yoga for everyone, which is what makes it so easily-accessible and highly-compelling.
But, once you’ve discovered your passion for yoga, been to every single class you possibly can, and found yourself in poses you never thought were possible, where do you go next?
Well, you take your practice to the next level and train to become a yoga teacher! After all, yoga is more than just contorting the body into impossible positions. It is a practice that exercises the mind, body, and soul, making it a truly inward journey that deepens your understanding of yourself and your relationship with others.
Even if you have no intention of teaching a class, taking the training to become a teacher can change your life on so many levels.
One of the most important things that practitioners take away from teacher training is an advanced practice. Not only will you be able to achieve more difficult asanas, but you will also have a better understanding of your limitations and how you can overcome them. Once you’ve spent time studying the hundreds of muscles and bones in the body, it is much easier to envisage correct alignment and adjust your body to the proper pose. This insight into anatomy will give you the ability to really listen to what your body wants when it comes to your yoga practice. You will also experience a deeper awareness of your body as you move through your daily life with a more mindful approach.
But it’s not just your relationship with your body that improves during teacher training. It also improves your relationship with yourself. Becoming a yoga teacher requires you to get to know yourself through the art of self-study, otherwise known as Svadhyaya. Though this often means confronting things about yourself that might cause some discomfort, it is essential for the development of your practice, as you cannot teach without having a firm grasp of your own inner journey. Just as we experience discomfort with difficult asanas, facing our inner discomfort enables us to live without fear of it taking over our lives.
The knock-on effect of deepening your connection with your own self is that it also strengthens your connections with others. As you explore different parts of your own personality, you will develop a stronger awareness of the journeys that those around you are going on. Not only will this enable you to make connections with your students, but it will also have a huge effect on how you interact with everyone on a daily basis. This connection with each individual in the class is what makes yoga teachers so important, as it enables you to provide a bespoke lesson for each person, within their limitations. This means that you can bank on your new job being future-proof, as its one of the few professions in which the odds of a machine replacing humans are pretty small. After all, a robot couldn’t adjust someone into the correct alignment for crow’s pose!
So, not only will yoga teacher training push your body towards a more advanced and mindful practice, it will also deepen your understanding of yourself and strengthen your connections with others. These three combined benefits provide a strong foundation from which to change any aspect of your life! Get the confidence you’ve always wanted by becoming a yoga teacher—you just never know where it could take you.
