1. What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must do?

Begin your journey with an open mind, otherwise you will miss many wonderful opportunites to see things in a different perspective. When your practice is done with an open mind, you eventually discover and meet your true self. Yoga is about discovering who you are and as a teacher, you should know who you are so that you can guide your students on their own journey of self-discovery.

2. What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must avoid?

Never doubt yourself. Always believe in yourself and your abilities as a teacher and as a student. Each time you bring yourself to your mat is a new experience, a new opportunity to learn and grow.

3. Is being a yoga teacher just trendy or is it here to stay?

I believe that yoga is here to stay. Although the western philosophy of yoga is different from the eastern philosophy, it has become more widely popular in so many forms. Yoga is constantly evolving, just as we humans do. However, I believe that any form of a yoga practice should always have the emphasis on Mind, Body and Soul. This way it will be a true and meaningful practice and not just a trendy fad that will be forgotten when the next new “exercise” comes along.

4. Can a yoga teacher still be successful if they are in a crowded niche?

Absolutely! Yoga offers up so many opportunities for a teacher to diversify him or herself. I believe that the sky is the limit with yoga practice and making it your own! If everyone practiced yoga, don’t you think the world would be a much more loving place?

“It is not that the student needs to accommodate him or herself to yoga, but rather the yoga practice must be tailored to fit each person.” T.K.V. Desikachar

5. What has the yoga teacher training done for you?
Where do I begin? In a nutshell, the teacher training was transformational for me. I learned so many things about yoga, life and myself. The training provided me the opportunity to push myself beyond my limits and to build up the strength and courage to face many challenges. I feel like a new person and the possibilities are endless for me to go out into the world and share my new yoga knowledge with others. Last but not least, the yoga training enabled me to meet many wonderful and special people, ones I know I will have friendships with for a long, long time to come.

Yoga is an endless journey and I am forever grateful for the teachers that have come into my life to help me along the way. It is through their teachings that I have been inspired to teach others.

Francesca Di Falco is a recent graduate of the yoga teacher training program here at Body Therapies Yoga Training.

If you are thinking of becoming a yoga teacher, you may be wondering whether it is important or not to become certified, and perhaps who grants the certification.

The Yoga Alliance was established in 1999 to recognize and promote teachers with basic and advanced trainings that meet their minimum training standards. The Alliance is a non-profit organization with an emphasis on mutual respect, sensitivity and support of the many different approaches to yoga.

To be a certified teacher, you must complete at least 200 hours of education in techniques, teaching methodology, anatomy and physiology, and practicum as well as yoga philosophy and ethics for yoga teachers.

How do you know which yoga teacher training programs are certified? Yoga Alliance maintains a Registry of Yoga Schools to recognize yoga teacher training programs of at least 200 or 500 hours. Registered schools must satisfy or exceed Yoga Alliance’s minimum training standards.

By choosing a yoga teacher training program that is registered with Yoga Alliance, you will receive training in the minimum training standards set by the Alliance. (Just to note we are registered with the Yoga Alliance). After successfully completing the program, you can then promote yourself as a teacher that has been certified with an excellent yoga education.

After you are certified, you may choose to register with Yoga Alliance. As teachers progress in their careers, Yoga Alliance continues to recognize the significant milestones in education and experience. Designations are at the 200 hour and 500 hour levels of study and teaching experience.

More and more people are choosing yoga to improve the quality of life, and yoga is included in many organizations’ wellness and fitness programs. Teachers that are certified help take the guess work out of hiring a yoga teacher.

As a teacher you will find it quite fulfilling as students experience benefits such as stress relief, more flexibility, and inner peace.

To find out more about our Yoga Teacher Training click here.

This is the 4th of a series of interviews with graduates from the Integrative Yoga Therapy teacher training program offered through Body Therapies Yoga Training.

What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must do?

Homework!!! No seriously… Learn… But more importantly practice. And be enthusiastic about it. In the IYT training there is a lot of information to cover but it’s all important. The more you put in the more you get out. K. Pattabhi Jois says “Yoga is 99% practice and 1% theory.”

And do your breathing exercises…they help!!
What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must avoid?

Your ego and a closed mind… As a beginner student and teacher trainee I went in with the mentality that Yoga is supposed to be something specific or done in a certain way. The more you learn about this entity known as Yoga, the more you learn that Yoga and everything surrounding it is constantly changing. Our lives are changing… Our philosophies are changing… Yoga done with an open mind will help you to flow and adapt with that change.

Is being a yoga teacher just trendy or is it here to stay?

I would say for some it is a trend but for some it’s a way of life. For me, I give my energy to Yoga and Yoga gives it’s energy back. In the end I believe that those who begin to teach Yoga from a pure intention will be in it for the long journey. But once you start, I can’t fathom how you could ever stop.

Can a yoga teacher still be successful if they are in a crowded niche?

Yes !!! For sure… Every Yoga practitioner has their own little piece of themselves that they bring to their teaching… People connect with this. No matter how you teach, or what style you teach, you will find students that are attracted to your style and personality of teaching. And the more you can expand your teachings the wider spectrum of students you will attract.

What has the yoga teacher training done for you?

What hasn’t teacher training done for me??? It’s funny because in the beginning of IYT Teacher Training I was all about the Asanas. And I was so stuck in the physical body. I came in with the expectation that we were going to learn how to teach Asana and maybe get into the philosophy a little bit. In some instances I became slightly disappointed in the curriculum because I felt we weren’t focusing on the poses enough. Boy was I wrong!!! One of the most important things that Teacher Training did for me was help me put my ego and expectations aside.

I learned about Yoga and not just Asana. It turned me into a more well rounded and holistic teacher. It taught me that I don’t just do Yoga when I step on my mat and do crow pose or headstand… It taught me that I can “be” my Yoga every minute of every day. IYT gave me the foundation to be a true Yogi and not just someone that teaches poses. Most importantly I learned that maybe I don’t need to try so hard… especially in Standing Half Moon. Thank you Heather for everything… and I do mean everything.

Steve Ferrell RYT, PTS
Teaches Group and Private Yoga/ Personal Trainer/ Boot Camps
(905)297-7318
steveferrell23@gmail.com
www.ifreeyoga.blogspot.com

If you are interested in becoming a yoga teacher, check for information on www.yogatogo.com and send us an email at heather@yogatogo.com or give us a call at 905-628-6463.

1. What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must do?

Be committed to learning.  Be open to new knowledge.  Be committed to having a personal practice.

2. What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must avoid?

I think it’s important to be enthusiastic but I also believe to have longstanding interest, there must be practice on a daily basis.  Thus, as everyone gets excited about starting new things, I think it’s important for a yoga teacher trainee to avoid jumping on the band wagon and denouncing other beliefs and other experiences they may have had that led them to the program in the first place.  I think it’s important that learning is a process and that it’s a journey.  Learning happens throughout life and these 10 months are just the beginning of that journey.

3. Is being a yoga teacher just trendy or is it here to stay?

I believe for some it is trendy but I also believe that there are those where the principles are so clear to them that they’re here to stay!

4.  Can a yoga teacher still be successful if they are in a crowded niche?

Yes, I believe that each teacher brings to their teachings something unique to them.  They will then attract those who need that uniqueness in their lives.

5. What has the yoga teacher training done for you?

It has made me very proud.  It has made me very happy.  This was something I have always wanted to do.  It has also made me very thirsty to learn more.  It has also made me very aware that I am more on the path to finding my true self then just the practice of physical asanas.

Kathy Leung Degen, B.Sc (PT)
Registered Physiotherapist
Osteopathy – Thesis Candidate

Kathy Degen graduated in 2009 from Body Therapies Yoga Training, Hamilton, Ontario.

What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must do?
Expect the Unexpected!
Share your experience with your loved ones – this will help shape and strengthen your support network. The more aware they are, the easier it will be for them to listen and be there for you.

What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must avoid?
Forgetting that boundaries and finish lines do not exist when one is learning. Wholehearted dedication to self study and personal practice will harvest the best reward.

We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.–Ben Sweetland

Is being a yoga teacher just trendy or is it here to stay?
For some, it is a trend and one cannot judge the path that those are travelling. With luck those individuals will meet a teacher who will share the traditions and origins of yoga that have withstood time. As the stability and history of yoga is understood it is then obvious what amazing gifts a teacher can give to the world around them and within.

Can a yoga teacher still be successful if they are in a crowded niche?
If the teacher remains true to themselves, then yes, they will be successful. Every individual has unique gifts to offer and likewise there are special people waiting to receive them.

A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.--Albert Einstein

What has the yoga teacher training done for you?
The training has opened my heart and inner courage to pursue my dreams for a full and healthy life. It has allowed me to become more comfortable in my own skin.

Laura Young, Burlington, Ontario   LOGANL@dal.ca

I would like to believe when I die that I have given myself away like a tree that sows seed every spring and never counts the loss, because it is not loss, it is adding to future life. It is the tree’s way of being. Strongly rooted perhaps, but spilling out its treasure on the wind.–May Sarton

Laura Young graduated in 2008 through Body Therapies Yoga Training, Hamilton, Ontario. www.yogatogo.com