What is involved in obtaining a 200hr certification?

Have you ever thought about teaching but stopped yourself and said, I am not a teacher?

That was me.

I started my 200hr training with the intention of healing myself. I needed to learn how to love and nurture myself. My teacher said to me, you seem to not let people help you. You may want to try letting people in. Things shifted after she said that.

Teacher training is where I cried in Savasana for the first time.

Teaching was never my goal, but I eventually did.

What is teacher training like?

1) There will be homework.

2) You can most likely do an apprenticeship or work study program for a discounted rate (I cleaned at the studio twice a week).

3) I performed Karma yoga where I received donated mats that I used for a period of time from Yoga Activist to teach at a Shelter of over 50 people a night. That’s a great way to become fearless :)

4) Not many people will like your teaching style. This is the time to be open to feedback from teachers and students.

5) You will have to tape yourself or be watched to be graded on your methods.

6) If you enroll with Yoga District, they used to require auditing of other classes to see how certified teachers are handling their environment.

7) There are many types of yoga. I did my training through Yoga District, which is Dharma Yoga from Sri Dharma Mittra. We learned how to teach trauma informed classes, such as which poses and words may be triggering to sexual abuse survivors.

8) You may be able to take your 200 hr over many weekends and weekdays or be immersed over a period of a few weeks. My training took place in North Carolina for a week but I spent the next few months fulfilling my homework, practices and auditing.

9) You can teach yoga and still be healing. What matters is holding space for your students, having an open mind, being mindful with your words and how you interact with students.

10) Know which poses can counter one another or may not helpful for some injuries and conditions.

11) CONSENT - written forms, oral consent every class, before touching, during touching, even during verbal cues.

12) Find what works for you. I like teaching asanas but pranayama is my jam. Find what your niche is when teaching.

13) I also did an extensions training through Core Power Yoga. This taught me how to be succinct with my cues. An extensions program to teach at certain studios may be mandatory, as is keeping up your teaching hours and credit hours if you become a Yoga Alliance member.

14) It will change your life and I can guarantee whatever you learn, you will not regret.

Other resources:

https://yogaactivist.org/for-teachers/guide/general-breathing-guidelines/

https://www.ekhartyoga.com/articles/philosophy/the-8-limbs-of-yoga-explained

Submit any questions you may have to my contact form and I will be glad to guide you to additional resources!