What it takes to be a good Yoga Teacher | My first Yoga Course Experience!
Loving yoga is one thing while teaching it is another! It comes with a lot of responsibility and is a whole new world. I have been into yoga and meditation for over 11 years and now, have taken up the TTC which is the teacher’s training course for the past one year. This year has truly been a life-transforming one and the hardcore Yoga Teacher’s Training that I have been a part of has not just made me physically strong but also has made me mentally tough. We shall get into my experience a bit later, now first understand What it actually takes to be a good Yoga Teacher!
I am supremely active on social media, mostly Instagram, and I keep sharing insights and experiences from my day to day life! After a few yoga posts, I started getting a lot of questions about the same, hope this blog answers most of them 🙂
Commitment:
Yoga is not just about physical fitness or “getting thin” as most people think it is! I say this because I keep getting this every other day! Statements like “Why do you do Yoga, you are already so thin!” make me go numb! I wish to sit them down and educate the hell out of them but then the wiser side of me just smiles and let it pass! 😛 Because they aren’t serious at all while making such loose statements. A girl came up to me and said she wants to learn yoga because it is the new ‘in thing’ and the latest ‘fad’. AAH WELL!!
It takes a lot of commitment to be true to the path. The path of Yoga and Spirituality has a lot of depth. Yoga is a “way of life”. It is not just about the 1 hour that you sweat it out on your mats but how you spend the rest 23 hours too! Commitment to remain steady on the path and get as much knowledge about the subject as you can to serve and give back to the world! It can be very hard initially because the traditional Hatt Yoga is not an easy course. It truly is not but then the choice is always yours!
Understanding the seriousness and the responsibility:
Being a yoga teacher is a serious challenge as you must know that the bodies and minds of every individual are different. Many people hurt themselves while performing certain asanas or pranayamas because they don’t take any precautions. Knowing the contra-indications of every asana or pranayama is a must! Everyone is not fit to do every yogic practice. Everyone’s capacity is different. As a yoga teacher, you have to take the responsibility to make all your students understand this before jumping into the teaching part.
A Degree or a Diploma in Yoga:
Doing a 7-day yoga class does not make you a teacher nor does a one month TTC from any random institute does! I know I am being harsh but it is a serious thing and people are creating a business out of it and playing with people’s health which is highly dangerous. Having a proper degree or a diploma training where an in-depth knowledge is imparted is needed. If you want to be a good yoga teacher, try going for a TTC which provides intensive training and brings the best out of you!
Theory and Practical:
In your TTC Course, there should be both Theory and Practical knowledge. Along with learning the Asanas, pranayamas and mudras, we must be very well aware of how they affect our body, breath and mind. How our body functions and how our brain, our mind works! Our ancient texts, Patanjali Yog Sutras and other Vedic texts have beautiful knowledge that we all must try to learn and understand. Subjects like Anatomy and Physiology, Yogic Science, Patanjali Yog Sutras must be part of the curriculum along with the practical aspects.
Implementation of the knowledge:
Having taken and known all the study material does not necessarily make you a good yoga teacher but implementing it in your own life does! I need not say much here as we all will unanimously agree that as a yoga teacher or just a practitioner, taking out a few minutes or an hour every day to do yoga (the physical part) is a must to remain healthy physically and mentally. Apart from that implementing the principles of Yoga like the Ashtanga by Patanjali and more into our day to day life can bring a huge positive transformation! Like it is said, it is a good idea to implement a good idea!
My first yoga course experience as a yoga teacher!
It has been insane! I mean so much has happened in the last week 🙂 I feel grateful to have been given the opportunity! Okay, so the 7-day yoga course that we conducted was a part of our YTTC Curriculum. I along with my co-teachers Mayuresh Pawar and Shailesh Kanojia conducted this week-long free yoga workshop in Vashi under the guidance of senior yoga teachers from Yoga Vidya Niketan. The course manual was provided by our college and we had to execute it from start to end for seven days.
The challenges:
Getting up at 4.30-5 AM was the biggest challenge for me! I am not even kidding my sleep schedule has been disrupted and this ain’t no good! I love to sleep as every youngster does! 😛 Anywho, keeping that aside, I overcome the belief that held me back that ‘I cannot wake up early’. I did it almost for 2 weeks continuously! I am exceptionally proud 😛
Studying the material and delivering it to the best of our capabilities was not more of a challenge but a responsibility. We wanted to give our participants only the best. Like I said before, it is a responsibility to deliver it appropriately. 🙂
The feedback:
The positive feedback of our students kept us going. We loved how the students interacted with us and asked doubts and clarifications. They were happy with how the class conducted and this gave us a deep sense of contentment. #Grateful
The Guidance:
I cannot even emphasize how detailed and disciplined YVN’s curriculum is! The teachers guided us 100% and were there with us at every step. It was not possible without their love and support. Do comment below and share your experiences with me, I would love to know! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
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It was so much fun Meghana….will join Summer course as well 🙂
It was awesomeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee