– 5 things that helped me through the course
1) Have faith in yourself little one. For you can and will do this.
2) Use the support network given to you. Including others on the course, past graduates and instructors. Social media is also a great way to help get involved in the yoga community and know that you aren’t alone on this journey.
3) If you can, teach whilst you’re training.
4) Practice Yoga – The physical, the spiritual, the breath work, the lifestyle – Surround yourself with yoga and all it encompasses.
5) Enjoy it. You’re in for a fantastic ride, it might be challenging, uncomfortable and scary at times. But it will also be full of achievements, laughter and thrills.
– Support network – get to know and work with your fellow TT students as you establish yourself
Find a teacher that you connect with, attend their classes, meet them for coffee and discuss whatever comes up. Use social media as a way of building a community of likeminded yogis. Support other yoga teachers, both local and online. Get comfortable with your curiosity as you discover your teaching style and what you can bring to the mat. Find your energy and what makes you stand out from the rest as there is a lot of competition, but that is no reason not to give it your absolute best.
– Maintaining and deepening your personal practice to enhance your teaching
Listen to your body, it will tell you everything you need to know. Sometimes you might not need a physical practice, you may just need some ‘me time’ or a simple inhale & exhale. (Whilst we’re on that – Yes, a 2 minute breathing exercise is enough, and so is a 30 minute one.) Set yourself intentions that are achievable and realistic and that make you feel good. If you’re stuck for inspiration, pick up a book, go to a class or use the internet for ideas, there is no shame in any option.
By Laura Hall
Yoga Life Teacher Training Graduate and RYT200 with Yoga Alliance Professionals & Yoga Life Teacher
Student survival guide
1. Read, read and read as much as you can before starting the course. We were given a list of book recommendations so the sooner you can start reading the better it really helped me understand more about why I had chosen to study the YTT course. I have been practicing yoga for just over 20 years and really did the course to dive deeper into the teachings behind yoga as I knew there was so much more to learn other than just doing the asanas and breathing. I kept an open mind throughout the course as I didn’t really know what I would do once I qualified. It was so amazing to have shared such a life changing journey with an extremely strong group of women all sharing the same passion in lots of different ways. Each week the bond grew stronger and stronger it was incredible how much love and support we gave each other and helped each other get through the hard times and we all had so much fun together lots of laughs and lots of tears! In the course I found that the more I allowed myself to find out who I really was the more I discovered about myself and the more I loved the course. Just trust that you are on the right path and go with the flow!
2. Try not to have too many expectations about what you will do with your training once you are qualified, stay grounded and open minded. I had no idea that I would be teaching “Outdoor Mini Yoga Retreats” six months later, it has been the most amazing experience and only made possible with the knowledge and teachings from Wenche and Eva guiding me through every single step of the way.
3. Be your true authentic self, feel your practice from the heart as you teach.
4. Stay on top of the homework each week. Get yourself as organised as possible by setting out a schedule to plan days when you can devote your time and energy into completing the homework so you learn to enjoy doing your homework and it not becoming a chore.
5. Use the support from your group to help each other out as much as you can and encourage each other to bring out the best in you so you can bring out the best in them. Yoga is very personal and should not be judged in anyway, everyone and every body is different so bare in mind this saying; “you do you, and I’ll do me, so together we can work in harmony”. You will have so much fun and be let into the secret of living a happy yoga life. Namaste xx
By Alli Stevenson
Yoga Life Teacher Training Graduate and RYT200 with Yoga Alliance Professionals & Yoga Life Teacher
