What Really Happens on a Teacher Training Course?
The realities of a yoga teacher training. By Hannah Whittingham
Reading time: 3 minutes
We’ve all heard stories of people dramatically leaving their jobs, spouses, or the country — and yes, a teacher training can cause a major shift in people’s lives. But the real answer to what happens is: as much as you want to happen.
One of the major shifts in yoga in the last couple of decades has been a move towards autonomy – furnishing students with the knowledge and awareness to be able to make their own decisions on the mat - and to teach in this way, you have to know yourself extremely well.
So, alongside the physical demands of led practices, asana breakdowns, and getting up and teaching, on a training, you get to do a lot of learning about yourself.
Anatomically, you will learn the uniqueness of your body, your bones, and the ways you move best. You might also look at the nervous system, learning what calms and spikes you and how to balance yourself out. But perhaps most importantly, through philosophy and ethics, you learn how you see the world – and how accurate or inaccurate a representation that is.
And this is where the emotional challenge comes in: accepting what you find. Accepting yourself fully across all those areas, knowing what work there is to do, and allowing yourself to be that work in progress.
Of course, there are plenty of days when you’re focused on sequencing or in our trainings, dipping into neuroscience and psychology too, and taking in all that information, especially if it’s been a while since you’ve been in a formal education context can be tough, but everything is taken at your pace.
And of course, all of this is being done in a group, which is incredibly powerful: watching people wrangle with ideas, debate, witness each other’s worst sides and still accept and support one another is a privilege I never take for granted.
So, what really happens on a teacher training course? Everything you’re ready for, and sometimes things you didn’t expect.
Hannah Whittingham is co-founder of Good Life Yoga School. Visit: www.goodlifeyogaschool.com
Om Magazine
First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.
