Finding the finest Yoga Teacher Training that meets your requirements and interests may be a complicated process. Here are the nine most crucial questions to think about before deciding on one blogpost about yoga instructor training.
- Make sure you'll have adequate time with the primary trainer.
It's critical to know ahead of time that the course director will be actively involved in the instruction of their students if they decide to complete a YTT. Make sure you have one-on-one time with the course director to discuss your concerns, critical questions, and any other issues that may arise. As much as possible, a teacher should be present, available, and in close contact with their students. This offers a better learning experience and aids students in assimilating all topics presented during the course.
- Do some background study on the professors.
Investigate the teacher trainers with whom you are considering learning. Examine how long they've been teaching, where they've taught, and who taught them. Finding a teacher with several years of experience working with a variety of kids is a bright idea. It makes a difference whether a teacher has been teaching for many years but not continuously.
Take several public classes with the instructors on your teacher training faculty, or check to see if they offer online programs. Make sure you like and connect with their teaching style, as this will be the way you will teach in the future.
- Look into how anatomy is taught.
Yoga philosophy and knowledge are essential, but a solid foundation in anatomy and biomechanics is also necessary. When you become a yoga instructor, you will be working with people's physical bodies and pushing them through enormous ranges of motion, which may be dangerous if taught poorly. Therefore, make sure your teacher education program includes solid anatomy and biomechanics portion. When you're trying to remember all the Sanskrit names for poses or figuring out how to sequence properly, anatomy may not seem like a huge problem. However, many of your kids may come to you with injuries or discomforts, and it will be your responsibility to keep them healthy and safe. This is only possible if you have a thorough grasp of how the human body functions.
- Research the program's past.
Investigate the history of the studio where you are contemplating receiving your instruction.
Some studios have been operating for a long time, have done years of teacher training, and have a lot of experience presenting high-quality programs.
Read reviews, chat with others who have completed the program, and get to know your preferred studio.
- Examine the course syllabus for a good mix of courses.
Each teacher training must devote a certain number of hours to subjects likelabs, analysis, sequencing, antiquity, and philosophy—but each school will stress various areas and have its style.
A spiritually-focused program is probably not for you if you are genuinely into the mechanics and bolts of yoga asana. Similarly, if long discussions of the Yoga Sutras pique your attention, a program that focuses solely on anatomy may leave you feeling uninterested.
Examine the curriculum and inquire about the number of hours allocated to each topic if it is not stated.
- Find out how many students are expected to attend the course on average.
What do you believe would be most beneficial to your learning? Some classes don't have a maximum number of students, so that you may end yourself in a class with 60 others. This does not imply that the course is inherently inferior; instead, if the system has a small number of students, your contact with the prominent professors will be more individualized. A class of 10 to 15 students will have a pleasant group dynamic while providing more individualized and attentive instruction. Does the lead instructor have 30 minutes of one-on-one time with each of the 60 students? Does the teacher have this time available throughout the training?
- It is critical to have some spare time during the training. Are there any additional extracurricular activities available as part of the course?
It is critical to set aside time to absorb the natural surroundings of the course. These breaks help participants to unwind and soak the information presented throughout the session. Having your time also makes it easier for you to share and engage with the other students in the class.
- Is it possible for anybody to participate in the course regardless of their yoga experience?
Consider enrolling in a YTT program that needs the same amount of experience for all of the students in the class and that has specific minimal entrance requirements. This will assist you in deciding on and enrolling in a course where the other students have similar backgrounds and experiences. As a result, the system will progress more consistently, and you will feel more at ease in a setting where your peers have similar backgrounds to you. That way, you won't be grouped with extremely advanced students or who may slow down the program due to a lack of expertise.
How do you choose the best yoga teacher training?
- Make sure that you do not receive your certificate simply by turning it there.
Some programs do not impose any restrictions on their students to award them a certificate. In some cases, merely showing up or paying your tuition would be enough to get you a certificate.
Ensure that specific conditions must be met to receive a course certificate and that the criteria are correctly assessed. For example, it would be unfair to compare students who have tried and put in the effort to integrate the course's contents to those who have attended the class as a "yoga holiday" and returned home without fully understanding the ideas. This also degrades the overall quality of yoga.
If you genuinely want to learn, it's critical that the course director objectively assess and evaluate your work and expertise to assist you in being the most excellent teacher you can be. Do not put your confidence in yoga teacher certification programs that need you to attend a few courses and pay your money.