After a one-year pause, The Mat’s 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) starts again in January 2025. Great timing if you’ve been thinking of participating in a teacher training! I’ll offer some things to consider, but the reason I say great timing is that The Mat is offering an informational session later this month on August 25.
If you wish to teach yoga, one main question to consider is how to find a YTT program that works for you, not only in terms of the schedule but also in terms of the course of study, the teachers from whom you’ll learn, and the atmosphere. If you do not regularly attend class at the studio where you’re looking to participate in a teacher training, that is a good first place to start. Take a few classes – especially, if you can, from the teachers who will teach during the YTT program – to get a feel for the community. This is also where those information sessions are great opportunities as well. Not only can you ask your questions and dive deeper into what might be expected, but you can also meet your teachers (and maybe some of your fellow students). You will spend a lot of time together over the course of the year, so it’s important you find a program that feels like a good fit.
Another thing to consider is what you will learn. Yes, of course, the poses and alignment guidance are core components. But will there be sessions on the history and philosophy of yoga? And, if you are planning to teach, what about the actual business of teaching? How might you plan for an audition? And relatedly, how do you even create a class? After all, our teachers often make it look effortless!
Those things are important if you plan to teach, but here’s a secret about yoga teacher trainings: they’re not just for those planning to teach yoga.
While I am not currently teaching, I am grateful for the teacher trainings I’ve taken. I spent time really understanding what works for me and my body, and that helps me to this day in classes. I learned modifications, the benefits of various poses and muscles worked, which has given me a confidence in my own practice and adjusting to both teachers’ cues and how the pose is feeling in that moment for me.
Planning to teach or not, there are so many benefits to taking a yoga teacher training if the practice has become something that really resonates with you. After all, there is so much beyond the asanas, and a teacher training program offers a wonderful introduction.
And if you might be unable to attend the information session at the end of the month, keep an eye on The Mat’s socials for additional sessions this fall.
This is the part of a series of posts for The Mat Yoga Studio, sharing my thoughts and observations as a student only. The views and opinions are my own experience.
