This guest post was written by Leah Staub-DeLong.
So you want to be a yoga teacher? I sat down with Berkeley Haas MBA candidate and trained Yoga Teacher Carina Serreze to learn about the ins and outs of yoga teacher training. Here are the top 5 things to keep in mind before signing up for a yoga teacher training:
“It’s worth doing training with a teacher you really respect,” says Carina. Though the content is similar across yoga teacher training programs, the philosophy and approach (e.g., use of sanskrit, breath) will vary by studio.
Choose a training studio that reflects how you want to practice as a teacher. There are many ways to integrate yoga philosophy into teaching.
“At the end of a 200-hour training,” says Carina, “you really know nothing. In order to become really good you have to get out there and practice. Don’t be afraid to network, to put yourself out there, and don’t be afraid to fail.”
Carina landed a spot at her local yoga studio by assisting a 6AM class for free for several months, all before being invited to audition as a teacher. She credits her willingness to contribute sweat equity to her studio with her opportunity to eventually join the studio as a teacher.
On a related note, you may also want to consider early on how to attract your ideal yogi tribe.
Having an experienced teacher come to your classes and give you feedback will accelerate your learning curve.
Early on, Carina had an experienced teacher attend her class and provide her with an hour’s worth of feedback after each session, which helped her to accelerate her early learning and build her teaching style.
For teachers who can’t work while they train, or who don’t want to put their savings towards training, low-cost community-supported financing through sites like WeFinance can keep training affordable while enabling your friends and family to support your work.
Kemper Gottshall is an example of a yoga practitioner who crowdfunded a loan using WeFinance for his yoga teacher training.
“I came into my yoga teacher training feeling that yoga made me more confident, self-aware, and able to assess situations as they are. I left understanding yoga as a practice of self-inquiry, and the power of self-inquiry is endless,” says Carina.
Throughout your yoga journey, Carina advises to stay connected to your source of inspiration: “if you’re not inspired, it’s not going to be joyful.”
For some quick inspiration, read about how yoga changed these 16 prominent yogis’ lives.
Are you considering a yoga teacher training program but worried about the tuition or living expenses? WeFinance for Yoga is the fastest way to crowdfund a personal loan.
