What Makes Our Yoga Teacher Training Different
A yoga teacher friend of mine once said in joking frustration, “The world doesn’t need any more yoga teachers!” They said this knowing that another yoga teacher training (YTT) was graduating another class of 40+ yoga teachers. These teachers would potentially vie for a limited amount of local yoga teaching jobs.
I thought about this while considering leading a YTT at The Yoga Ground. The reality is, there ARE a lot of YTTs in the world. There are a lot of YTTs within a 5-mile radius of our studio. Do we really need another?
I decided to host a YTT at TYG because I think we have something unique to offer. I’m sure that the other YTTs in the area feel the same about their programs. The truth is, every YTT is teaching similar things. Yoga philosophy has been written in books and studied for centuries. But each yoga studio’s approach to yoga philosophy and each lead teacher’s voice, will speak to different people.
My hope is that more people teaching yoga means more unique voices in the yoga world. Hopefully this spreads yoga to a more diverse group of students. My hope is that more yoga students means less assholes in the world (I’m Jersey born and bred).
In light of every YTT having its own voice in the greater yoga community, here are 5 things that make ours unique:
Tiered Pricing Structure
Accessibility is at the forefront of The Yoga Ground’s mission. I believe one of the biggest factors to yoga’s inaccessibility is cost. Many people do not have $4,000+ for a YTT. It’s not that they don’t want it bad enough. They. Don’t. Have. It. A student recently told me that in her culture, yoga and YTT’s are a luxury that only white people spend their money on. This is not ok.
As a brick & mortar, we have expenses. We need to make money to keep our doors open. AND I believe we can do this with a tiered pricing structure for our YTT. Here’s how it works:
There are 5 need-based pricing tiers with access to the exact same YTT and resources. There are a limited number of open spots at each tier because we are only taking 12 students. When you apply, you will apply for the specific tiers you can afford. Again, each tier has access to the same resources.
Emphasis on Karma Yoga
If you are accepted as part of this YTT, especially at one of the lower tiers, we want to know how you are going to pay-it-forward. What are you going to do with your training? Who are you going to help? We want to know that you are interested in sharing and spreading yoga beyond Instagram. There is a community service element of this YTT. It isn’t just about Hatha Yoga (the postures) but also about Karma Yoga (the yoga of selfless service).
Guest Yoga Teachers
One thing my teacher taught me is to always defer to others’ greatness. Yoga teachers have different areas of expertise. As the lead teacher, my way isn’t the “right” and only way to teach yoga. I want our students to be introduced to an organized plethora of yoga teaching techniques in order to follow the paths that feel closest to their hearts. This training will feature several guest teachers leading lessons on physical & subtle anatomy, yoga philosophy, yoga in Spanish and restorative yoga.
Emphasis On Creating Your Own Yoga Class
If you’re taking a YTT, you probably love yoga postures. Whether you love the more active ones like handstand, or the more relaxing ones, most of your past yoga experiences have probably been on your mat. A quote by John Gardner that I love is, “Too often we give students cut flowers, instead of teaching them to grow their own plants.” Our YTT includes a big emphasis on yoga class creation. We won’t give you a sequence to teach. We will teach you to create your own. We want you to develop your unique voice and style as a yoga teacher. What do you have to say? How do you want your students to leave feeling? And how can we put that into a class with poses, lessons, and music in a skilled and safe way? Be prepared to create the class that YOU want to teach, to get feedback on that class, and to practice it A LOT.
Life Coaching
In addition to a yoga teacher, I’m a certified life coach. Most of my training has been with Coby Kozlowski, who’s leadership programs are rooted in yoga philosophy. Douglas Brooks once said, “If you don’t know your shadow, you won’t be a very good yoga teacher.” In the coaching world, we work a lot with your “shadows”. These are the parts that keep you stuck and from living your ideal life. We will be doing coaching exercises in this training because in order to truly be a teacher, you must be aware of your shadows. The YTT cohort will be curated of a group of people willing to look at themselves in the mirror and also willing to be the mirror for their peers for the sake of having more integrated and authentic voices in front of yoga classes.