What is up with that title, eh? As it turns out, figuring out if you want to take teacher training and learning that it's your heart's desire to teach are not the same thing.
All this talk of the upcoming yoga teacher training (YTT) has me strolling down memory lane. So many decisions led to me committing to training in 2016. Today, I'll give you some practical tips about how to decide if training is a good step for you at this juncture, and I'll tell you about how I accidentally ended up in the teacher's seat. If you're not interested in training at all, I hope you'll still be entertained.
Am I even eligible to train?
I took up my yoga practice in earnest at a studio in East Village that no longer exists under a set of circumstances that can no longer be.
I don’t think it's legal in California anymore, but back in the day, it was common to have community members in work-for-trade arrangements with studios. I scrubbed toilets, folded blankets, steamed floors, and checked in students in exchange for glorious yoga. By the time the studio announced it was having its first-ever YTT, I was very much in love with the practice.
I had limited experience as a practitioner, but I already knew I wanted to do something in the yoga world. I thought maybe you had to be able to do a handstand to teach yoga. (Newsflash: You do not need to be able to do a handstand to teach yoga.)
I had a lot of doubts about myself. The only thing I knew for certain was that I wanted to learn more about yoga than I could learn in my classes. The thought of taking training literally kept me up at night. I couldn't let it go, and that was the first clue that I should go for it.
Regarding my perceived deficiencies, I was in luck. After some discussion with the leads, they agreed that my skill level was sufficient for additional training. Since our group was small, they’d have the bandwidth to help me if I struggled. Graduation also wasn't an immediate thing. I could take time after the training window to keep growing my skills until I was ready to earn my certificate. Even better.
If you think you want to train, but you aren’t sure if you’re ready, here’s my advice:
Love yoga. All teacher trainees should be able to check this one off.
Self-reflect. Teacher training is a big commitment of time, energy, and finances. It is a worthy investment, but only if the decision has been weighed carefully.
Talk to the lead. They'll be your mentor on this yoga journey. Make sure you feel comfortable around them. Do you like their teaching style? Are they offering training that aligns with your values? Do they have the willingness to help you if you get stuck? Rex, the lead for the upcoming 200-hour YTT, is offering teacher training info sessions every Sunday from 1:30-2:00 PM (PST) in person and on Zoom. These are free for anyone to attend, and they’re a great way to find out if Union Yoga’s training is the best fit for you.
Setting our intentions
On the first night of training, our teachers asked to commit to a sankalpa (a vow; an intention). We shared why we took up the training and what we hoped to accomplish after we graduated. I said that I wanted to write about yoga. (Imagine that!)
Nowhere in my sankalpa did I ever say I wanted to instruct classes. That’s okay. Not everyone who goes through training teaches in the traditional sense of the word. One person loved yoga and wanted to learn more. Another was looking for a new career. One woman worked in a school and wanted to bring mindfulness to her colleagues and students. Most of us were at transition points in our lives, and we thought the training could offer us clarity.
The accidental teacher
During training, I tried to keep up with my work-for-trade responsibilities. It was tough since the training schedule was compressed. (Union Yoga's training is spread out over 6 months. If I had it to do over, I would have gone for a longer training like Union's just so I had enough time to digest the material.)
I was minding my own business and signing people in before the first class of the day when I noticed that the teacher was running late. If you've ever been in this situation, you know that step one is not to panic. Sometimes this happens.
I didn't want the students to get upset, but I was beginning to worry. I could feel the questions forming in their heads as the clock inched closer to 7 AM. Each silent glance in my direction spoke volumes.
I eyeballed the time and texted the teacher. She told me there was a sub. I reached out to the sub and got no answer. We were down to five minutes until class. By this point, I was calling my leads. Maybe someone was already on the way, and my job could just be to reassure people. Nobody answered because teacher training wasn’t slated to start until 8:30. Nobody was awake yet, and if they were up, they had a firm boundary of not taking phone calls before 7 AM. I can’t say I blamed them.
Then, in a thunderclap of insight, an oddly cool voice in my mind said, “Why don’t you teach it?” I shook it off, but as the students stared from their mats and the clock wound down, the thought came back.
Before I could even register what was coming out of my mouth, I caught myself saying in the steadiest of tones, "There's been an issue with the sub. She may be running late. I’m in training, and if you’d like, I can lead the practice. If the teacher arrives, I’ll turn the class over to her and join you." I motioned toward the spot where my mat was already set up beside them. "If you don’t want to stay, I totally understand."
And nobody got up. They weren’t rummaging through their bags to see if they had any popcorn for what could have very well been a show either. They genuinely wanted to practice. Even though I didn’t have anything prepared, and I didn’t ask for permission to teach, and I had to use a pre-made playlist because I didn’t have my own, I slid my mat to the front. The sub never came. I taught the whole thing.
Was it the most eloquent sequence in the history of yoga? No. Did anyone get up and leave in the middle? Also no.
The subtle shift
A few minutes after class, the YTT cohort started rolling in. I always waited for them at the front desk, and this day was no different.
"What happened?" my classmate asked as he approached the desk. I must have looked different. "I taught the 7 AM." As the next person came in, it was the same line of questioning, only now it was my colleague saying, "She taught the class."
Nothing in the room was different, but something in me changed. That day made me a teacher. From then on, I knew I wanted to learn to teach, and I wanted to learn how to do it well.
I recognized that the world needs places for cultivating peace, and yoga teachers can hold space so that that peace can arise. We don’t create peace. My ham-handed attempt at instruction on the fly is proof of that. We create conditions that increase the chances that peace will manifest. The practitioners must also be empowered to create the conditions for peace within themselves.
Feeling the conditions for peace arise was the catalyst for me becoming a teacher. If I can do anything to make suffering less, then that is what I want to do with my life.
Still growing
We’re coming up on my six-year anniversary of completing my YTT certification. I still have a lot to learn. I’m always looking for new ways to improve my skills and share the practice with others. I can't wait to dig into the Trauma-Sensitive and Yin Yoga modules of the upcoming YTT. I’ve got gaps to fill in my training, you know? When I committed to being a teacher, I also committed to being a student forever. I love that I don’t know all the answers. I love that I get to keep learning.
If you’re training, I can’t wait to learn alongside you in the YTT. If you aren’t training, I can’t wait to learn alongside you in class.
May your practice bring you peace.