BECOMING a YOGA TEACHER: “Now, where to go?”

Becoming a yoga teacher is a rewarding journey and not for everyone. No matter your age, location, finances, gender or background, listen to your heart. Inspired by Rachael Carlevale article, I will reflect on my jounrey to become yoga teacher. For two and half months, I worked hard between and around my nursing shifts to completed my yoga teacher study at Ajna Yoga Studio on Dec. 10^{th, 2015.} I became and achieved my personal grow goal for 2015. I climbed my mountains and now, I am standing on the top of the mountain enjoying my view asking new questions that are bubbling in my soul: “You became a Yoga teacher and now, where to go?”

What did I learn and still have to learn?

Yoga is more than only asanas.

Many practitioners have a devoted asana practice but neglect the holistic view of what yoga encompasses. There are actually eight limbs to yoga, and flowing through downward dog and triangle pose is just one little aspect……

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip : More deeper you go less attractive you become to yoga cute tops and “holly chill” accessories. Invisible world in you will start spreading into your veins.

Your mission is to shed light, not to master.

The best teachers live their yoga practices on and off the mat. Are you in the right head space to take on teacher training? Applying the eight limbs of yoga to your life is an essential step toward instructing others. Students will see right through fake “yoga bliss” or personal motives. No one wants to spot their seemingly enlightened teacher making rude comments on the street or pulling into the nearest pro-GMO fast food joint.

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip: No one is perfect; it’s all about balance. However, our true selves will shine through to our students, and that is what they will mirror. Make sure your feet are on the ground before you teach others your habits. As an instructor, it is MY responsibility to put my best self forward.

Find your specialty or grow your new brand.

There are so many different types of yoga out there, from Bhakti to Kundalini to Power Flow. Try different styles so you don’t waste money on a training that doesn’t suit you. You just might surprise yourself by taking a new class and learning that you’re into that whole breath-of-fire thing. Once you find a yoga that clicks, you’ll be able to hone in on a school that’s right for you.

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip: I found my style which is in yoga therapy/ healing  arts and will stay at my studio to grow my new brand.

Find the right teacher(s).

Practice with many instructors until you find one who resonates with you. Understand what you are getting yourself into. In your enthusiasm to get certified, you don’t want to end up with a loony teacher or in a yoga cult. Unfortunately, a lot of teacher training are about money and not authenticity. Take your time and follow your heart. The right teacher will come to you.

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip: I was blessed to find my teacher(s) who will grow with me to new heights …as a special bonus: I have got  a yoga partner from a mat to start implementing a yoga wisdom into nursing and health care to share  all with our colleagues.

Remember the 20/80 rule.

Most teacher training will take your money no matter who you are. Anyone who pays can get a certification, but not everyone will become a successful instructor. To be a success, you need 20 percent facts—earning a yoga teacher certification—and 80 percent business savvy. One of the biggest obstacles for yoga instructors is consistent attendance. Have you thought about how you would market your classes? Are you tech savvy? Do you know how to make a website, flyers and posters? How will you get students to your class? And how will you keep them coming back?

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip: Thanks God, I did my tech savvy a way back before coming to yoga studio. I hope my professional website will serve me well once I will put all up in my new menu section.

Find your own style.

The Bhagavad Gita, an ancient Indian yoga text, states that it is better to live your own destiny imperfectly than to live an imitation of somebody else’s life with perfection. To keep students coming back, you need to be you! Have something special that sets you apart. Think about your favorite instructor. Why do you like her? What qualities make you consistently return to her? Like an artist in training who learns to reproduce exact replications of Van Gogh’s Starry Night, beginning yoga instructors can copy a master instructor they admire.

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip: I found myself in tapping into my own creative consciousness and bringing forth my own style in my yoga teaching. Here comes my first yoga write out:

Allow Yoga & Healing Arts with Veronika to take you on a healing journey to your intuitive, creative and authentic self—the True Being, awakened! Learn how to express your soul’s longing by consciousness movements and asana; like in a story telling you will delve into soul myth that awaken your imagination and speak of a truth yet unexplored in your body and life. ~V~

Create your own support.

Bring family and friends along for the ride. This journey can become overwhelming, and you don’t want to lose sight of who you really are. Consider other instructors not as competitors but as allies you can learn from. Yoga is all about union—not about whether you own a pair of mala beads, have the hottest yoga gear or have mastered bhakasana.

BECOMING YOGA TEACHER tip: Today, I obtained my certification but I still see myself to be  a student as much as a teacher. Therefore, I will keep making my friends in my continuing training and enjoying my new journeys onward!

Namaste to all my yoga friends and new yoga – students – to be.

---

 

Posted by Veronika’s bliss of becoming Yoga Teacher. http://livingharmonyondemand.com

The source of inspiration: http://www.elephantjournal.com/2013/04/8-blunt-truths-about-becoming-a-yoga-instructor-rachael-c