How I chose my yoga teacher training course

Deciding to study yoga teacher training can be an exciting and exhilarating prospect, but actually committing to a program, once you’ve decided to dive in, can be a daunting task that will take you to a whole new level of self-enquiry…

Why do you want to study?

What do you want to gain from the experience?

Is obtaining a certificate or diploma that’s recognised by an industry body important to you?

Do you have a preference about the number of hours the course offers?

How much time and money are you willing to devote to your study?

Do you want to spend time in real life with the teachers and other students, or are you happy to do the whole course online?

It took me ages to finally commit to myself that I was going to take a yoga teacher training course. Once I made that decision, I spent about two weeks tracking down information that would help me form a shortlist of two to three courses that I was interested in. Here’s how I finalised my decision:

Stalk your teachers

First I stalked the yoga teachers I admired and found out about their training and where they did their studies. Fortunately most of my teachers have an online profile highlighting key points in their own yoga journey, so I could piece together a general vibe around why I resonated with their teaching styles. It was amazing how many of them mentioned Donna Farhi - that woman is seriously impressive!

Work out what the qualifications mean and if they matter to you

Even though I was investigating with the intention of deepening my yoga practice (as opposed to definitely wanting to become a yoga teacher), I still wanted to do a course that would be recognised by the appropriate national or international industry bodies.

So I made sure that the course I chose was registered with Yoga Australia and the IYTA (International Yoga Teachers’ Association). That means once I graduate I’ll be qualified as a nationally recognised ‘Level 1 Teacher’ with Yoga Australia. Which sounds very cool, even if I never actually teach!

Broad or a specific focus

I chose a course where the curriculum scope covered a broad range of subjects. I wanted my first delve into yoga studies to offer a wide focus so that I could be exposed to various lineages, asana styles, the history and philosophy of yoga, anatomy and physiology, and more. That way I could find what resonated and then in years to come I can dive deeper into the subjects that really ring my bells.

In the future I might take a course that focuses specifically on subjects that can be delivered in short but intense bursts, or long retreats (oh Bali, you are calling to me). But for now, I’m busy drinking from the fire hose to absorb as much as I can.

Logistics

It was important for me to do a course that was close to home. Being new to the area I wanted to build relationships and strike up friendships with people who lived locally. Also, travel time was an important consideration.

I also wanted to have as much face-to-face time as possible. Of course with Covid-19 upending all plans, the course providers had to pivot and run online Zoom sessions once we went into lockdown during term 3. As the year progresses and the health advice changes we hope (fingers crossed very soon) to meet in person again. Having that flexibility to change mid-course and go online was a real gift. It means we can move forward with our studies regardless of where the virus and health advice takes us.

Finally, a big consideration was being able to spend time absorbing all the information being presented. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to do an intense three week course that truly dives into the content that needs to be passed on. The course I chose runs for 12 months and offers all-day sessions once a week. It gives us enough time to process all the information, do our own self-study, mull it all over and hopefully embed the learning into my brain and body and heart.

There’s so much to consider when you choose your yoga teacher training course, but what worked for me was doing the external work to gather the facts, then finding some quiet contemplation time to really address what I truly wanted. That self-enquiry made the choice clear.