Episode Transcript
[00:00:11] Hello, my friend. Welcome to another episode of deep in your practice. I'm your host, Lauren Leduc. I'm a yoga teacher and the owner of True Love Yoga in Kansas City, Missouri. I also lead our 200 hours yoga teacher training program, and we are going to be talking about becoming a yoga teacher today. Specifically, are you ready to become a yoga teacher? I think many of us fall in love with the practice of yoga, and then some of us feel maybe a whisper or shout or calling, or maybe our favorite teacher is telling us, hey, hey, hey, you're ready for yoga teacher training. So there's a part of us that becomes intrigued by this idea of becoming a yoga teacher, or at least attending a yoga teacher training. And there are so many reasons why someone might want to do that beyond just, you know, a career change or adding a skill to your career.
[00:01:12] So today we'll talk about maybe some signs of readiness and some things to consider when it comes to becoming a yoga teacher. So I'll first say that I talk about my journey a little bit in episode two of this podcast. And for me, it was a calling. It was a whisper, I would say that I heard for many years, intuitively. And then you know how sometimes when you ignore your intuition and whispers become shouts? That is absolutely what happened with me. And I finally pulled the trigger, so to speak, and signed up for yoga teacher training. And my intuition was right. Doing yoga teacher training and becoming a yoga teacher has absolutely changed the course of my life for the better. And now it's my passion to help others along that same journey, because it's not necessarily an easy one, but it is very, very worthwhile. So if this is something that is on your mind or on your heart, I would first take a moment to understand your why. Why do you want to teach yoga? Is it a way to share your practice? Maybe it's a way to hold yourself accountable to your own practice. That was a huge part of it for me. My thought was, if I'm in charge of leading someone else's practice, of stewarding this practice of yoga, then I better be really on top of my own personal practice, which is such a huge part of my mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health. So it was a way to hold myself accountable, really, because who am I to pass this on if I'm not living in integrity or trying to? At the very least, I would definitely reflect on your own practice, what you love about it, and what makes you excited when it comes to sharing that with others. Because so much of teaching yoga really is about sharing your own practice. And speaking of that, I would also consider the commitment to your own personal practice. It's really important for yoga teachers to maintain consistency, which can be difficult because as we teach more and more classes, maybe the personal practice can fall by the wayside, but it really does create the wisdom, the energy, the inspiration, the integrity that it takes to share the practice with others. So are you ready to become really consistent in your own practice? And what that means to you might vary. That doesn't mean that you have to wake up at five every morning and practice for 2 hours on your mat. It has varied for me throughout my yoga practice and throughout my career as a yoga teacher. But right now I'm practicing about four times a week for a half hour each because I'm a busy mom and a Business Owner. And I also love to strength train and move my body in a lot of other ways. I do have a daily yoga pardon, a daily meditation and breath practice. So that's one example of regular practice. It might mean 2 hours a day, but can you maintain something consistent? That's really important. Also, when it comes to committing to your practice, are you ready to go beyond the Physical? Are you interested and Excited about engaging with the Philosophy, the MeDitation, the PraNAyAMA, all of these different things that make YogA yoga. And you can go back and listen to episode one if you're interested in like what YOGA actually is and what it entails. But if that is calling to you, YoGA teacher training could be a really great avenue to start really going deep. Also consider do you have a passion for learning? I would guess if you're listening to this podcast, you probably do, because in your own time you are choosing to learn more about yoga, right? Are you interested in reading yoga books? Are you interested in talking to yoga teachers? Are you interested in learning more about how the human body works and about the Eightfold path? Do you have a passion for learning? That is a great sign that you could be a wonderful yoga teacher because yoga teachers have to commit again to personal practice, but also to this concept of svadiya, which is one of the niyamas of yoga, the second limb, and that self study. So we're studying our own self, our own motivations, but we also continue to study from those who have gained wisdom of the practice. So we read books, we listen to podcasts, we take classes. We have this thirst, I think, for more and more when it comes to knowledge. I think that is something that I see in every yoga teacher that I know. When it comes to this passion for learning, it is also an ability to have a beginner's mind and to be really open to new information. When it comes to yoga teacher training, especially in my training, we really build you from the ground up. So while you might have had years of practice and gained a lot of knowledge, we're not necessarily wiping that slate clean before we get started. But we're trying things on and we're allowing our minds to be open, and we're not attaching to previous patterns and habits so that we can build this really strong foundation for our own personal practice and for our teaching practices. And in that, we really covered a lot of different topics, from yoga history to yoga philosophy to anatomy, asana technique sequencing theming, prenatal yoga, anti racism in yoga, trauma informed yoga. Do you have a passion for not only learning about these things, but going through a process of deep inner inquiry? While we do? I think that sometimes the thing that students are really looking for when they go through a training is this deep personal transformation.
[00:07:17] And it's sometimes the thing that students are most surprised about is just how intense it can be and how deep it can go. But in my opinion, that's why these trainings can be so life changing, because they really are this deep inner inquiry and inventory.
[00:07:37] And most of the time, I think it invites in a lot more self compassion, which helps us extend that compassion toward our students. Another thing to think about is, do you like to hold space for others? By that I mean, are you an active listener? Do you like to be a neutral and compassionate presence with people as they are living their lives and feeling their emotions and going through different things? That is such a huge part of yoga teaching. It is such a responsibility to steward this practice, and being able to set ego aside and really just be there for others is such a beautiful thing, and it's such an important quality in a yoga teacher. Is that something that you're ready to do? Are you ready to serve in that way? Do you feel that you have the emotional intelligence to do that? It takes a lot of empathy and compassion to not make assumptions about people who are walking through the door. Hold space for different body types and abilities and experiences. All the same, it takes emotional intelligence to not play favorites, to not put your own ideas of what someone else's practice should be on them, but instead, again, hold space. Hold space as the compassionate observer and to be a professional and gentle guide on their journey. Another thing to think about is the reality of teaching yoga. What does it look like? I think on the outside it can look like this fun and easy job. And at times it can be that, but it also can be quite intense. It's really normal for new teachers or even for established teachers. This has happened to me years in my teaching to maybe hold a new class. Maybe it's in a new space, maybe it's a new time and no one shows up. Is that something that your ego is ready for? It isn't always right, but it's something that is a reality of teaching and that we have to roll with over time. I found a bunch of old journals the other day, and they go like through all of my teacher trainings and one I wrote in during the opening of my yoga studio back in 2015. And I didn't remember this, but nobody showed up to the first class and I felt a little discouraged. But there was some, like, positive self talk and coaching within that journal entry. And at the time, it wasn't the first time I'd showed up to an empty class. I had taught many, many classes before then.
[00:10:11] I. But it is just part of the reality. Also, are you able to teach and commit to your own practice at the same time? Sometimes we start teaching, maybe we start teaching a lot and we lose the passion for our own practice, or we lose the consistency where we're showing up so much for others that we forget how to show up for ourselves. Also, I think we see this idea of the yoga teacher sometimes on Instagram where, you know, we see the highlight reels, maybe they're leading international retreats or teacher trainings and workshops and doing all these cool things with their body, but that's not really what the majority of teaching is like. Even if you get to the point where you're leading yoga retreats, it's a lot of selling, actually. Like the retreat is, is the best part, I promise. But there is so much beyond teaching that's required to build classes, to build community, to build a business, essentially. So, yes, you can maybe decide to teach yoga on the side, and there's not as much of this business aspect involved, but if you do want it to be your career, there is so much beyond teaching that is involved in it. So is that something you're ready for? When you envision maybe leading a retreat in the future, can you also envision the process that is required to manifest that also? It's such a commitment between creating playlists and planning classes and networking and getting on sub lists and maybe getting permanent classes and planning your classes. It's a big time. And then after that, like continuing education, obviously tending to your own practice just be aware of the time. Commitment is so much beyond what you see in the classroom. And some people love that part and some people don't. And that's okay. So when it comes to doing a yoga teacher training or wondering if you're ready to become a yoga teacher, a lot of fears can come up. And like I said, I found my old journals, and I wish I had it with me right now to share, but I read my journal entry from the very first day of my 200 hours teacher training, and I talk about how scared I am. I was really scared. And I also commend myself for my bravery, because bravery isn't something that's done in the absence of fear. Right? It's something we do despite the fear that we have. Bravery can't exist without fear. So know that you don't necessarily have to overcome all of your fears to do yoga teacher training. You just have to be brave enough to show up for yourself. But there are a lot of fears. Like, I haven't been practicing long enough. I'm not flexible enough. I can't do handstands. I'm afraid of public speaking. Everyone else is going to be so much better than me. And we all have these fears. Maybe I'm not going to be able to commit to it. Something like that. It's a huge investment. That's another one. It costs, you know, a good amount of money to go through this educational process.
[00:13:14] And first, I just want to tell you that if you were feeling any of those things, that it is so normal. Like I said, I had all of these things going through my mind when I started my teacher training. And then I realized as I was going through the program that everyone has these fears, and everyone thinks they're not good enough.
[00:13:34] And in my opinion, usually yoga teacher training or the career of yoga teacher really attracts very humble folks who want to serve. And oftentimes our ego flows in the way that we feel. Not enough.
[00:13:49] And we start to connect with others. We start to talk, we start to go deep, and we realize we're not alone. And when we realize we're not alone, it really softens these fears. And then we can be brave together. And then you can know that there is no one type of person that should be a yoga teacher. In fact, in my opinion, there should be so much variety of bodies of experience, levels of abilities, races, whatever it might be. Teaching yoga, because you might be the perfect yoga teacher for somebody. They might be waiting for somebody just like you. Maybe they don't want the Instagram model who can handstand for ten minutes. That can be very intimidating or it can be really non relatable to them. Maybe they're looking for you. So maybe think about that for a moment. So like I said, I really encourage students to start yoga teacher training with this beginner's mind with a clean slate. So know that you don't have to have everything figured out before becoming a yoga teacher. Yoga teacher training is your opportunity again to create this foundation and to learn. And you'll find that it's also just the beginning. 200 hours seems like a lot, but it's really not that much time. It definitely gives us time to prepare students to our pardon, to prepare teachers to teach a really great class, but it's really just the beginning. So after you graduate, you get to teach other people, you get to continue your own practice, you get to continue your learning, your studying, your reading, your podcast, listening, whatever that might be. So there's really no like end to train. One of the things I felt fear around or maybe pressure around in my 200 hours training was this, like becoming this, this process of becoming a yoga teacher. Like what does that mean for me?
[00:15:42] How do I go from student to teacher? But the truth is you're always a student. You're always a student first. You always should be a student first. And I think the teacher, it's not like you get your certificate and you bloom as a butterfly. It is a metamorphosis that takes place over a long period of time and again, you never really lose the caterpillar phase. You're both caterpillar and butterfly, if you will.
[00:16:09] Another thing to consider when it comes to becoming a yoga teacher is what kind of style of yoga do you want to teach? Most yoga teacher trainings that I know of focus quite a bit on vinyasa yoga and hatha yoga. Of course, there are many types of yoga. There are ashtanga schools. There are 200 hours yin yoga teacher trainings that I've heard of. But you might consider what you want to teach. There are kids yoga teacher trainings. I will say that if you do a really great foundational 200 hours yoga teacher training, like in Nahatha vinyasa style, that it's going to open the doors for you to explore different niches. So there are a lot of weekend type trainings or week long trainings. For instance, I'm doing like a 55 hours myofascial release training right now, which I'm excited to tell you all more about later.
[00:17:02] But you have the foundation of the 200 hours which allows you to explore different avenues and niches without having to relearn what yoga is and the basic postures and stuff like that all over again. So I will say you could find a niche style for your 200 hours, but it's not completely necessary. If you want to go into something like accessible yoga or yin yoga or kids yoga or restorative yoga, you can absolutely do those things, usually within a much shorter training after you've graduated from your 200 hours training program. One of the things we talk about in training too, when it comes to finding your style is really being authentic, really using your own voice, figuring out like who you are as a yoga teacher, which is really about just embracing who you are.
[00:17:52] It's not really a discovery of something new. I don't think it's kind of embracing and figuring out what's already there and then maybe finessing it and finding its gems so that they can really shine while you're teaching yoga. So if that's something that's exciting to you, like really finding your voice and being able to express from there in a way that's honestly really creative is such a cool thing and such a huge benefit, I think, to doing a yoga teacher training and perhaps becoming a yoga teacher. Something else to consider with being ready to become a yoga teacher or doing yoga teacher training is are you ready for community support? So there are trainings that are fully online and self paced, and they might have some sort of community, like a Facebook group or some sort of enclosed community.
[00:18:42] But I will say one of the benefits of doing a live training or doing one that's in person is the community aspect, especially when it comes to things like practice teaching together. When it comes to yoga philosophy, that is like a really discussion based point in learning.
[00:19:01] We build this community really, really fast. So I think yoga teacher training can really help you find your people and they become your colleagues after you graduate. They're people that you can call on, that you can troubleshoot with, that you can brainstorm with, that you can commiserate with.
[00:19:20] Once you start teaching yoga, it really is invaluable. And as, as someone who leads yoga teacher trainings, I'm getting ready to graduate year seven and start year eight.
[00:19:35] Watching friendships and community form is for me, one of my very favorite experiences. And then watching those friendships continue to strengthen and blossom after the training is over is really the coolest thing. So I'd say if you're looking for community, it is a really great way to find it, especially a training with live components. I'll also add that some of our trainees at Truelove do join fully online. We have this really cool device called an owl that's in our practice room. So when we have our live hours, we have folks joining us in the classroom, but we also are zooming people in, essentially, and we can all talk together, we can all see each other, and we're still able to build this beautiful sense of community with the technological component, which was really mind blowing. It wasn't something that we did before COVID and it's one of those things where, you know, Covid sucked, but it's a nice, it's a nice benefit of that need for those types of technologies to exist. So we're really grateful for our little owl and that people can join us online and still feel this sense of community and warmth from the training. I'll also add for the community aspect that it is really cool finding yoga teachers that you can go deep with. And I love that at true love, most of our yoga teachers, if not all, I think right now, have gone through our teacher training program. So our students are required to take their classes and they are available to ask questions with. They totally know, like, what you're going through when you're doing yoga teacher training. So it's really cool to find mentorship through them. And then obviously through me or whoever the lead yoga teacher training is of the training that you're doing, assistants that join as well. And it is really cool to be able to just go a lot deeper with students than I'm able to do in a 60 minutes class. So if you're looking for stronger mentorship for experienced teachers who are able to answer your questions, who are able to understand what you're going through and help you navigate becoming a yoga teacher, it's such a great avenue to do that. So you might be ready to become a yoga teacher or at the very least, do a yoga teacher training. I will say that just because you love practicing yoga doesn't necessarily mean you'll love teaching yoga, and that is okay. I have told graduates before who decide not to teach after they've graduated that they are still a yoga teacher, that the way that they behave in their life, their ethical principles, the way they treat others, they are acting as a yoga teacher through that. It is such a valuable personal experience that in the end, yes, a new career path can be a wonderful benefit. But I don't think it's something people regret as a personal experience and journey. Going deeper, feeling more connected to yourself, feeling more compassionate with yourself, and navigating life's changes with a little bit more grace. So if you're ready to do yoga teacher training for whatever end again, you'll want to understand your why. You'll really want to know that you're ready to commit to your personal practice. You want to be excited and passionate about learning and also for holding space for others. You want to of course, be excited about the career, but just be open to the reality of what it might look like. You want to probably overcome some doubts and fears, or at least act despite these doubts and fears. You'll want to think about exploring your teaching style and your teaching voice, about the community support that's waiting for you.
[00:23:19] And then I think it's time to take the leap. And I'll say the most important way to know is just to listen to your own intuition again. Like I said, mine whispered to me for a long time and then it started shouting. And in my experience, things tend to happen that way. And I'm so glad I listened again. It's really changed the trajectory of my life in so many positive ways. And now I've had the honor of graduating, I think, over 160 yoga teachers at this point and really seeing how their paths have changed and how it's opened up their world. We have students, of course, who don't become yoga teachers who just do it to deepen their practice. But some of our graduates have gone on to open yoga studios to teach all over yoga Studios, YMCA at gyms, at community centers, who have gone on to specialize in different types of yoga, accessible yoga. We even have somebody who teaches cannabis yoga who's one of our graduates. We've had graduates go on to lead yoga retreats internationally. Really, the sky is the limit and it's really exciting to see how people pass this on. I'll add one more thing. A lot of our graduates go on to integrate yoga through their workplace. So they might already have a career as a therapist or maybe as a teacher, or it doesn't even matter. We have someone who manages like a jewelry company and she was able to implement a wellness program in that company, which is really cool. But there might be ways to add yoga to what you're currently doing to enhance and enrich your current career. So it's something to think about on that level as well. So listen to your inner voice. If it feels like something that's going to enhance and enrich your life, I really encourage you to take the leap.
[00:25:08] Our yoga teacher training at True Love Yoga. I think it's the best, but I'm super biased. I created the program, of course, it will start again in March of 2025. We take a little bit of a break between cohorts, but if you are interested in our program, which like I said, can be done live or completely online, and it also has some online, self paced content, it's a really accessible training, in my opinion, for people who are busy, like moms or parents, for people who have full time jobs, who travel for work, etcetera.
[00:25:44] You can go to our website, trueloveyogac.com to our yoga teacher training page and give us your email and we will send you a PDF on are you ready to become a yoga teacher? And it has some cool journal prompts and things. You also could listen to this episode and pause and journal on it if it's something you're interested in. You can also reach out to me directly and I'm happy to answer any questions about yoga teacher training and help you figure out if it is right for you. I'm nothing.
[00:26:14] I'm not someone who loves to sell. I love to talk about how much I love the training and I can talk about other people's experiences with it, but I don't want to pressure you into it. I'm concerned about finding students who are ready to fully commit to the program and who will make a wonderful contribution to it. So just know if we chat.
[00:26:34] It's no pressure from me. I'm just here to offer you information and support and maybe some encouragement. So are you ready to become a yoga teacher? I hope so. We need more beautiful yoga teachers in this world, especially with unique stories and bodies and backgrounds. So I want to thank you so much for listening today. Maybe we can work together in the future. I'd love to support you on your journey or help you point you to somewhere that feels appropriate for you. Go to the show notes so you can find that freebie of are you ready to become a yoga teacher? And we'll send you more information about next year's training as well. So thank you so much for joining. Have a beautiful week. Om Shanti om peace. Bye.
