Congratulations on taking the first step towards becoming a Certified Yoga Teacher!☝
Now that you’ve said YES to the YTT journey ahead, you may wonder how best to prepare yourself for your upcoming training. School Yoga Institute has hosted Yoga Teacher Training courses internationally for nearly 20 years. We have a few tips to help you feel embodied, prepared, and empowered as you take these next steps!
From setting personal intentions to strengthening your body and immune system, we’ve compiled a list of 8 ways to mentally and physically prepare for your YTT!
We invite you to take some time to reflect on why you’re doing a yoga teacher training — What are you hoping to cultivate more of in your life? What would you like to gain from the training? What would you like to contribute to the training?
Our yoga teacher training is much more than just a checkbox to gain a certification. With intention and presence, your training can be life-altering in more ways than one! Remember that the energy you put into this training profoundly impacts what you will gain from the experience.
You can expect to spend significant time practicing asana during your Yoga Teacher Training. Before your training, we suggest finding your rhythm of personal practice. This doesn’t necessarily mean spending hours every day in intense practice. However, taking the time to tune in with your body through intentional daily movement will help you feel more attuned to your body's specific needs while building the strength and stamina to sustain you through your Yoga Teacher Training.
Familiarize yourself with the style of yoga you will be learning to teach. During your Mystical 200-Hour YTT with SYI, you will learn to teach the Mystical Hatha and Mystical Vinyasa flows. We suggest practicing these a few times a week beforehand to become familiar with the sequence! You can also take some time to expose yourself to different teaching styles and gain inspiration to make your classes come to life.
School Yoga Institute provides students with a spiritually driven course that goes far beyond Asana (the physical postures of yoga). Through ceremonies and sacred reflection, we connect to the shadows of our past and rewrite personal narratives that keep us stuck. This process of shedding the old and giving way to the new can bring up a lot of emotions.
Maybe you’ve heard the saying: “You have to feel it to heal It. The only way out is through.”Our training is an opportunity to become a Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher and practice deep self-study, heartfelt connection to others, and radical vulnerability. It is essential to prepare yourself emotionally for the journey and to remember that this is a professional Yoga Teacher Training, not an intensive therapy program.
Feeling excited and apprehensive is common when standing on the precipice of change. We recommend starting to build out a tool kit of resources that ground, nourish, and regulate your internal sense. Some tools we like to use include regular journaling, music, drawing, dance, time in nature, practices of silence, mindful eating, mindful walking, time by the sea or in water, and so on.
*Please note that this is a professional Yoga Teacher Training and not an intensive therapy program. Participants are expected to have their own support and therapeutic modalities in place while going through this training. While there will be space for personal reflection, it is imperative that the container remains strong and that we are not unloading or processing too much of our personal experiences in this space. If you need guidance finding a therapist prior to starting this course, we are happy to help!
Each style of training requires a level of commitment from you! 200-hour yoga teacher training requires your presence and attention for the entirety of the program. There are assessments that you will complete both within and outside of class. We also offer support for ongoing development.
For our in-person training, we follow a vegetarian and largely plant-based diet. No coffee will be provided on-site during the training, so we suggest taking the opportunity ahead of the training to limit caffeine consumption.
We also recommend adding probiotics to your daily routine! Probiotics can be added to your routine at least a few weeks before you plan on traveling to assist the body in developing helpful bacteria in the gut. Probiotics help with immune function and ease digestive issues that can come up while traveling.
Supplements like C and D can also help boost your immune system! Please always consult with your doctor before taking any supplements.
Do your best to remain up to date with communication leading up to your training. We typically send 60-day, 30-day, and 10-day emails full of tips and tricks to help you prepare for the training.
Please familiarize yourself with provided reading materials to help you feel fully prepared for the program.
If you’re attending one of our trainings abroad, be sure to read through the location-specific welcome packet. This is filled with the logistical information you will need concerning travel arrangements, visa and entry requirements, packing lists, recommended readings, etc.
Be aware of any stories or beliefs you may be holding onto before starting your yoga teacher training. Allow yourself to explore any fears or beliefs that might keep you from fully embracing the experience. Is it possible to allow any insecurities that arise to be a part of the process? Our fears and anxieties can push us beyond our comfort levels and help us to explore the new paths we have been searching for. As you tune into your inner dialogue, know that you have all that you need and are exactly where you need to be in your journey. Allow yourself to be open to the possibilities of all that can be from embarking on your yoga teacher training journey.
We can’t wait to meet you!
Have more questions on how to become a Yoga Instructor or want to learn about our yoga teacher trainings? We're here to help! If we can support you in any way please contact us!
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