Choosing My Yoga Teacher Training: London vs Bali
I really wanted to go to Bali for my teacher training. To the point where I had to stop and reflect: Do I actually want to become a yoga teacher, or do I just want to go to Bali?
But here’s the thing. If you Google “yoga teacher training Bali” you will find lots of very beautiful young people, wearing bikini tops and doing backbends in rice fields. I’m sure there would be some people my age there. In fact - I know there would be, because I spent some time in Bali, and there were plenty of women of a certain age there doing their own personal Eat Pray Love tour. But when the entire YTT website is papered with PYTs you start to question whether it’s the right place for you.
These are beautiful people, but these are not my people.
I will cut to the chase and tell you: I decided to do my teacher training in London - which includes a one week intensive in Morocco. Here’s my thought process:
🐌 Learning deeply instead of quickly
I could learn fast and furiously - but I’d rather take my time and really absorb the material.
🧘🏼♀️ Practical teaching experience
One of the things I’m most nervous about is actually standing in front of a class and teaching. Those super fast intensives? They don’t give you much time or experience teaching. I feel like I’d come home from Bali and feel super insecure about teaching my first class.
Often, when you take a course over several months, they get you “teaching” short sequences right away. You have time between sessions, and you begin to video yourself for homework, etc. From what I’ve learned, by the time you finish the course, you are ready to walk into a studio and start teaching. I mean, I'll probably still be a nervous wreck, but you know what I mean.
😊 Sense of community
I touched on this before - I’d like to be taught by someone I can relate to. Bonus points if she’s a wise woman who is my age-ish. It also seems likely that your fellow YTT students might become your support system, both during and after the course. I like the idea that these are people who live near me.
📍 Where I’m doing my course
After a lot of researching and soul-searching, I chose Yoga Haven here in London, which is run by Allie Hill. A few months ago, she hosted an online Zoom session to explain her programme and philosophy - and then gave us a link to a podcast interview where you could learn more about her. The 200-hour course will be held in person, one weekend a month for 5 months, plus a one week intensive in Morocco. I think this is a great blend of solid instruction and fun adventure!
Yoga Haven YTT, Morocco Intensive Week - Agadir
FAQs for the YTT curious:
Not sure if you are experienced enough?
You are. You don’t have to look/do like the above in order to be a great yoga teacher.
Not sure if you actually want to teach?
That’s okay. A lot of people just take the course because they want to go deeper in their practice.
How do you know which programmes are legit?
Look for something that is Certified by Yoga Alliance, which is how you will become a Registered Yoga Teacher.
How many hours do I need?
You need to take a 200-hour course to become certified to teach. There is also a 300- and 500-hour options, but most people start out with the 200-hour course. You can always add-on extra hours of training later.
How long does 200 hours take?
Well… approximately 200 hours. JK,JK. You can take an intensive course in 21 days. These are popular in India, Bali and Thailand. Or take a course that is spread out over several months. You could even take a self-paced course that is 100% online - which sounds terrible to me, but you do you Sister Sue.
How do you find a good YTT programme?
Do your research. Almost anyone can become a Yoga Teacher Trainer, so it’s important to be discerning. Ask your favourite teachers where they trained. Get references, read reviews, watch online videos, etc.
What kind of yoga will you learn?
It depends on the programme, but most do blend of a few styles. Figure out what kind of yoga you like, and speicfically look for those. For example, I like flow-y, “find what feels good” yoga, like Hatha and Vinyasa. I don’t enjoy practices like Iyengar, which focuses on precision and perfect alignment. Or aerial yoga, which makes me barf.
What do you learn in YTT?
Each programme should clearly lay out their curriculum. Look for something that covers anatomy and philosophy, in addition to teaching practicalities like sequencing and adjustments.