I'm someone who needs to be fully prepared for every new thing I do. So when it came to doing my first 200-hour yoga teacher training, I wanted to know EVERYTHING about becoming a yoga teacher, and so I quickly began bookmarking all of the best resources I could find for how to prepare for yoga teacher training.
Maybe you're the same, or perhaps you've heard that yoga certification courses are intense and are wondering how to prepare for and survive yoga teacher training yourself?
In this article, I'm drawing from my personal experience to share what I did to prepare for my yoga teacher training and get through it (plus what I didn't know but wish I did!) So read on for the ultimate guide to acing your upcoming YTT!
Article content:
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Top 10 tips for how to prepare for and survive yoga teacher training
Books to read before yoga before yoga teacher training
9 things I wish I knew before yoga teacher training
Weekly at-home yoga practice schedule to prepare for YTT
Takeaway on how to survive yoga teacher training
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Top 10 tips for how to prepare for and survive yoga teacher training
Your yoga teacher training journey will be both exciting and transformative. Proper preparation can make the experience even more rewarding and enriching.
You'll need to prepare your body. So if you’re currently only practicing yoga a couple of times a week, this needs to change ASAP by gradually increasing your at-home yoga practice. Here are my top 10 tips for preparing for, preparing for yoga teacher training, and smashing it:
- Cultivate a daily self-practice
- Master the sun salutations
- Learn the basics of yoga philosophy
- Research the location of your course
- Plan your journey
- Take a break from all other commitments
- Be open to feedback
- Stay present and enjoy the experience
- Practice self-care
- Take a week off after YTT
1. Cultivate a daily yoga self-practice
The number one thing you can do to prepare for yoga teacher training is to prepare physically by practicing yoga daily.
You don't have to do a full 1-hour practice every day; just get into the habit of coming to your mat regularly. You will be learning the basics of a minimum of fifty foundational yoga poses, so you want to feel strong and very familiar with the poses.
2. Master the sun salutations
You'll need to know how to sequence yoga classes effectively to gain your yoga certification, so it makes sense to learn the correct order and alignment of these postures before your yoga teacher training. This sequence is included in almost every Hatha/ Vinyasa lesson. Learning it before YTT will give you a head start and allow you to focus more on the other, more challenging sequences.
3. Learn the basics of yoga philosophy
Knowing the basics of yoga philosophy and how to practice it off the mat will help you wrap your head around the terms and concepts you will come across in your lectures.
For example, briefly knowing the eight limbs of yoga will make it easier to learn about each one on a deeper level.
4. Research the location of your course
While you'll spend most of your time in school studying, most YTTs give students one day off a week, so research what you'd like to do with your time off before you arrive. I recommend using this time to switch off by exploring your surroundings, so research the top attractions and places to visit before you go. If you fly all the way to Bali for YTT, you should experience a bit of the island after all!
5. Plan your journey
Aside from packing in advance, you should also plan your journey to YTT in advance. Trust me; this will immensely reduce your stress and anxiety if you don't have to figure this out at the airport! Note that any YTTs offer airport transfers, so check with your school.
6. Take a break from all other responsibilities and commitments
Taking a break from all of life's other responsibilities will allow you to focus entirely on learning and getting the most from your yoga course.
I did this by having my phone on airplane mode for most of the day. That way, I could be more present with my yoga teachers and fellow yogis rather than becoming distracted by notifications and work emails.
7. Be open to feedback
As part of your YTT, you'll practice teaching yoga to a small group of fellow students, while you may not be happy to hear about what you did wrong, this is a crucial part of your learning journey, so stay open to all constructive feedback and use it to improve your teaching skills.
8. Stay present and remember to enjoy the whole training experience
YTTs are so fast-paced that getting swept up in all the learning is easy, but try to live in the moment during training. I set the intention to take moments throughout the day to pause and observe my surroundings (which wasn't hard as my school was directly on the beach).
This tip will also help you whenever you start to feel overwhelmed with the challenges, as it will shift your mindset from worry to gratitude for simply being there.
9. Don’t forget to practice self-care
I highly suggest you dedicate some time to unwind in the evenings and on your day off from training.
Yoga teacher training is intensive enough, and the days are already long, so give yourself some time now and again to practice self-care, whether it's getting a massage, sunbathing on the beach, or calling a good friend for a catch-up.
10. Take a week off after YTT
Because you learn so much in such a short time, you'll find that you need some time to process what you learned after your training. So avoid rushing back to your everyday life after you graduate. Instead, stay for another week or two to process, integrate, and evaluate the experience you just had. Journal about how you can incorporate your newly gained knowledge into your daily lifestyle.
Books to read before yoga teacher training
The physical preparation for YTT is just one part. You'll also need to prepare yourself mentally by getting some basic knowledge of the subjects you will study – think of this as a head start!
This is important because if you don't know anything about yogic history before your course, you'll quickly feel overwhelmed when you hear terms like the Yamas, chakras, and bandhas.
I recommend reading a few yoga books as part of your YTT preparation. Two books I found to be very beneficial and easy to digest are:
- Light on Yoga by B.K.S. Iyengar
- The Heart of Yoga by T. K. V. Desikachar
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9 things I wish I knew before yoga teacher training
It's hard to fully prepare physically and mentally for something when you don't know what to expect. So to help, here are some pros & cons of YTT, and some things I wish I had known before I did my 200-hour yoga teacher training.
- You don't have to want to become a yoga teacher to do a yoga teacher training course.
- You don’t need to have 10+ years of experience practicing yoga, but you should be very familiar and comfortable with basic poses and sun salutations.
- The days are long and tiring. A YTT is nothing like a yoga retreat and requires great discipline and hard work.
- You will meet amazing people who will be an integral support network during and after the course.
- You will learn so much about yoga but also about life, the world, and yourself.
- You might find your current views and beliefs challenged. While you don't have to take everything you learn as the gospel truth, keeping an open mind is essential.
- The experience will help you discover your strengths, weaknesses, fears, and insecurities – embrace it all.
- You'll feel transformed in various ways, whether you gain more confidence and self-belief, discover your purpose or passion, or break through a deep-rooted limiting belief.
- No matter how good or thorough the course was, you'll feel nervous about starting teaching after you graduate – this is normal and okay!
Weekly at-home yoga practice schedule to prepare for YTT
It's helpful to have a structured and consistent practice before YTT starts. This will help you build your physical stamina and become more familiar with the poses. Below is a 10-week at-home yoga schedule you could follow to prep for yoga teacher training:
- Week 1: 2 sessions per week
- Week 2 & 3: 3 sessions per week
- Weeks 4 & 5: 4 sessions per week
- Weeks 6 & 7: 5 sessions per week
- Weeks 8, 9 & 10: 6 sessions per week
In addition to asana, increase your meditation practice (or start one if you don't already have one). Most yoga teacher training courses include daily meditation – in mine, we would meditate for one hour every morning.
Checklist for preparing for and surviving your yoga course
Takeaway on preparing for and surviving YTT
Yoga teacher training courses are intensive and challenging. But the good news is knowing how to prepare for and survive yoga teacher training makes all of the difference! All the tips and advice in this article are from my personal experience; I hope they help you have a fantastic YTT!
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FAQ about yoga teacher training
How do I know if I am ready for yoga teacher training?
You know you're ready for yoga teacher training if you have a deep desire to learn about yoga philosophy, yoga history, anatomy, and physiology. Having a curiosity about those subjects as well as having a strong self-practice for at least three months are good indicators that you are ready to enroll in YTT.
How many hours of yoga do you need to be an instructor?
You need to have successfully completed 200 hours of yoga teacher training to begin working as a yoga instructor.
