10 Reasons Yoga Teacher Training is for Everyone!

10 Reasons Why Yoga School is for Everyone

1. CommunityThe 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training is not just for people interested in becoming yoga instructors. The closeness and lifetime bonds created between each person during each session is my favorite part of yoga school.Throughout the training we have “check-ins” where each person can share stories, experiences, and feelings regarding life in general or specifically to the yoga experience. If you thought you felt close to the people you practice yoga with, imagine the closeness and intimacy created when we actually get to talk to each other.
   2. To change your perspective … relationship to yoga…
   A shift in perspective is often an outcome after just one yoga class. The perceptions of yourself and of yoga in general really do transform during the 95 in class hours of yoga school. The science and technology of yoga are revealed in an astonishing manner. After spending time reading the required texts and studying the manual, our ideas about yoga deepen.
   3. Going deep, not just into poses
   The experience of being able to study ourselves and the way we learn is another way yoga school creates awareness. This idea of going deep inside our own experience of life is one that inspires wonder and creativity. Being able to touch the deepest parts of who we are is a gift of growth for the mind and the body. Cultivating our authenticity is how we nourish all parts of the self.
   4. Really understanding the poses
   Being able to break down each yoga posture brings an awareness that only yoga school can provide. There are things I found out about my practice that I never would have known about had I not attended the 200 hour certification course. For example, some people need to strengthen more than stretch. Some of the poses I will never be able to do because of my bone structure, not because I am not flexible enough. There are over 14,000 poses. Getting just one “right” is worth it.
   5. To learn about all the different types of yoga
   There are so many different types of yoga. People are so creative and keep inventing new styles and ways of sharing their genius. From Kripalu to Kriya yoga, from Ashtanga yoga to Kundalini, the infinite ways to get to that place where we feel healthy and vibrantly alive are worth studying.
   6. Content
   We teach you how to melt fear! And, the information we cover is confirmedly an in-depth study of yoga. The asana or the poses part of yoga is just one branch of the the Eight Limbed Path. We learn the History of Yoga, the Four Yogas which include karma yoga or selfless service. We discuss and experience the Sutras, Pranayama, Bandhas, Meditation, the Chakras, Ayurveda, Hinduism, Anatomy, the Seven Moving Principles, Vinyasa Flow, Sun Salutes, Standing Balancing Postures, Forward Bends, Twists, Hip Openers, Abdominal work, Backbends, Arm Balancing, Inversions, Restoratives, Yin yoga and Mindfulness, Savasana, Prenatal Yoga, Postnatal Yoga, Kids yoga, Yoga for seniors/ Motion Restricted, Sequencing, Assists and Adjustments and much more. We talk about boundaries and agreements, professionalism and marketing, sequencing and Sanskrit.
   7. To figure out what all that sanskrit means
   You may have heard your teachers say that sanskrit is a vibrational language. The beauty of sanskrit is that there is so much more going on. According to Dr. Katy Poole, it is a technology for awakening and expanding consciousness. Speaking sanskrit is said to expand your energetic field and when we do that- everything responds.
   8. Enlightenment and Spiritual Growth
   This program provides connection- connection with self, connection with others, connection with all that is. The connection to spirit and the divine can be another result of practicing yoga. Yoga is not a religion, however, it is one avenue to touch your own soul and reach out to God through a moving meditation. In yoga school, we develop that prayer muscle.
   9. To be happier
   Through deep breathing we create joy. It is fun to be around people who are like minded. It is exciting to learn new things and be creative. Happiness is another by-product of practicing yoga. Becoming a happier person through transformational work is not work at all. It is easy and enjoyable to breath, move and play.
   10. To transform your life. It will change your life
   Yoga school changed my life. I found my life partner. I found my circle of best friends. I found my home in Long Beach at Free Spirit Yoga. I realized that I already knew a lot of what we study in yoga school. The process of re-awakening that inner knowing is transformative!

Crystal Dawn is a long time teacher and lover of yoga. As a master teacher for Cloud Nine Yoga, she is thrilled to be offering teacher trainings with her co-master teacher April at Free Spirit Yoga. They will be offering portions of the teacher training as workshops on certain sundays throughout the next 4 months.