Sharing Mudra, the joys of teaching yogaby Kara-Leah Grant
This is something people email me all the time to ask – what courses do I need, where do I find them, how much do they cost? (Find out details about NZ Yoga Teacher Training Courses here.)
And yoga teacher training courses are often great – full immersion in the world of yoga for a set period of time including guidance from a great teacher or two.
Wonderful stuff.
But see, here’s the thing.
If you want to be a yoga teacher, it doesn’t start with heading off on a course to learn stuff from other people so you can then teach other people’s stuff to students.
It starts with practicing yoga daily right where you are now.
And that’s yoga in the proper sense of the word – not just postures, but all eight limbs of yoga.
Yep – you can start the process of moving towards yoga teaching without doing a course, without getting a certificate, without leaving home, and without quitting your job.
If you really want to teach, first you gotta BE a yogi, and that means committing to a daily practice. Yes, daily, as in every single day. Ideally this daily practice will include asana, pranayama and meditation. And if you’re thinking;
I don’t have time in my life to do that..
Then you know what? You don’t have time to be a yoga teacher. You can’t teach what you don’t practice.
It’s that simple.
And getting on your mat every single day is just the beginning. A yogi is not someone who can twist and contort themselves into beautiful shapes on a yoga mat.
Nope, a yogi is someone is lives their life in the yogic way moment by moment – it’s about what happens off the mat as much as it’s about what happens on the mat.
Which is not to say that before you start teaching you need to be living this “perfect life”.
Not all all.
What it is saying is that you are studying all aspects of yoga and applying them to your day to day living. You understand that yoga is about awareness, and about shifting from identification with our mind and thoughts to a place of stillness and awareness.
None of which needs teacher training to kick off. (Or even a teacher necessarily, although it does help.)
Remember too, that the goal of yoga is ultimately enlightenment. Learning postures, breath work and meditating is just a means to get there. A true teacher of yoga understands this, and teaches with an eye on the whole and the goal, while recognising that here is where we are now.
Which might be sitting in virasana figuring out how to properly align our feet and knees.
So if you’re serious about teaching yoga, you must first be serious about yoga. Living it that is.
Because it is only in the process of applying yoga to your whole life that you will find something to teach from.
Sure, you can parrot other teachers’ words and understandings.
You can read books and use that know-how. Watch DVDs and steal that sequence. This isn’t necessarily bad, it’s just part of the process of learning to be a teacher… but in the end, it’s when you teach from the authenticity of your own experience that your teaching really starts to come alive.
Now you truly do have something to offer from the mat.
At some stage, as you practice daily, and read yoga books, and go to classes and workshops, you’ll find your own way to the teacher training that resonates with you and it will inspire you and open you up and turbo charge your practice…
But it’s only one small part of what it takes to be a yoga teacher.
You may not be able to get to that training until next month, next year or even next decade. Don’t let this stop you from starting the process of teaching yoga here and now today.
Make that commitment to daily practice.
Start reading the yoga books that resonate with you.
Find a teacher who inspires you.
And make yoga just a part of who you are.
Find out more about New Zealand Yoga Teacher Training Courses here.
I reckon it’d be awesome be a yoga teacher and I’m actually considering it as a career. I’m still only young, but what do you think would be some good ideas to get me started? And what do I need to know?
Tash.x
Great question Tash, and one that is probably best answered in an article rather than a comment. But one thing you can do to get started is… practice! Establish a daily, home practice and you’ve taken the first important step towards being a teacher.
Blessings,
KL
Yep, I’ve established a daily practice already 🙂 Ever since i started 🙂
what next?
:)peace
Hey Tash,
Good on you! Next… I’d suggest reading some of the yoga books. There’s a good list of recommended reading on the Yoga Lunchbox’s Facebook page… scroll down and you’ll find it on the Wall. If you’re really keen, maybe even consider diving into the Yoga Sutras…
Blessings,
KL
Hey Kl,
Thanks for that =] .. I’ll get onto that asap! I don’t quite know what the yoga sutras are. I think I’ve heard of them though.. Should be interesting!
Thanks for the help 🙂
Oh yes, it’s common for people to enquire about ‘becoming a teacher’- like it’s a rational career option- when they’re really at the stage of ‘what the fuck is yoga, anyhow?’
Hey Roger,
Which begs the question – is yoga a career, or is it a calling?
Blessings,
KL
Hi,
I live in Christchurch. Once I’ve established a routine of daily Yoga at home I’d like to do a course to become a yoga teacher. Are there any teaching courses here in Christchurch that you’d recommend? I’d like to do a course in 2012. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Zoe
Hey Zoe,
I don’t know of any courses in Christchurch. Queenstown, Wellington and Auckland… yes.
I haven’t taken any of these particular courses though, so can’t offer any insight into them… however, there are several interviews with people about these courses on the website, just look under the navigation heading of Teaching Yoga, Teacher Training at the top of the page, under the heading.
Good luck,
KL
“At some stage, as you practice daily, and read yoga books, and go to classes and workshops, you’ll find your own way to the teacher training that resonates with you and it will inspire you and open you up and turbo charge your practice…”
YES! this is exactly what happened to me – after 20 years of irregular practise, the last 18 months has been a time of yoga really “calling” to me, leading me to establish a daily practise and then, at exactly the right time, exactly the right course came to my attention.
“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear”.
Hey Michelle,
Great to hear – which course did you end up doing?
KL
Byron Yoga Centre – they ticked all the boxes for me but doing it in Oz wasn’t an option!…. but several months after they first came to my attention, when i had found another course that i was going to do, i saw them advertise that they were running one in Auckland. Thank you Universe!
i’m doing the part-time option, and have only done the first weekend, but definitely felt from the first moment that it was the right one for me, and the weekend of training absolutely confirmed it :o)
Dear KL
This is Sarah, I have been doing yoga for more than 1year, I really like yoga and i would like to advance my capacity and to become a yoga teacher in NewZealand.
do you know where i can learn to become a yoga teacher and get a certificate in Auckland?
P.S.: i will be studying in NZ next Feb. so i would like to take part time course.
Waiting for your reply.
Thanks.
Sarah.
Hey Sarah,
Off the top of my head, I’m not sure. I would have to do some research via Google. Which is something you could easily do too. Maybe try Ashram Yoga, Dru Yoga, Svastha Yoga or Hot Yoga Auckland.
Good luck on your search.
KL
Hi there, I live in Wellington and I’m interested on some course for teaching here. I’m not sure if you can recommend any, would have it on mind, anyway first I’d like to know all the options I might have around the area.
Thank you!
Matias
I wanted to take the time to say Thank You for your honest article! It’s refreshing as I begin this journey I feel called to, to have your perspective. Your article truly resonated in my heart/mind. It’s NOT about the training or education First. It’s about the daily practice and the Lifestyle.
Thank you!