You might think that a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training  might be just for those that want to teach yoga for a living or part time.  I think many times that the majority of people believe this.  The truth is teacher trainings double as intensive deep dives into your own practice, allowing you to learn and study anatomy, philosophy, asana, chakras, and much more.  It can simply help you take your practice in a particular direction, or it can help you get a deeper understanding of areas that you did not comprehend prior to the training.  

Those who provide teacher training, do so for their own various reasons, but there is one consistency in amongst them; they want to share their what they have learned with you to help you broaden your horizons.  

What you can expect to learn will go beyond what you may think even when perusing the the syllabus.  Additionally, it will probably be pretty time intensive, but anything worth it’s salt is going to take commitment and time no matter your reason for trying to achieve your goal.  But one thing is for sure, you will deepen your practice.  New understandings you may walk away with are:

• A new perspective on Yoga altogether, 
• A better way to deal with life’s challenges (and sometimes we all need that),
• A stronger understanding of the 1,000’s of years that Yoga has been around,
• If you’re spiritual or looking for spiritual direction, you may come away a deeper connection to yourself or your higher power.

The outcome(s) from taking a Yoga teacher training can really be endless or very short depending on the practitioner.  You may even surprise yourself with things you didn’t know you would find as an end result of your training.  

So, what can you expect from an underlying perspective of taking a 200 hour training?

• Get a better understanding of the foundation of Yoga.  When you’re a kid learning to ride your bicycle, you need to first get the foundation of balancing on two wheels, then learn to pedal, then learn to brake.  Maybe not in that order, but you can’t ride down the road until you learn the basics.  I’f you’ve just been taking classes, you’ll get the real foundation in a teacher training that is formatted correctly, like the one at Inlet Yoga. 
• Discover yourself and gain new perspective.  The truth is, you will change.  You will gain new perspective on people, things, situations, and much more.  It will be more powerful than you might expect.  People have left their careers to look for something more fulfilling after taking a Yoga teacher training, and others have gained new perspective in their careers to help them cope with the stress, change, and more readily cross the chasm they deal with to get to the other side.  Only you will know what is right for you when you complete your training.  
• Discover your inner instructor.  Learn and teach, teach and learn.  They say that one becomes more proficient at what they do by learning and then passing on what they learn to others that seek to understand.  The student becomes the teacher and the teacher remains a student.  The cycle does not end, but can gleen you everlasting wisdom during the growth of your practice.  
• And of course, deepen your practice while you are learning to teach.  You’ll be learning with others in your training, and you’ll be opening yourself up and sharing information with the class.  You’ll have the opportunity to share who you really are, and healing spiritually (figuratively or literally), while you transform into that someone you didn’t expect to be once your training is complete.  All the while you will build new relationships with the other students, form authentic long lasting friendships, as well as an amazing supporting relationship with the instructors leading your journey.

Before taking our or any teacher training you need to explore your own practice… Some teacher training programs will tell you that you need no yoga experience at all.  This can be physically dangerous, not to mention you may not have an understanding of why you want to be in the training at all.  You need to be ready for a time commitment, so you can open yourself to all that there is to learn and absorb during the training.  Those that cannot make the time commitment or do not have a practice they want to open or deepen may want to explore a training at a different time.

A few other considerations may be:

• Are the instructors reputable, and do they have longevity in the yoga community?
• Do you really have the time to afford, as some trainings can run for months, or a year…
• Will you be certified by Yoga Alliance?
• Can you afford it?  A training can be expensive.  You may want to ask about a payment plan.
• Understand what a teacher can make per class.  Early in your yoga teaching career, it may be challenging to completely replace your existing career completely.  

If you are considering a Yoga Teacher Training, ask our Inlet Yoga Instructors about them, they are always willing to share their experiences, and how it has changed their lives.  Drop in for a class, as we’d love to have you, and feel free to explore our training which starts in October of 2016.  Jennifer and our instructor staff would love to speak with you about it.