9 Yoga Teacher Training Survival Tips for Beginners

There is no shortcut to success, which is why it is important to go through the thick and thin of the venture and not deter from it, no matter what. A Yoga Teacher Training course is no different. The course is not just about learning poses and meditating for hours, but an endeavor that will change your life forever. The training can be overwhelmingly exhausting as well, both physically and mentally. You will meet new people, exchange conversations, receive their energies, and learn the art. On top of all, you will be out of your comfort zone for most parts and this can shake your will power a bit. But what if you are a newbie? Like any other job, the teaching programs can be scary for someone new. Does that mean there is no hope?

Do not fret. These 9 concrete Yoga Teacher Training survival tips will surely come to your aid.

1. Do not be a Parrot

In every class, there are two types of students - one who mugs up things and the other who understands things. Who do you relate to? As a part of a Yoga Teacher Training Program, make sure that you understand the concepts of things and try to add your own angle to the entire thing. For instance, if you learn a pose, be a pro and ask for a variation and with this you will learn a new thing. Instead of being parroting hackneyed ways of completing training, try to learn things and stay one step ahead of an archaic way of doing things. Another thing, you can do for yourself is to not attach a pose or an exercise with a particular benefit. Connecting Yoga and its advantages with the mind-body is what your aim should be. Stand up and ask things, learn the base concept of things.

Takeaway: Be a pro.

2. Do not Be a ‘Debbie Downer’

Your thoughts become things. This popular belief must lay the foundation of your tenure at the Yoga Teachers training course, so that you come out as a wholesome human being. The first step to achieve a winning personality is to take negative environment and criticism in your stride. These training programs conduct tests every few days to check the progress of the class and the students. You must understand that perfection is a myth and every day will not be a Sunday. There will be days when you will not do a pose correctly or flunk a test or probably face harsh criticism from your teachers. Would you let this stuff break your spirits? The idea is to not set high expectations and consciously know that you will always be a student. Learning is not a slave to a time table but a free bird that knows no boundary. Taking things personally, crying a river, and projecting a negative mindset are only going to impede the progress.

Takeaway: Let it GO.

3. Do not Chin Up Too High

Team work builds a greater empire. Competition is everywhere and you might feel the strong desire to ace the hurdles. However, many people forget that there is no place for ego and selfishness when it comes to learning an art. Not sharing with other budding Yogis or classmates on this level is not going to help you pass the exams, do well, and achieve everything. You must also know that not every time, your teachers are going to help you or bet at your porch at any given moment. What are you going to do then? Therefore, it is important to leave behind the negative competitive behavior and mingle with your classmates. Share your lessons with them, discuss your concerns, and try to bond with them at a soul level. Remember, bigger the bait, harder the efforts. Remember, Lions team up when they need to bring down bigger targets.

Takeaway: Gel up and share and learn.

4. Do not Depend on the Program ONLY

Expect the expected. Yes, you read it right. A Yoga Teacher Training Program shall deliver what it promises. Is that enough for you? Well, of course it is a step in the right direction but depending upon the program only shall not let you reap the maximum benefits. You have to go extra miles and take time out of your day to practice the class lessons for the day. This can be exhausting at first but with time, this shall become a highlight of your day. But why do you need this? Yoga & meditation needs a space that has no clutter and noise. Practicing poses after the training timings will let you master the poses from the core and give you space for meditating in silence. This shall also give you time to contemplate and assess the entire day, evaluate the things you learnt, and disconnect with the clutter.

Takeaway: Put in Efforts.

5. Do not Force Feed Yourself

Food is not your survival kit. Caffeine is not a boost. An entire day of training, extra practice hours, or living in a different situation (if you have traveled to a different place/country for the program) can wreak havoc on your body. This might trigger an urge to eat food to pacify emotional upheavals or a rush to have caffeine to calm your stressed nerves. This approach is expected to relieve some of your worries but will put your health at stake, in the long run. Feeding yourself with food and caffeine is not a solution to such scenarios. Moreover, in a different country or a state, the food paradigm will be different than your native cuisine and eating too much can cause problems. The ups and downs will come up and it is natural. Instead try to discuss your concerns with your teachers, do breathing exercise, and the easiest of all, drink water to combat the urges.

Takeaway: Don’t let emotions take over your senses.

6. Do Not Sweat Over Nothing

A Yoga Teacher Training course is an exciting chapter of your life and you would want to read it as fast as possible and start with the new. The key is to not stress over the ending but to enjoy each day as it comes. Remember, this is not your regular job or 8 hours of duty in a factory, where stress is a part of the daily regime. This is an art and learning it with the same attitude will not take you anywhere. The whole purpose of the program is to let you unfold a life where there are possibilities and manifest the reality you truly want. For instance, you have to take a test tomorrow and all you did today is stressing over the results. From this perspective, you will only end up as the same individual who went through absolutely no transformation. Be inquisitive but do not give yourself a hernia over the situation.

Takeaway: Be cool about the stuff.

7. Do Not Limit Yourself While Learning

Yoga is not an outcome of the modern era and this is why your slang casual language is not what you will hear. This art is an ancient science that promotes healing, and a catalyst for personal transformation based on dated concepts. Be ready to learn a new language and memorize terms in Sanskrit. For instance, a Triangle pose that you practice is also known as ‘Trikonasana’ and you will be asked to memorize some of these words. Moreover, if you aim to learn Ayurveda, then you will learn about herbs that have more than one name and that too in different languages. A Yoga Teacher Training program is an amalgamation of cultures, people, and backgrounds. Therefore, be ready to experience a whole new world but the key is not to stress over it. Connect with your teachers more and stay open to new possibilities.

Takeaway: Receive new languages & cultures

8. Do Not Lose the Beginner’s Attitude

The starting will always be exciting. The learning graph will have a lot of low and high curves and that is the beauty of this venture. In the 200 hours of Yoga teacher training program, you will learn new ideas, poses, and breathing techniques, almost every day. With time, there will be a lot of changes in your approach, for instance, you may change your learning protocol from going in-depth to merely learn the pose and its variations. This is quite possible because time and monotony tend to take over the sense of creativity. What is your approach like? You have to train your mind in a way that it stays the same during the entire journey and not fall prey to the obvious and sometimes dreary uniformity of the program. If you learn a pose, then strive to learn in depth, the benefits, and the long term usages. After all, you will take this legacy forward and you surely do not want to do it with a half-assed knowledge. Make a vision board and write down your targets and affirmations.

Takeaway: Your mind is your weapon. Use it well.

9. Do Not Play with the Responsibility

This is a big one and the most important one too. You might have chosen a place like Bali or Costa Rica for your ultimate Yoga Teacher Training Program. This is a big responsibility in itself. Instead of involving yourself in negative conversations, gossiping, or constant complaining about the program, do yourself a favor, and submerge yourself in the program at the soul level. There will be yoga sessions in the day time and then you will feel the need to practice some poses on your own and then get up next morning and repeat the whole regime again. The pain-riddled path is not everyone’s cup of tea and you have no option but to take the ride very seriously. The survival tip here is to stick to your goals, limit yourself from indulging in too much fun activity, and respect the time and money invested here.

Takeaway: Stay grounded and create a meaningful environment for yourself

It is time to overpower the anxiety and embark on a new journey with these Yoga Teacher Training survival tips.

A born nomad, Om is always on the lookout for interesting places to visit. It took him 25 years of his life to realize where his true calling lies, but once that was done, there’s been no looking back.