Weather you are planning to teach yoga or not, taking a yoga teachers training program and be very rewarding and life changing. Part of why I love teaching yoga and made it my full-time career and life path is that I get to learn about people on all levels – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Being able to guide others and share the wisdom of Yoga and Ayurveda brings me great joy. Yoga trainings and courses are great because the students and teachers work together to create more strength, flexibility and balance both on and off the yoga mat. Yoga gets integrated into everyday life activities and creates more happiness, health and harmony.
I have participated as a student in many yoga teacher trainings over the past 20 years and each one of them have been extraordinary, blessing me with many benefits and positive transformations. Yoga has allowed me to connect with myself and others more deeply resulting in happier and healthier relationships with myself and others. Below are 3 insightful reasons why one can benefit from taking a yoga teachers training.
1. Get to know your body on a deeper level: “The physical body is not only a temple for our soul, but the means by which we embark on the inward journey toward the core.”
― B.K.S. Iyengar
Being in our body and learning how to manage our physical body is one of the first steps in yoga. Our body is like a machine, you could say like a car if you will, that needs to be taken care of in a proper, logical and functional way. It needs to be aligned properly, well lubricated and adjusted accordingly. A good yoga teacher in a way is like a well seasoned mechanic who know all the parts of a car and how they work. Similarly, a yoga teacher knows the anatomy of the body, the bio-mechanical movements of the body and how to address the trouble spots in a yoga pose as well as give good adjustments, modifications and variations for each and every student. The experienced yoga teacher also knows how to deliver this information to the learning student in a simple, easy to understand and systematic way. Getting to know your body on a deeper level also involves spending sufficient time learning Ayurveda, the sister science of yoga, from a knowledgeable practitioner. Ayurveda reveals the secrets to longevity. Ayurveda prescribes specific practices including diet and herbs to help heal and prevent disease. Healing and health of the body is part of that important inward journey toward the core.
2. Get to know your mind on a deeper level: When the ancient yogis and rishis (great seers) peered into the depth of the mind through introspection, contemplation and meditation, they codified their conclusions on life. They discovered and revealed infinite possibilities and potentialities that lie dormant in every human being. They learned and taught how to deal with thoughts, feelings and emotions. Thus yoga and anyone who teaches this profound science and depth of knowledge should help one to see and cultivate the mind for it’s highest purpose and potential. The great scriptures such as the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika can be our guide on our inward journey for studying the mind. These and other books constitute for what we call the philosophy and psychology of yoga. Only when we can learn how to cultivate equanimity of the mind through presence, patience, playfulness and peace, can we really practice yoga. This is something that can truly be embraced and learned by experienced and knowledgeable teachers facilitating yoga teacher training programs. A common statement we hear from students when they finish their yoga training is, “This training changed my life! I have discovered and learned so much about myself I never knew existed”.
3. Get to know yourself on a deeper level: Hidden in the mass of a rock, and visible only to the awakening vision of the sculptor, is the exquisite form of the sculptor’s creation. Only an artist with a clear vision can bring this beauty out of a common piece of rock. He has the profound intuition to see the splendor and perfection of the form within. His attention is fixed upon this beauty, which is not perceived by the ordinary eye, and he strips the rock of the gross and dense portions that conceal this beauty within. Finally, it is done; the finished product emerges in all its perfection. The artist has added nothing of his own to bring about or enhance the beauty. This beauty was always pulsing in the secret womb of the rock. The sculptor only removed and released it from the encircling mass of formless rock. Getting to know yourself on a deeper level involves letting go of specific conditions, beliefs and patterns that no longer serve you. A genuine and brilliant teacher helps to awaken the student to see his or her higher potential and the ultimate vision of truth and beauty that lies within. Thus a yoga teachers training program should indeed have these necessary teachers who can and will inspire students in this way.
If you are a serious student looking to create more strength, flexibility and balance both on and off the yoga mat, then please consider the Sacred Seed Yoga Teachers Training Program. We have only a few spots available beginning this January 2017.
This Yoga Training Course goes beyond just the asanas (yoga postures). It will allow you to connect with yourself and others more deeply resulting in happier and healthier relationships with yourself and others.
We also have a brand NEW Ayurveda Wellness Certification Course beginning January 2017.