You may think that the only path to becoming a yoga instructor is with years and years of training and experience, but nothing could be further from the truth. Training as a yoga instructor is as much about training for a new career path as it is about embarking a personal voyage of self-enlightenment. Like practicing yoga, learning to teach others this unique discipline is itself a spiritual path of discovery. It is true that some yoga instructors begin as experts, but many others start from more humble beginnings and achieve just as much success. Consider these four reasons to begin this journey even if you are not yet a yoga master.
You Will Sharpen Your Own Skills
Teaching others is truly one of the best ways to improve your own abilities. By showing novices the ropes, you will be forced to refine your own techniques while being acutely aware of your body's every move. After all, you want to be the best teacher you can in order to share what you know with your students, and in doing so you will master and ultimately overcome your own weaknesses. Coincidentally, this heightened awareness is also helpful if you are practitioner of pranayama, which relies heavily one's self awareness of their own body.
Your Greater Awareness Will Extend to the Rest of Your Life
While the practice of yoga can be done as an end unto itself, it is often viewed as a way to improve myriad aspects of one's life. The physical and mental health benefits of yoga extend to training as well. The calming and stress relief effects of regular asanas are amplified greatly when you spend your days not only practicing them, but perfecting them in order to teach others. You will also find that you will develop greater mental acuity as a result of more mindful and intentional meditation practices.
You Will Discover Things About Yourself
Although this isn't limited only to yoga training, teaching is an incredible way to discover your own strengths and overcome your weaknesses. Imparting your knowledge on others is a selfless act that forces you to push through your own fears and insecurities. You will make mistakes – both while training to become an instructor and while instructing your students – and you will be forced to move past them and learn from them. This is a special form of self-reflection that can really only come from making yourself available to share what you know with others.
You Will Have Fun and Meet Interesting People
The intangible benefits of training to become a yoga instructor are, of course, important, but learning to instruct others will also be an enjoyable experience. You will learn both new techniques and new ways to approach the parts of yoga that you are already familiar with. Along the way, you will meet many other interesting people who are likely training to become instructors for an endless array of different reasons. You will enrich each other's lives with your own experiences, and ultimately you will be able to take those experiences and enrich the lives of your students. Enroll in classes through a training center like The Yoga Collective soon.
Share8 March 2019
Growing up, I had a weight problem. In school, I was usually the largest kid in my classes. When I was a teenager, my mom bought an aerobics video. One night, when the rest of my family members went to a restaurant, I stayed home alone. I decided to do aerobics. Immediately, I was hooked. During the next year, I lost over 30 pounds from exercising. Almost 20 years later, I still enjoy exercising regularly. And, I weigh the same I did in high school --just in muscle. On this blog, you will discover how exercising regularly can help you maintain a healthy weight for life.