Why a yoga teacher training course may not change your life
You get out of it what you put in, during and afterwards
Three years ago, I decided attend a 200-hour yoga teacher training course in a rural area of Nepal.
At the time I was in between jobs, and spending a month to clear my head and learn more about yoga sounded like the right palate cleanser for that point in my life.
I had many preconceived notions about what the course would be like, all of which were promptly blown out of the water upon arrival. Nothing could have really prepared me for that month, except for having an open mind and being willing to go with the flow.
It’s not all rainbows and sunshine
I expected to wake up every day feeling amazing.
You would think that when you’re doing hours of yoga and meditation daily, not drinking alcohol and eating a clean, healthy diet, you would feel on top of the world.
The reality: when my alarm went off at 6am, I would drag my sore and tired body out of bed, wishing for a few hours’ of extra sleep and a nice tall mug of coffee. Instead, I’d blearily drink lemon water before going on a muddy hike, followed by kriyas, meditation and yoga. Then, finally, when I thought I would pass out from hunger, we had breakfast. And that was only the mornings.
They never got easier.
To add on top of that, my teacher training was in a rural area of Nepal near the Annapurna mountain range.
Gorgeous? Absolutely.
On clear days, I had a stunning view of snowcapped peaks right out my window. But despite being relatively close to mountains, I was in the jungle and I had jungle-y critters to contend with.
At night, enormous mosquitos would buzz around my room, looking draw blood from any exposed skin. They could bite you through your clothing and did so regularly, often during meditation sessions. I also woke up one day to see a spider the size of my entire hand hanging out on the wall not far from my head.
Lastly, my accommodations didn’t have a proper shower. In place of that, there was a tube hooked up to the wall. I would use the tube to fill a bucket, then use a smaller bucket to douse myself off as my ‘shower.’ I never really felt clean the entire time I was there.
Don’t be fooled by Instagram. Yoga teacher training courses are hard work with very little luxury or rest for the weary.
Your yoga teachers will be humans, not gurus
My yoga teachers were amazing. From India, they had both lived and breathed a yogic lifestyle from a young age. They had their individual quirks though, and there was a definite culture gap as they struggled to teach us their way of thinking and we in turn tried to relate to them.
Most importantly, though, I had to keep in mind that as knowledgeable as they were, they were also human. And just as I had a lot to learn about yoga, they had a lot to learn about running a yoga teacher training and dealing with Westerner’s mentalities.
Ultimately, it would have been a mistake to idolize them. But at the same time, I tried to respect the fact that they had much more knowledge and experience in a subject I wanted to learn more about.
Yoga teachers are human. Respect them, but don’t idolize them.
You will still face life’s temptations, it’s up to you whether to indulge them
Even though my yoga teacher training course was in a tiny village in Nepal, the real world was still rotating all around us.
It was easy enough to drink, sleep in or skip classes.
Those real-life temptations — to do things you know you shouldn’t, to challenge authority — were always there.
On the days when I felt like cutting corners, I had to remind myself that I’d chosen to be there. I’d paid to be there. I’d also traveled around the world to do so, leaving my husband, friends and life behind.
By skipping classes, drinking a beer, or doing anything else that was contrary to the program, I would be shortchanging myself of an experience I voluntarily wanted to be a part of.
This wasn’t a month-long cleanse that I had to survive. It was an experience that was supposed to help me question my lifestyle and vices and whether I really needed them.
No matter where you are, you can’t hide from temptation. Stick with the program — it will be worth it in the end.
You probably won’t know what to do with your life when it’s all done
You don’t go to a yoga teacher training course halfway across the world without looking for a life change or transformation. Personally I was looking for a new career path, or maybe some confirmation that my previous path was the wrong one. I was hoping that lightening would strike — that I would have an epiphany and get all the answers.
I was disappointed by the end of the month when the answers didn’t appear and it was time to head home.
But once I was back (and fully showered), I continued with the meditation and yoga as best I could. And after really listening to my own thoughts, I realized that I didn’t want to go back to a traditional career. It wasn’t arrived at by some lightening strike, but instead by working through my own emotions, thoughts and desires.
Yoga teacher trainings won’t solve life’s problems, and they may give you more questions than answers.
All in all, I would absolutely go through this experience again, but I would drop the expectations next time.
If you’re thinking about attending a yoga teacher training program, go in with an open mind, and be as flexible mentally as you hope to be physically!
