How Long Do I Need to Practice to Become a Yoga Teacher? | Teacher Tips PT 2

Transcript

this is a really important question because if you want to teach other bodies how to explore the practice of yoga in their own body then you need to have a personal practice what is going on fam it's your girl abiyah akane here back with a new youtube video [Music] what's good seekers i am back with part two of our yoga teacher series and yes i'm wearing the same sweatshirt because it's the same day and i don't feel nothing about it once again if you're coming in and you are looking to become a yoga instructor you have an interest but you're feeling uncertain as to how to move forward this video series is going to be for you make sure to watch part one of this video series to help you decide if you actually want to teach yoga or you want to deepen your personal study so let's get into part two of the series the next question you might want to be considering if you are feeling that call right in the pit of your belly to become a yoga teacher is how long have you been practicing meaning you need to have an experience with the practice of yoga in your body and y'all i'm gonna say this this might be an unpopular opinion but that does not mean that you've practiced yoga for a few months and watched a few meditation and asana videos on youtube i done said it what it means to have a personal practice is you've begun to build a relationship with this practice maybe starting with asana maybe moving into meditation that allows you to cultivate self-inquiry the practice of yoga means to yoke or unite the mind and body and the invisible agent that's doing that is the breath and the reason why we want to do this is because we want to study the mind and body we want to actually begin to study our internal reality what's happening between the eyes and the ears so we cultivate a personal practice so that we can self-examine self-study have self-inquiry and if you don't have that we might be lacking the personal accountability required to be a yoga instructor yes there's a lot of physicality happening but as i've said non-stop on all of my platforms yoga is about so much more than the physical body it's about so much more than those poses that you see it's a very intimate look into oneself i recommend that before taking a yoga teacher training that you have at least one to two years of a personal asana practice beyond just a virtual platform meaning that you've ventured out and begun to build a personal practice in person where you have yoga instructors that are mentors to you or yoga instructors who really resonate with you and that you have a continual practice that you have with them or exploring the practice in a studio that you've cultivated community with and built relationship with instructors with that doesn't mean you need to know all the crazy postures it doesn't mean that you need to be in advanced yoga practitioner it could be restorative or yin yoga something more gentle or introductory you just need to have a really committed practice now in the previous video i talked about this new generation of instructors that are coming up the last generation was very much the instagram yoga generation where everyone was doing the crazy acrobatic postures but now that the yoga trend bubble has popped in lieu of the pandemic there's a new generation of instructors that are coming that really embody these different lived experiences with that what i find is also lost is tapas which is the discipline needed to really commit and cultivate a personal practice the last generation although we were instagram yogis we were really committed to tapas which is one of the eight limbs we were constantly committing to the practice disciplining ourselves and getting on our mats getting on our mats getting on our mats and committing to this practice to cultivate this practice in our body and begin to understand the inner workings of our mind this new generation some of you all are coming in with only a small taste of the practice introduced maybe through youtube or through virtual platforms because of the pandemic are now wanting to rush and teach and you might find if you do that and you move into a yoga teacher training you're going to be frustrated with what you're learning because it might bump up against your lifestyle or it might bump up against who you believe yourself to be and it's that type of self-inquiry that's required in your personal practice to prepare you to learn the other facets of yoga that go beyond your comfort zone in a 200 hour yoga teacher training which is why i suggest having a practice of one year or more that leads you offline and maybe into a yoga studio community that you feel seen and safe with so things to consider and i know it probably expands your definition when you think of a personal yoga practice so take a moment to sit with the answer that comes up for you and if you're still finding that you're wanting a little bit more support head to the link in my description box to take the free yoga quiz that i have on how to find out if you are ready to become a yoga instructor this quiz is short and sweet y'all it's less than two minutes and i know that it will be of benefit and help to y'all till next time don't forget to follow your girl on the gram at yoga by biala and i will see you all very soon continue to be well