We’re lucky to have so many choices when it comes to yoga teacher training. After much deliberation and research, I decided to complete the Awakening Yoga Teacher Training Program. I’m 100% happy with my choice. Here’s how I narrowed it down.
Online or In-Person
In-person teacher training allows you to connect with your local yoga community. It also opens opportunities to get teaching gigs, since most yoga studios prefer to hire instructors who completed their own teacher training. Although I considered completing my training with local studios, I decided not to. Here are the reasons why:
- Most of the studios that offered teacher training that matched my schedule were for hot yoga. I took classes for about a year with the teachers leading the training. I enjoyed their classes, but even the advanced classes were formulaic. That’s one of the drawbacks with franchise studios, I believe.
- Aside from the type of classes offered, there’s a big difference between practicing yoga in a heated room vs. a regular one and I knew that I wanted a non-heated yoga teaching experience.
- I checked out non-heated yoga teacher training in my area, but I didn’t feel a connection with the studio. This is where having a social media presence for teachers and studios really helps!
The Online Marketplace
Deciding to take an online certificate program expands your choices. This can be a good thing but can also be overwhelming. Here are ways to eliminate choices.
- Take classes from workout platforms such as Alo Moves or Omstars, to get a feel for the teachers and yoga styles you prefer.
- If you have Instagram, check out teacher and yoga studio feeds. Accounts such as @carlingnicole @patrickbeach @kinoyoga @yogawithbriohny provide helpful teaching tips.
What to look for?
Although there are highly specialized yoga teacher training programs such as ashtanga or Iyengar, most programs focus on vinyasa style yoga as the foundation. Aside from types of yoga, yoga teacher social media accounts also allow you to find the best fit for your personality and vibe. This is one of the reasons why I decided to go with Awakening Yoga Academy. The school is founded by Patrick Beach and Carling Harps. Aside from the school, they also have an online yoga platform, Commune Yoga, and a physical studio in Seattle, WA. If you take their teacher training, you get free 6-month access to Commune Yoga.
I’ve taken their classes at Alo Moves and connected with Patrick and Carling’s teaching philosophy. The Awakening Yoga system combines ritual with freedom. The system gives respect to lineage and traditions, but also encourages you to customize.
Awakening Yoga is a modern yoga method designed to honor the ritual of traditional yoga with a practical and functional approach to asana.
Drive into the Awakening Yoga System with focused tutorials and asana breakdowns to learn the foundations of this practice. Put all the pieces together in our blueprint classes; 90 minute Full Solar Vinyasa or 60 minute The Set.
Commune Yoga Studio
Teachers have a solid background in anatomy, breath-work, and philosophy. I connect with their verbal cues. Patrick and Carling have an impressive practice. They encourage curiosity, self-study, and personalization.
Modular and Educational
I was an Ashtanga practitioner and appreciate the tradition and rituals, but the traditional ashtanga practice doesn’t allow much room for deviation. You make the body fit the practice. The Awakening Yoga system gives you the foundation but also the freedom to make it your own. “The Set” and the “Full Solar Practice”, similar to Ashtanga, are a fixed series of poses. But they also serve as a foundation to sequencing and conceptualizing a yoga class. The method gives teachers solid core pieces to build on. It’s a genius system.
Taking It to the Next Level
Awakening Yoga offers workshops and courses to get you to 500 RYT and other continuing education certification. So if you complete the 200 RYS, you can always continue with their program.
In terms of deepening your own practice, Commune App has an extensive library of classes. I especially love that ones that target a specific mobility goal and also poses such as handstands.
Community
Awakening Yoga offers teacher training and workshops in person and they have a solid online community either through social media or the Commune App discussion board. If you are taking the teacher training at your own pace like I did, they have live pre-recorded workshops that show other students with their questions and these are very helpful. It makes you feel supported and that you’re not alone.
You get feedback on your final teaching practicum from Patrick Beach. The lectures are well thought-out. There are no unnecessary assignments, just useful and practical ones. Carling and Patrick are effective teachers.
Pricing and Support
The school has a reliable customer service support. I didn’t have any technical problems with their course website. You can also access the course from multiple devices. Given the quality, I’m surprised that they are one of the most affordable yoga teacher training programs out there.
