How do you know which Teacher Training Course is right for you?
I
L O V E
this question my friends.
How do you know?!
The answer is I really don’t think there is a right or wrong decision to make when it all boils down.
Natural wants will guide your decision making…things like; destination, style of Yoga, Guru, or favorite Yoga Influencer, feasible dates, and for some of us, budget.
But then from there everything kind of starts to bleed together….
THEN once those decisions are made what comes NEXT?
When I made the decision, what was clearer than clear was the certainty I had about studying in India. I am someone that also needs to keep the, B U D G E T in mind. Lastly, the time of year, what time of year, when was it realistic for me and once I got that dialed in I looked into what parts of India had the climate that worked for me during that time of year because I am the COMPLETE opposite of a snowbird..I am a sure SUN chaser. 100% I knew Hatha, was definitely the Asana practice I wanted to learn, and I knew I wanted to learn a lot more about Meditation.
One self-inquiring question at a time, there I had a bit more information to work with. Finally, on a piece of paper here I have;
India, March-July for feasible dates, appropriate $$, style and after some research what regions in India due to climate during that period.
Then I had narrowed it down to Rishikesh and Kerala, honestly, I preferred Kerala to Rishikesh. Why? If we’re being honest, it was due to surf in Kerala, as much as I wish I had a deeper spiritual reason behind it.. I don’t. This dates back to my surfista days.
Hallelujah for google web because Kerala was not a good time to visit in March-July because of Monsoon season.
So Rishikesh it was, Hatha, Meditation, March-July, $$..
At the same time, I started thinking I was on a roll and had it all figured out, I started to panic. I felt extremely overwhelmed, how was I supposed to decide which school was the right one for me?!
Not sure if this is news to you but only days before beginning my TTC I discovered Rishikesh is the Yoga Capital of the world. Which makes sense as to why there were SO many bloody TTC’s to choose from! I remember reading through each school and after a while, they all started to sound the same. Being the sun sign Virgo that I am, I tend to overthink things, I started playing out the worst situations in my head, how do I know it’s not a scam, how do I know if it’s a legit school giving me legitimate accreditation?
Then I found Rishikul Yogshala, as I was reading their website, again it sounded similar to the majority but my heart started to beat a little bit harder and I found myself getting teary-eyed. That’s when I knew this is the course for me, as cheesy as it sounds, or perhaps I just wanted to believe that so I could stop looking. The curriculum, the description of the teachers resonated with me, it fit my budget, there were spots available during my time frame, I could tell it was very alignment based and that is riiiight up my alley. After some serious contemplation, I booked the course nearly eight months in advance even though I had so much time ahead of me it still felt VERY real, and let me tell you eight months goes by quickly. I had VERY little expectations, I didn’t want to do too much research before going because I wanted to go in blankly. With an open mind ready to receive whatever India had in store for me, with the exception of researching health and safety precautions so all of my t’s were crossed and i’s were d o t t e d upon arrival.
Eight months later I was boarding my flight to India, where I would be calling home for the following three months.
THREE MONTHS?!
Yep. I signed up to do my 200 & 300HR Hatha, Ashtanga TTC at Rishikul Yogshala which each consisted of a four-week program. In addition to that, I had found a 200HR Mediation TTC I was really intrigued by. So three months, in Rishikesh two different schools, 700HRs worth of training…..
EVERYONE told me “you’re crazy that’s too much blah blah information overload.” Well let me tell you, I definitely don’t recommend that much training in one sitting but for me, it worked. This was the FIRST time in my life I had found something that intrigued me so much that I wanted to spend that much time learning about something I was so passionate about and actually STILL wasn’t enough. Like most things in life, I dance to the beat of my own drum and do things the slightly unconventional way.
I had already been practicing Yoga for eight years but had been practicing asana and meditation every single day for almost a year and a half leading up to my TTC’s. With a previous background of spending some time in massage therapy school a few years prior, I had a good amount of knowledge about the body which definitely helped lighten the load of information overload. During the duration of my courses, I for the first time ever felt like the nerd in class I thought I would never be. Anytime a question was presented I couldn’t help but shoot my hand to the sky, it wasn’t about impressing my colleagues or teachers I was simply impressing myself that I already had absorbed so much knowledge in the previous years, which made it a lot easier for me to stay calm and not get overwhelmed which I think happens more often than not for most. Having a teacher that was so alignment based and clear with instructions and taking her classes daily sometimes more than one all of those cues, and gentle reminders were engraved into my brain.
After three beautiful months in India, it was time to leave. Three months, gone just like that in a blink of an eye, I wasn’t ready at all, I felt there was so much more I wanted to learn, not because the courses lacked but because of the vastness of Yoga. I am still ITCHING to get back there but I know when the time is right it will unfold. Until that day comes, it’s constant self-study, self-practice, and patience. Luckily for me, my teachers are just a WhatsApp away so any time I have a question I can always reach out!
There were good and bad moments during those three months but guess what? I wouldn’t trade that experience for the WORLD, I’m not saying everyone’s story should be like this, I think everyone should write their own, sure ask others about their TTC and experience gather information. But do what suits you. Because if you try to copy someones else’s story you’ll miss the mark for those life-changing bone shaking moments because it’s not true to you, it’s true to someone else. I didn’t choose India because of Eat.Pray.Love I actually didn’t even read the book until my flight to India and I’ve STILL never watched the movie. I chose India because I wanted to learn from the people whose ancestors came from this type of living, I wanted true eastern philosophy, I wanted to try being in a city for three months that didn’t sell alcohol or meat, encouraging me to live a more sattvic (pure) lifestyle.
So that’s exactly what I did…
Curious to hear more about what living in India was like for three months?
Stay tuned…
Until next time readers!
Author: Laken Badle