Where and why should i do my 200h-YTT
You can think about many reasons why one would start following a YTT (Yoga Teacher Training). Whether it is to become an actual yoga teacher, deepening your yoga practice or making it safer, build your confidence or explore your spirituality.
Going straight to the point, do you think following a YTT is important if you want to explore or develop yourself with a yogic mentality? My answer is a big YES.
And not anywhere and everywhere… A lot of Yoga Shala have emerged here and there around the globe these days and has become a huge market, not always for the best.
N.B. You can also do a 100h YTT, a 300h (preceded by a 200h) making it a 500h.
India for a YTT
Each and everyone of us will have different perceptions on what’s being given to us, but I’d say that India is probably the safest bet. You’ll come across some beautiful places in Bali and Costa Rica, but you must not forget that Yoga initially came from India; there is where it all started, so why skip the roots?
Where in India should I go? If you do not know already, India is a very big country with very different types of climate, food, energies, etc depending on which part you go to. If you go from December to April, the south will be very hot while the North will be freezing cold. Conversely, in the following months it will be raining season in the South and sunny and warm in the North.
There are renowned places in India to go to do your training. Those places are most commonly known as Rishikesh, Goa and Mysore (Ashtanga). I recommend going to Varkala in the Kerala region. It is not without tourists but it is definitely not as crowded and worn as the other places mentioned above (minus Mysore). That said, you have the whole of India to explore to find YOUR perfect spot.
👉🏻 Read more about Varkala here
what to look for and avoid when searching for a ytt
Privilege places which state specifically the type of Yoga you will practice, and avoid those that are too general. As a matter of example, a good place will offer up to two types of yoga, some theoretical lessons and meditation at night.
Look at their typical weekly schedule. Does it seem like you’ll be doing and learning enough? Does it look like everything that is written is possible to do in a month?
Always read previous reviews with a critical mind
Please don’t be too seduced by the rooms. First of all it will probably cost a hell of a lot of money, but also, you are not going there for that. You need a good schedule, good teachers, enough nourishing foods to help you through the day, etc…. Of course avoid any type of rundown places, but find a good balance between fancy, good looking and pleasant.
Online or on-site? Definitely on-site, there is no question about it! Although you may find some good online courses it will never, ever be as near as good as you being physically present. If you really cannot leave your home for some reason then postpone it.
Most importantly feel the place and follow your intuition even if you’ve never been there before. Once you’ve been seduced by a school, open google maps and start looking around. Do you think you’ll feel at peace and secure? See if you can project yourself there.
My experience
Link to 👉🏻 Devvrat Yoga Shala
This place has highly participated in my healing journey. It helped me show certain aspects of myself I still needed help to perceive. Everyone will have a different journey, a different perspective, a different feeling, … that is why I don’t want to share too much, so you don’t have expectations that are not aligning with what you need. But what I want to say is, wherever you go, give 100% of yourself, take what is given and give it back your way, let yourself show itself without shame. And if giving yourself 100% means you need to stop before the end or conversely extend your stay, let it be. Take this opportunity to know yourself even better than how you do right now.
Everyone has their own journey to follow, and grow from it. There is always something to be learnt about yourself, others, and the world we are living in.
The result
Today, I am happy to say that I am officially a Yoga teacher. I gained confidence and trust in myself to do it as a little side job, which will eventually, I hope, be more than little :)
Side note: It is not after 200 hours that you will be mastering Yoga. You need to maintain the rythm by practicing everyday, even if it is doing one sun salutation, but you need to get on that mat. Expand your knowledge and critical thought by reading books related to self development - acceptance and realization, spirituality, emotional intelligence, yoga anatomy, ego, etc. Here are some book recommendations:
The way forward - Yung Pueblo
Light on yoga - B.K.S Yiengar
Karma - Sadhguru
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
This is a link to my Youtube videos if you ever want to have a look 👉🏻 YogaWithLeila
I also give 1:1 or group lessons up to 4 people.
Let’s keep in touch on Instagram shall we? 👇🏻