My Yoga Teacher Training and what yoga really means for me

Why my Life is Yoga  

In this blog article I’d like to tell you in more depth about my yoga teacher training, answer your questions and share a few things which I think everybody could profit of.

21 days, 21 nights and countless experiences. For quite a while I had the idea in my head to do a yoga teacher training. But due to my improvable planning skills, I booked it just 2 weeks in advance ☺. Do you know that feeling? You have an idea, you want something badly, but from some point onwards you just don’t plan it because you neeever know if something else turns up in the last minute ☺. This “non-willingness to decide on things” is a typical attribute of one of the dosha by the way. More about that later. I practically feel this way all the time. I know what I want to do, however not exactly when and where. A few basics have to be fulfilled and then I decide quite spontaneously more or less in the last minute (sometimes it also is “last hour”, so your friends can cope with it :D). One might want to call this a creative artist-chaos.

This time it was exactly the same again, and again a wonderful experience.

My yoga travels started 3,5 years ago in a fitness center. Starting with this fitness yoga I got to the “actual yoga” after a while. In California I tested my way through several different styles, then needed to take a break and started again in Berlin, flowing through the yoga studios.

My first yoga class by the way was what I would call a “lucky accident”. Well, I found the studio, but thinking that I’m joining a HIIT class I ended up in yoga, wondering about the flowing movements. Instead of a zick-zacking pulse, the pulse rose and sank just slowly and smoothly. In the end this class was sooo good (at that point I didn’t actually realize how lucky I was with this teacher), that from there on I went to all of his courses.

The more yoga I practised, the more it became a kind of meditation for me. A flow through asanas, delivering me the balance I badly needed. Usually I don’t downtimes very often, so probably that’s why I love yoga so much ☺. At the time I’m doing yoga, I’m right there and only there in this present moment. And that’s freedom.

You don’t look at the others, what they do and what else is happening in one’s surrounding, you don’t think of what was yesterday or what’s going to be tomorrow. You are just with yourself, within this one moment, within your own being.

Once you experience this feeling the first time, it can get addictive. At least I felt this way. In the end this led to my decision; I’ll do a yoga teacher training.

My Yoga Teacher Training on Mallorca for a multi-style teacher: 04/23/2018 – 05/13/2018

The training lasted 21 days (200 hours) and already at the first day I learned what yoga really is. I’m saying that now. In 2 years probably I’ll look back and say, now I know what it really is about ☺.

Yoga is much more than just a sequence of asanas (yoga poses) and physical activity. Yoga means unity, union. All of us are connected, are unified.

Pretty much the first thing I heard the founder of green yoga international saying was „yoga is two hours on the mat and 22 hours off the mat”. And that’s so true. Yoga is breath – Prana – which flows through us, yoga is meditation, yoga is expressing your feelings, yoga is selfless service and devotion. This yoga, where we are physical activ, of which we think usually when we speak about yoga, is just a path potentially leading us to our true nature, a path towards happiness.

4 paths of yoga:

1. Royal Yoga – the classical Yoga like Hatha Yoga and other Asanas
2. Bhakti Yoga – Yoga of Devotion and Love
   Bhakti Yoga is Yoga of our heart. We practice it by expressing our feelings. Singing, dancing, listening, storytelling, love.
3. Jnana Yoga – Yoga of Knowledge
   The knowledge that we experience through stories of wise people, through traveling, through reading. These are insights and wisdoms that we encounter in life and that we can also specifically influence. For example, by entering an environment that gives us these wisdoms.
4. Karma Yoga – Yoga of selfless action
   Karma Yoga is acting without ego, putting back one’s own needs based on actions from which we do not expect anything in return. It can be very simple, for example helping a woman to lift her pram into the train, helping a blind person across the street, buying bread for a beggar.

The goal of the different paths is the synthesis of yoga, bliss the higher-self!

How is the Yoga Teacher Training structured?

• Actually, it’s quite relaxed.
• 7:30 – 8:30 Meditation
• 8:30 – 9:00 Tea + fruit break
• 9:00 – 11:00 Yoga
• 11: 00 – 12:00 Lunch
• 12:00 – 15:06:0 Lessons (anatomy, asanas, history, philosophy)
• 15:00 – 16:30 Tea, Coffee, Cake break
• 16:30 – 18:00 Yoga
• 18:00 – 19:00 Dinner
• 19:00 -20:00 Classes
• 20:00 – open end – study time

How much experience should I bring along?

Some of you would like to do a teacher training, but thinking their experience might not enough. Others asked if it’s challenging enough.

I can safely take away these doubts.

If you are already experienced, you’ll definitely benefit from it. However, you do not necessarily need a lot of experience. It’s not about knowing and doing a lot of complicated Asanas. All you need is you, the believe in yourself. You have it all in yourself, and the rest will be there.

If you already have a lot of experience and see yourself as yogi professional, you will still reach your limits there. There is always one further in yoga, physically as well as psychically. There are over 8,000,000 asanas in total. We practice about 84 asanas and many of them are already inaccessible to most of us.

Why did I choose Green Yoga?

Honestly, that was more of a gut decision. I already told you about my creative chaos:). Actually, I wanted to do my yoga training in India. But since I was in Hawaii shortly before, the flight was too much for me and finally there was my bank account :)). Luckily, I found the cheaper and closer option of the Green Yoga Retreat on Mallorca. An offshoot of India, with Indian and multi-national teachers. I already knew that green yoga is good in India from a friend. The time was right, the place and the price too – so I booked without thinking long. AAANND, all food there is vegan and included.

Which yoga styles do I learn there and why Multi Yoga Teacher?

I decided to do the multistyle training because I like to take out the right things for me from different yoga styles. I love Vinyasa, Hatha, Jivamutki, Ashtanga and especially Acro Yoga. I also learned to love Yin there. You see, I’m struggling a bit to limit myself to certain directions :). I also enjoy Paddle Yoga and Aerial Yoga;).

Our focus in training was on Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga. We had some Yin and Ashtanga classes plus an Acro Yoga workshop and an Aerial workshop. In the evening before going to bed, we sometimes practiced Yoga Nidra. It’s yoga consisting of a single asana, called Savasana (lying on the floor) :)). You literally concentrate on not falling asleep and listen to the words of the yoga teacher to get into your higher consciousness. It’s not quite easy I’d say and approx. only 1% of the participants are succeeding xd.

I would have liked to do even more Acro Yoga and unfortunately we didn’t get a chance to do Paddle Yoga. But I have to admit, with the weather we had, it would have been a clear trembling game :).

Is the multistyle training a good one for me?

If you want to become an Ashtanga Yoga teacher, I would recommend another Teacher Training. Also for Acro Yoga or Aerial Yoga you need a different one or another one on top. For all those who do not want to commit themselves at first, the multistyle training is a wonderful solution.

What do I learn in class?

The theoretical lessons consist mainly of anatomy, yoga asanas, philosophy and history.

You’ll learn the anatomy of humans roughly so you know which muscles are used in which asana. You will get to know the different movements we do in yoga (extension, flexion, rotation, inversion…). You will learn the history of yoga, different breathing techniques and methods to “lock” energy.

Yoga Teacher Training class at a glance:

• Yoga Philosophy – The Basics of Yoga History
• Yoga Physiology – the energetic body
• Yoga Techniques – Asanas, Bandhas, Focus Point, Meditation, Mudras
• Yoga Teaching – Guidelines, Styles, Tools
• Anatomy – Skeleton, Muscles, Connections

What did I like the most?

To feel the power of breath, to experience that there is a solution in yoga for almost every physical or psychological problem. For example, intestinal problems can be treated with different breathing techniques. There are breathing exercises for almost everything, for coping with stress, coping with anxiety, for balance and for more energy. You may know it from yoga, with the focus on the breath, you get a little deeper into the pose with each exhalation.

What does the exam look like?

The examination includes a written and a practical test. The test is easy and makable for everyone who is present in class, takes notes and reads the yoga script that you get there.

The practical examination consists of one lesson and is a lot of fun. Each participant can choose his own style to teach. This means you can get really creative here and e.g. teach Yinyasa, Hathayasa, Yinhatha or like me Acrovinyasa.

Practical Exam – Yoga Teacher Training

Which Dosha am I?

In the introduction I have briefly outlined the different Doshas. Since this Blogpost is way longer than I’ve planned, I would like to refer you to an online test here.

In total there are 3 Doshas and each type of human has all 3. 1-2, are usually more prominent. This is very interesting and says a lot about our personality. If you deal with this topic a bit, you can quickly recognize the different Doshas of your fellow human beings and predict or better understand their certain behaviors :). E.g. not wanting to specify is a typical feature of the air type, Vata.

In order to balance our Dosahas as much as possible, there are various food philosophies tailored to the Doshas plus various breathing exercises, meditations and yoga asanas. Accordingly, we can also influence our Doshas and do not necessarily always have to be the same. Our Dosha is dependend on our diet, the season, the weather and our routine. E.G. a Vata typ can quickly become a Kapha person in cold weather.

Here you can do a Fun-Online Test :).

https://yogainternational.com/article/view/dosha-quiz

My CONCLUSION of doing a yoga teacher training

After the yoga training you feel like another person, in a positive sense. At least that’s how I feel. And I think my feeling doesn’t deceive me and hopefully will last for a while :). Everything I learned there, will be my foundation for what I want to manifest in the future. The three weeks were a lot of fun and an emotional roller coaster. When I look back, I do it with pride and joy.

After being certificated with my sunshine ABI!

YOGA IS NOT to be able to make great poses you’ve seen on Instagram or to stand 1 minute free in the handstand. Yoga IS UNION.