200 Hour Teachers Training: A Rose By The Same Name May Not Smell As Sweet.

My dear friend, Ali Valdez, and I lead annual teachers trainings, and our next 200 hour starts in April.  There is still a few days to make the early registration cut off, and I thought it might be useful to hear from Ali on the topic of the ubiquitous nature of 200 hour programs and why we think ours is the choice for yogis who are serious about the practice and teaching.

Here's what Ali has to say...

Teacher Training 2013 is coming up rapidly. As teachers who teach throughout Seattle and the Eastside, as well as conduct workshops all over the country, it is incredible to see how many studios offer "teacher trainings." In fact, which one doesn't?

But what is a teacher training and the philosophy behind creating a great teacher and creating a great yogi?

A great yogi has to have the discipline to do the daily practice. Period. No excuses. But a great yoga teacher should hold themselves to the same standards. It does not make sense to aspire to be a teacher of yoga, and not actually do yoga. If you were a college professor in a topic such as English Literature, but never felt like reading, nor enjoyed literary criticism or analysis, over time, the law of diminishing returns sets in. The quality of the teaching will disintegrate because what you are delivering to your students ceases to be a gift from the heart, developed and nurtured within, but more like a product, one of thousands available on a shelf.

A great yogi by design, per Hatha Yoga Pradipika, is not necessarily inclined to 'reach out' and be connecting with the world. A great yoga teacher, however, has no choice. The desire to teach requires some level of accessibility, vulnerability and servitude. How does one teach those skills adequately?

One thing that I love about yoga is the eight limbs: all of them. They provide a true life long path for spiritual growth and self realization. They are the backbone also on how and what to teach. The cornerstone of a solid practice transcends merely the physical aspects; after all, we are profound and lovely spiritual beings. The path is not straight, very long, and often times cluttered by the weeds of vritti (fluctuation of the mind) and klesha (afflictions or sufferings), but it is a glorious path nonetheless. Having spent some time entrenching oneself into the signature of each of the limbs brings dimension and richness to the overall development of your being. Teaching from that place can pack an inspirational punch.

The spectrum of eight limbs is not for everybody coming into a teacher training, day one, all at one time. The connection between student and the teacher should be one that can layer themes, build on ideas gradually then play them out in one's own life and yoga practice. Working with their teacher who faciliates showing how all the factors are woven together, and should withstand the test of time, especially a time so fleeting as 200 hours.

It is my hope that together we can mindfully create a community of great yogi yoga teachers, and through our experiences do our best to truly walk the walk and bring the fruits of our journey to the program.

It is my hope you will join us and the different yoga studios that will be participating this year, to experience the essence of the heart of yoga in a complete way, offering up the right tools in the right way for your development, inspired yogi, or aspiring yogi yoga teacher.

There is only one two hundred hour program available this year in Washington state, and it starts April 12th. Early registration ends February 1st.

More information can be found at www.sattvayogaonline.com/teacher-training/power-vinyasa or info@sattvayogaonline.com. 

(You can check out our Kids' Teachers Training here: http://sattvayogaonline.com/teacher-training/kids-yoga/)