Monday Musings: YQTT

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Greetings, YoGeeks! JustiniYogini here with our very first Monday Musings blog post!

With the start of the new year comes the desire for new beginnings. Perhaps you’ve been considering deepening your own yoga practice or even wanting to teach others. Taking part in a yoga teacher training program is no small decision. It is a significant investment in both a time and money. If you’re interested but fearful, you’re certainly not alone. We are very proud of the YogaQuest Teacher Training (YQTT) that we’ve created, which now includes our Yogiography™ training/certification focusing on the use of narratives with yoga. I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about our training program so that you can decide if it might be the next step that you’re looking for in your self care journey.

As featured in Yoga International, our 2017 YQTT offers you the following:

  • Four 5-day modules to allow for out-of-town trainees to attend (some accommodations may be arranged with local yogis)
  • A body-positive and culturally-sensitive environment where you will learn how to adapt poses for the practitioner, not the other way around
  • Trauma-sensitive instruction taught by our lead trainer who is both a yogi and a psychotherapist (that’s me)
  • In-depth discussions around the power of language used in yoga to create a welcoming, rather than an exclusionary environment for your students
  • Extensive time spent on the ethics of yoga teaching and meaningful discourse around the responsibilities of yoga teachers

And that’s really just the beginning.

But Justini, I still have questions! Of course you do. Let me see if I can address at least two of them. The two biggest questions that I am asked by prospective trainees is:

  1. Why is it so expensive?
  2. Why do I need 200 hours of training to teach yoga?!

The answer to the first question, is that yes, it is expensive, but also, you are getting a lot out of that investment. Let me explain. It’s a 200 hour training, so at $3000, that is $15/hour to work with highly trained and respected professionals (again, that’s me and my band of yogic helpers). In our 2017 training, the Yogiography™ certification is included in that amount and we also offer a discount for the full amount to be paid up-front. If paying up front isn’t feasible, we will work with you to find a payment plan that fits your life - seriously. So yes, it is a lot of money, and yes you are getting an awful lot out of it!

Why 200 hour trainings? People sometimes tell me that they've taken yoga classes from someone who hasn't been through a 200 hour training; not all facilities require it. But I firmly believe that 200 hour trainings are a minimum requirement for teaching yoga. There is so much to know and understand, both about the practice and about ourselves that this training is only just the beginning of a lifetime of learning. And training with a school registered with the Yoga Alliance (the credentialing organization for yoga teachers/schools) allows you to become registered yourself (you get to add that RYT designation after your name). It is my opinion that it is vital to work with instructors who are registered with the Yoga Alliance, proving that they have had the minimum of 200 hours of training.

If you are curious, but still feeling fearful, please reach out to me; I would love to walk you through what teacher training looks like or connect you with one of our graduates who can tell you first-hand what the experience is like. And as I mentioned, I’m more than happy to arrange payment plans.

We are obviously biased in loving our training, so don’t take our word for it. We asked some of our previous graduates what they had to say about our training.

“I would not have wanted to get my teacher training anywhere else. YogaQuest Mpls is the most inclusive, non-judgmental, and accepting yoga studio at which I have ever practiced. I am so grateful for my experience there.”
“There is a strong focus on body positivity, inclusive language, ethics, and finding your own authentic teaching voice, rather than attempting to fit any rigid external image of what a yoga teacher should be... I could not imagine completing my RYT-200 with any other studio!”
“YogaQuest YTT delivered a training beyond my expectations.”
“As more time passes since YogaQuest YTT I can see how it helps guide my future decisions in a positive way. It has been empowering personally and professionally.”

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about our YogaQuest Teacher Training! Nerdmaste!