4 Reasons to Consider a Yoga Training Program
Graduates/new friends from the Fall 2023 Baker Street Yoga 200 Hour Yoga Training Program.
One of your many rites of passage as a yoga student is to be inundated by studio announcements about a yoga teacher training, or a yoga training program (YTP) as we call it at Baker Street Yoga (BSY). So, why would someone spend a couple hundred hours in a YTP? Well, lots of reasons. So, let’s clarify them before you drop $600 on a deposit.
Some people sign up for the BSY 200 Hour Yoga Training Program because they want to teach yoga classes. Some folks want to master a particular yoga pose, like Handstand or Pigeon. But most yoga students enroll in YTP looking simply for a change—in the way they practice yoga, in their self-image, in their relationships, in their work. If you’re already thinking about enrolling in a 200-hour yoga teacher training, look no further: Our next session begins March 15, 2024, right here at our local yoga studio in Maplewood, NJ.
And if you’re on the fence about joining the BSY 200 Hour Yoga Training Program, no worries. We’ve all been there. Keep reading 4 Reasons to Consider a Yoga Training Program, which includes a free tip to try next time you practice Mountain Pose (tadasana)!
1. You Want to Teach Accessible, Inclusive Yoga Classes
If you wish to become a yoga teacher, you must graduate from a 200-hour yoga teacher training certified by the Yoga Alliance. It’s an obvious but nonetheless valid reason to enroll in the BSY 200 Hour YTP. But you should sign up with the understanding that yoga is about more than just mastery of the poses. Being a flexible yoga student doesn’t predict you’ll be a successful yoga teacher.
The BSY 200 Hour YTP trainers—Michael Simpson, Kristen Brunello and Matthew Dwyer—hope to make yoga more accessible to and inclusive of typically underserved communities. They aim to graduate you on time and provide you with the tools to teach safe, sensible and satisfying yoga classes. As soon as the first week, you’ll learn and practice-teach warm-up sequences like Kristen’s signature Warm Up #1, Sun Salutations and more. After four months, you’ll feel confident and well-prepared to ace the final exam, teach your first public yoga class, and audition at local yoga studios like ours, Three Birds Yoga Studio in South Orange or Powerflow Yoga in Livingston. (Okay, we’re lying. You’ll likely feel scared shitless to teach your first yoga class, but we promise you’ll be ready.)
When your YTP endgame is to teach group or private yoga classes, the teacher with whom you study matters. In fact, your teacher’s teacher matters. Invest in yoga teachers who’ve taught for at least 10 years; who’ve been inducted into a reputable, verifiable lineage; and whose popularity is based on education and experience rather than personality or social following.
Read praise for Michael, Kristen and Matthew on Yoga Alliance.
2. Yoga Helps You to Relax, De-Stress and Be More Present
Much of the BSY 200 Hour YTP centers on teaching methodology. The exercises practiced help people to find their voice and develop clear, concise communication skills. But these lessons also provide a framework for understanding yoga philosophy in the context of everyday life.
Patanjali, the author of the Yoga Sutras, noted that yoga in action is discipline, self-study and detachment from the results of one’s work. He didn’t write that yoga in action means holding Plank Pose for five minutes or touching your toes easily. People unfamiliar with yoga often steer away from classes because of the cultural perception that yoga requires flexibility. But anyone who has relaxed deeply in a well-supported, 15-minute Corpse Pose (savasana) knows that yoga empowers people mentally as much as it does physically. As your body lets go of effort and tension, your consciousness expands. You witness yourself from a higher vantage point and see life from a different perspective.
During the BSY 200 Hour YTP, you’ll practice techniques the trainers learned from teachers like Coby Kozlowski, Jillian Pransky, David Harshada Wagner, Alan Finger and more. (Try Jillian Pransky’s Sand Timer Meditation now.) You’ll learn meditations that are simple enough to use in bed, in your backyard or before a board meeting. In other words, you’ll incorporate meditation into your daily life. Your studies of yoga philosophy, Ayurveda, Tantra, Bhakti Yoga and the nervous system will inform you with the knowledge and tools to set the conditions necessary for profound healing and relaxation.
3. You Want to Nerd Out About Yoga with New Friends
Upon completion of the BSY 200 Hour YTP, your most meaningful reward isn’t the teaching certificate; it’s the close-knit bonds you’ll have formed with your fellow comrades. Let’s be honest: Making new friends as an adult can be challenging. Most of us meet people through our work, or our partners, or a child’s school. We often make friends via social proximity and rarely via a shared passion like yoga.
The desire to share with other people that which you find interesting is human nature. We’re social creatures. But not everyone in your life will be as enthusiastic about yoga as you are, and that’s okay. If you wish to expand your social circle, a yoga training program may be a good place to start. After all, there’s nothing quite like taking a Saturday morning yoga class with friends and heading to brunch.
The graduates from the Fall 2023 BSY 200 Hour YTP have been teaching free yoga classes on select Fridays at 7 pm. To watch them support each other beyond YTP has been such a pleasure. They all recently got together at Blake’s house for some pizza, games and a little gossip. :)
4. You Feel Stuck in Certain Yoga Poses
YTP changes the way you practice yoga poses. Discover how to personalize each pose to meet your unique needs and stop struggling against yourself so much. You’ll dive deeply into anatomy and take away key highlights that sharpen your discernment while attending other yoga teachers’ classes. The popularity of yoga has skyrocketed recently, and there isn’t a strong regulatory body in place to ensure high standards and control yoga quality. Yoga students trust implicitly their teachers will continue their education of best yoga practices, but the reality is that many don’t train formally beyond their initial 200-hour yoga teacher training. This leads to contradictory cueing from popular teachers, creating confusion throughout the yoga community.
In YTP, you’ll ponder questions like, “Should I tuck or ‘lengthen’ my tailbone while in a standing posture?” The answer, for most people, is no. Your spinal column is a series of curves not a straight line. In a standing position, the lumbar spine (lower back) expresses a lordotic (concave) curve. This helps the lumbar spine to bear the upper body’s weight efficiently. When a person tucks their tailbone while standing, the sacrum is in a vertical position. This diminishes the lumbar curve. Over time, this flattening of the lumbar curve in standing positions may weaken the lower back muscles; cause the abdominal muscles to over-tense; impact the health of the intervertebral discs; and inhibit the vertical movement of the diaphragm.
Pro-Tip: Next time you practice tadasana, notice how the position of your tailbone affects the curves of your spine. When you practice tadasana with the normal spinal curves intact, you’ll notice your sacrum is not vertical; the top leans ever-so-slightly forward (anteriorly). Thus, most yoga students will not benefit from tucking or “lengthening” their tailbone while standing upright.
YTP Isn’t the Only Way to Study Yoga—But It’s an Effective One
So, there you have it: 4 Reasons to Consider a Yoga Training Program. Now just because you love yoga doesn’t mean you have to teach yoga. There are plenty of other ways to enhance your studies—YouTube, BSY workshops, yoga retreats, yoga books and more. 60- and 75-minute yoga classes are an accessible way for students to maintain their personal practice. But without the foundation built from the formal study of yoga, taking yoga classes regularly is like eating crumbs and calling it a meal. You taste the subtle flavors, but you’re unlikely to feel fully satisfied.
The next BSY 200 Hour YTP starts March 15, 2024. If you’re on the fence about enrolling, spend a few moments imagining the million different ways the dream could manifest before your mind says no. When you feel ready to commit, reach out to us via email with any concerns about scheduling, finances or readiness. We’re here to help.