At a crossroads in your yoga life, not knowing whether to advance with self-practice or go for a yoga teacher training? You are not the only one.
With a dozen types of yoga courses mushrooming at hundreds of exquisite locations on the planet, it is difficult to understand what such courses are truly worth and how to choose. While you will never be at a dearth for options, deep introspection is needed to decide which one will better work for your yogic advancement—teacher training with all the nuances of a professional yoga career covered or deeper self-practice with minimal outside intervention.
Even if you are sure you will never be teaching yoga professionally and can’t care less about the certificate, the following reasons for taking a Yoga TTC in India cannot be ruled out:
Brings Organization and Consistency in Practice
All of us know the best formula to have success in a pursuit- to dedicate more time and energy into it. But as goes reality versus ideal, a lot of factors come into play, derailing our dedication and commitment. It could be general busyness, lack of energy, or lack of motivation. So, even if your heart is in place about intensifying your yoga journey, in actuality the failure could be frustrating.
At such a juncture, if you have made up your mind to sign up for a Yoga and Ayurveda combined internationally certified yoga teacher training in Kerala, the rewards will come in plenty your way. Kerala is not only a place of heavenly beauty and peace but also a great place to learn Ayurveda- the ancient medicine and cure practice of India which still thrives among the traditional practitioners of Kerala. There will be a whole class of dedicated yogis to learn with, sparking enough motivation. The class structures will allow you enough leeway for relaxation in between rigorous training sessions. The food at the house will be according to Ayurvedic prescription—balanced and full of nourishment. It will be just the perfect plan to keep you nourished and inspired throughout your strife.
Philosophy Takes Center Stage
Before you are attending classes at training of yoga in India, you wouldn’t know what you had been missing. While the world follows yoga as a physical exercise fad, much is compromised of its philosophical bearings. Yoga, rooted in the Vedanta belief system of holism and soul’s freedom is only reflective of the same in its asanas.
At a yoga teacher training, you will get the opportunity to acquaint with the philosophy at its roots. The course module of philosophy includes the history and evolution of yoga, symbology and idea of holism imbibed in each and every posture, the notion of unity or yuj that dominates the spirit of yoga, and several allegories from the Vedas and Upanishad to illustrate yoga teachings profoundly.
While to be present at drop-in yoga sessions only allows you to have a sprinkling of philosophy here and there, completing an internationally certified yoga teacher training in India will open up new avenues of thought in your philosophical understanding of yoga.
Intellectual Stimulation with Textual Studies
Unlike a skin deep engagement with yoga in short term courses, yoga teacher training of a month-long commitment will allow you to explore a number of texts from the ancient canon. As long as you are attending an internationally certified yoga teacher training in Kerala, where lies the ancient seat of this traditional learning, you will have the most respected of Indian teachers to learn from.
Unlike in other parts of the world, where Sanskrit- the language of canonical yoga texts is a lost knowledge, the learned masters who are well versed in the language will convey the message of the ancient texts most lucidly.
The great sage Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and modern commentaries upon the same is a primary textual reading to look forward to. The library, digital sources, and pre-course reading list will give you enough to start your intellectual absorption.
A Community of Yogic Minded People
We wish you a happy yoga journey with people of the same wave length. At any 200 or 300 hour yoga teacher training in India, you are likely to find more focused people than in any hourly joint. While in short time classes, people sign in only for some fun and taste of the subject, teacher training courses attract more serious learners.
As you learn and grow with these yogic minded people, you will become a part of the larger community of true yoga enthusiasts. It is not surprising that opportunities to teach and explore yoga in collaboration open up after attending training like that.
To earn lifelong friendships that make your days more meaningful is the greater reason to attend a 500 hour YTTC in Kerala.
Now you know why yoga teaching as a profession could not be the only ticket to a comprehensive YTTC. Go for it if the joys of structuring and enriching your practice are your primary motivation.
