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What do you actually do in Bend’s yoga teacher training program?

July 27, 2016
by Joanne Pettit-Myers
0 Comment

After facilitating four yoga teacher training programs I have watched many people come in with mixed ideas about what they are going to learn and what the program is all about. It’s not an easy process. Some of the feedback has been like this:

• I thought we’d be doing a lot of yoga classes
• I thought I would get a six-pack
• I thought I would get better at my arm-balancing

Well… you CAN take a lot of classes so you may get a six-pack and your arm balancing may improve. But the training is what you make of it. These things happen based on what you want to do. You can take as many yoga classes as you like – but we don’t do many classes in the lecture parts of it. You have unlimited access to the studio during the program… The progress that you make physically is up to you… But honestly – being a yoga teacher is not about what happens to our bodies.

What does yoga teacher training really do then if it’s not a bunch of yoga classes..? I hope this can clarify some of it:

1. There is a lot of sitting and listening… And hopefully note taking. There is a lot of me talking… I catch myself and limit my tangents, but there is a lot to say.
2. There is a lot of practice teaching. So we pick poses and go over them one by one and you practice teach them in groups.
3. Then you teach to the group. I try on day 1 to get people up and teaching. It’s the best way to just do it. Get the mistakes out and get ready for a wild ride of fumbling through an entirely new language.
4. The reading that you have to do is not a lot – but the more you read the better.
5. You learn A LOT. I’m not just talking about yoga… but about the body, body parts, the mind, history, how to TEACH, how to listen… and here’s the kicker… ABOUT YOURSELF.
6. You learn that there isn’t “one yoga”. There isn’t a best practice. We are all just trying to figure ourselves out…
7. The self study is practicing TEACHING. So, you want to set aside 10-15 minutes every day to go over a pose or two and not just doing the pose, but teaching the pose.
8. This is a program where you meet friends that you may keep for life. Seriously. I love watching friendships grow here…
9. At the end of the training… trust me… if you do the work and practice you will be an excellent yoga teacher. I see it happen. I have seen in happen to people who didn’t believe it would happen. This is a proven method.

About the Author
Joanne has been practicing yoga for almost 20 years and teaching since 2005. She did her initial Hatha teacher training in Vancouver at Prana Yoga Teacher College with shakti mhi. Joanne then moved on to travel to India where she trained in the Ashtanga practice and Yoga Therapies in Mysore. Joanne continues to take workshops and study yoga philosophy and meditation, most recently studying with Sadie Nardini and her Core Strength Vinyasa Flow style... Read More
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Testimonials

Joanne – my elbow feels 100x better!!  I woke up this morning and I could straighten it with no pain or hesitation.  This is amazing.  You are amazing!  This is the first time in 8 months where I am pain free.  I want to cry.  I wasn’t even expecting you to treat my elbow when I came in – I was just thinking I was getting a massage.
Christine - Thai Massage Client
Joanne, I really loved the yoga/kettlebell class. I have taken kettlebell classes in the past however your instructions and reminders with each exercise were so helpful that I feel I got so much more out of the class; and my tired muscles the next day confirmed it. The combination of yoga and a kettlebell workout, to add some greater conditioning, is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks Joanne!
Luanne Kendall
Hi Joanne! I just wanted to say how much I love attending your classes. My mood is always 100% better when I leave. It’s awesome!
Renee Perreault
Can’t believe I have been going for two months and I learn something new about my body every day. Joanne is amazing!
Melissa Macnabb
My back has not felt this good in at least 2 years.  My golf swing is awesome.  I can actually follow through and I love you!
Diane Sauve
It is because of you and your “no judgement”, that I now do yoga – I never liked it before I went to a class with you.  Thank you Joanne!
Brooke Cranston
Fantastic class.  I loved every bit of it.  The moves, the music and your words.  I can’t believe that there is always something new after all of this time.  Thank you so much.
Jenny Mazur

Bend Yoga Studios, Dundas, ON
289-788-8800 • joanne@bendyoga.ca