The changing face of Yoga Teacher Trainings
Updated: Mar 2, 2019
A yogi from the 15th century would hardly recognise what we nowadays call a Yoga Teacher Training in the West.
The tradition was to be with a teacher for as long as the teacher thought you needed instructions. In Krishnamacharya's case it was 7 years and he was already highly accomplished when he met his teacher in Mount Kailash at the end of the 18th century.
These days you can “become a Yoga Teacher” sometimes within 12 days of face to face teachings and then some homework or I heard of even pure home study courses were you get your certificate by E-mail.
Yoga Teacher Trainings have become big business
There are many big Yoga schools now who teach continues training all through the year and pump out hundreds of Yoga teachers. With this mass commercialisation of Yoga, naturally comes a drop in quality. Betty and me taught in hundreds of TTCs and I assisted in at least 12 different Yoga Teacher Training.
Over the years we observed that the teachers of these trainings became less and less experienced. Sometimes they had just finished a 200 hours training and then taught in the next one. Or even worse, they just finished a 500 hours advanced TTC and then became head teachers in a new training.
I don't want to put down the whole yoga movement. There are some trainings that don't follow the trend, like Iyengar or Satchananda trainings and a few others. But in what business can you study a few weeks or less and then become a teacher in that field?
A Yoga Teacher Training is so much more than just stretching and using Sanskrit names! It is the oldest established spiritual path, brought to us by many thousands of saints and enlightened people up to this day.
Can we change the trend?
Unfortunately, not really. As I see this, there will be many people who will enjoy the stretching and never will discover the deeper hidden treasures that lay under the umbrella of Yoga. On the other hand there will be the very few who will discover the promises that Yoga offers us: Moksha - freedom.
My aim is to help students to discover the wisdom and knowledge that Yoga teaches us to this very day. Great if you can reach your toes, but Yoga is teaching us as well, who the being is that touches the toes.
Namaste to you all,
Pujan
How we make things differently?
After many year of teaching, we strive to do things differently, better and special. Therefore we created our own TTCs on the beautiful island of Koh Phangan. Learn all about the TTC program our stunning location on the beach, the boutique style accommodation and what will make it a really special experience for you.
» More information about the 300 hour TTC in July 2019.