I am Alina, and this is my 4-week yoga teacher training diary series, which I want to share with you over the next month. Having practiced Yoga for five years, I decided to dive even deeper into the powerful world of Asfivenas and join an RYT 200 TT with Routes of Yoga . Find out everything about the amazing progress I made, the doubts I had, and the emotions that came up during class — I put it all in this diary for you!
This is why I chose Routes of Yoga among all other teacher trainings:
The program includes a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Certified Training led by Anton Jager and Daphne Charles.
It focuses on the common routes in Yoga. It is very beneficial to learn about the origins of all these yoga styles and what they share in common.
A beautiful location in Ubud on Bali, with a retreat-style program.
The program is very well structured and covers all the major styles of Yoga in practice and theory.
Each participant receives a complete teacher training course manual/workbook.
The friendly emails I received from Anton and Daphne before my booking were great.
This Yoga Teacher Training takes place in a stunning location: a spa, saline pool, and Balinese-style accommodation, all surrounded by lush rice terraces and palm trees.
Finally, Paradise is Here!
I arrived at The Shala after a five-minute drive through rice fields. This will be my temporary home for 23 intense days. Palms and friendly staff surround the Shala and greet me with an energizing ginger drink.
Daphne, our teacher, and Anton welcome us warmly to “our” Shala. It is a well-equipped room with a view of rice fields and palm trees. They explain the program to us and outline the next four weeks. The training program has a very good outline. The training program is very well-structured. It consists of lectures, workshops, and teaching sessions that build on each other, making it easier for us to understand and follow. After the welcome, our first practice is a Vinyasa flow. I can’t wait to see more!
Tuning into the Rhythm
The schedule is very tight. We start at 7 am with a 90 to 120 minute class followed by an hour-long breakfast break at the Sh120-minuteThe. The Shala Cafe offers a wide variety of options, including fresh fruit salads.
The first week lays the foundations of each module, including History, Asanas and Anatomy. The course will cover how to teach later so we can have more time to digest and simmer these concepts.
We discussed the transition from asana to meditation and the mind in theory class. This was a subject we had to study because it is our responsibility to help students connect physical postures with mindfulness.
It’s fascinating to learn what Yoga is and how it works.
Connecting with the place and the people
Our group is diverse, ranging in age from 21-60, and we come from many different countries, including Russia, USA, Germany, and Singapore. We paired up for our first exercise. By touching our palms, we led each other around the room. I realized that even if you don’t speak a single word, you can still connect with someone you barely know. It was a beautiful experience.
Build Strength: “Work Towards Your Borders
Daphne’s 110-minute class was a vigorous and hot morning that included lots of muscle-building. I was so excited to eat a big breakfast! Daphne said: “In Yoga, we always move towards our border without ever intending to touch it or even cross. Never push yourself to the limit! We should work toward it. Use the breath to create space, and maybe the border will move a little bit further.
It’s easy to forget that the right alignment and modifications are more important than pushing to achieve full expression, which can lead to injury.
We shared our experience later that day after our first Yin Yoga class with Daphne. As the sun began to set, we calmed ourselves down instinctively. Then we spoiled ourselves by getting a traditional Balinese Massage. Highly recommended!
Asana Workshop: Our Foundation
In the first Asana workshop, we were taught about poses in detail. We then practiced these poses in order to observe and experience them, as well as learn how to sequence the poses into different styles, such Hatha, Vinyasa or calming Yin Yoga.
We discussed in the Asana Lab that being an archer does not mean you need to be able to perform every pose. You must observe your students and know their bodies.
It is encouraging to know that it’s a good sign if at first you struggle to do certain poses. You’ll then already have the set, ps, and cues you need to help you, and you can pass that on to your students. At that moment, however, I felt so distant from teaching. I find it overwhelming to imagine how I will be able to teach a class properly in just three weeks. I continue to focus on the task at hand, one step at a given time.
The way the program builds up each day makes you feel like it was designed. It’s awesome!
Getting Our Om On
Daphne leads us in a Mantra Chanting Practice for the last activity of this week. The chanting is hard to keep up with (my mouth got dry) but the feeling you get from the vibrations and the sense of community within the group makes it worth it.
Tomorrow, we have our first day of vacation. I’m looking forward to enjoying the beautiful surroundings and sleeping in them, of course.
Enjoy the next three weeks as I share what we learned, the way we practiced, and the fun that we had!
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