how to prepare for teacher training - physically
This is a 3-part series in how to properly prepare for yoga teacher training
Learning how to teach is both transformative and empowering; a gift that will continue to bless your life for years to come. While your first official day of training might be several weeks or several months away, that doesn’t mean your training hasn’t already started. In fact, as practitioners of yoga, we are always in training. The “before, during and after” are equally important, and as teachers we never stop learning.
There are several stages to the preparation for a teacher training – physical, mental and practical (logistics!). In today’s blog we are going to discuss how you can best prepare your physical body for training. There are several key steps you can take to ease the transition and optimize the benefits from your daily life into daily training.
Get your zzzzs
You are likely familiar with the benefits of sleep. They are endless! Well, once training begins, the demands on your body can be high and quality rest is of utmost importance. You will be practicing every day and sometimes twice per day! You’ll be participating in lectures, studying and communing with other students and practicing teaching. The days will be long, filled with excitement, inspiration and sometimes feel challenging. Therefore, arriving exhausted and stressed to your training will prove challenging and unproductive.
In order to stay sharp and get the most out of your time, it’s important that you’re well rested and well nourished. But that can’t happen overnight! You want to start the process before you arrive to training, in the weeks leading up to your first day.
At least 2 weeks prior to training, we recommend that you make a good night’s sleep your top priority (7-8 hours nightly) and begin reducing the amount of unnecessary stress in your life. We also recommend that you arrive to your training location 1-2 days early (unless you live locally) so you have time to acclimate to the change of environment.
2. Eat clean
At evolation yoga, we provide a fresh vegetarian menu for our students. For those who already follow a vegetarian or vegan diet, this is no problem. For other students, this shift to a healthier, more cleansing diet can be a challenge! Regardless of where you’re starting from, we recommend that you begin the process of detox and clean-up at least 2-4 weeks prior to the start of training. Our recommendations include:
Eliminating processed foods
Eliminating caffeine, sodas and other stimulants
Reducing or eliminating meat altogether
Increasing the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables
Drinking plenty of water
Begin a daily practice
During the training our students take 1-2 classes every day. This allows them to become intimately familiar with the sequence and observe different teaching styles. On top of that, students are practicing isolated postures outside of class as part of the teaching curriculum. That is a lot of yoga! If you’re not already practicing yoga on a daily basis, we highly recommend that you start. This may not look like a full 90-min class for you, but even 20-30 minutes of yoga done at home can make the transition into a daily training practice much smoother. Again, the goal is to create a smooth transition between your daily home life and your training life. We want you to be successful!
While your first official day of training might be several weeks or several months away, that doesn’t mean your training hasn’t already started. In fact, your training begins as soon as you sign up! Start with the suggested steps in this article, and you’ll be off to a great start.
In part 2 of this series we will discuss how to best prepare your mental body – the mind – for training.
Allison Antoinette
Allison Antoinett is the newest addition to evolation yoga with a background in Ashtanga and Kundalini yoga alongside holistic nutrition. er inquisitive brai inds joy in Eastern traditions and looks to help improve a quality of life for all.