Teacher Training: Inside The Experience

Lauren Nolan is the blogger behind Lake Shore Lady and a longtime CorePower Yoga student from Chicago. When we found out that Lauren wanted to enroll in Teacher Training, we were thrilled! She recorded weekly video journals to give students a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what it’s like to participate in TT firsthand. Those videos left us feeling inspired to learn even more about her journey.  

Now that she’s completed Teacher Training and has had some time to take it all in, we asked her to put pen to paper reflect back on her experience. Read on as Lauren discusses the ins and outs of TT. 

For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Lauren and I am the lifestyle blogger behind Lake Shore Lady. I was first introduced to yoga 10 years ago when my mom asked if I wanted to come with her to a class at a nearby gym. I took a liking to it right away, but I didn’t develop a consistent practice until a few years ago. Since moving to Chicago (and especially now that CPY is nearby!), I’ve been practicing so regularly that I can no longer imagine my life without it. Needless to say, it was time for teacher training.

I was hesitant to sign up, as many of you reading might be too. It always seemed like something I wanted to do someday, but not yet. Finally, one of my teachers asked me what was holding me back. On that particular day, the only concern that seemed valid was, “Could I handle adding yet another thing to my plate?” It turns out that I wasn’t wrong to be nervous about that part. But along with being a big time commitment, physically challenging and sometimes even emotionally/mentally draining, teacher training is also incredibly uplifting, inspiring, and 100% worth the effort.

CorePower’s training is specific and unique - and after completing it, I’m glad it’s the one I chose. It’s different from a lot of other training programs because you learn the set C1 sequence, which actually covers an insane amount of poses for a beginner class! This sequence suited the program really well because it provided a ton of structure and consistency. In addition to learning all of the poses/alignment/anatomy/energy lines/modifications inside and out, you also learn how to cue clearly, establish a rhythm and set students up for success. These are not easy to master, but I’ve realized that my favorite teachers have these down and that’s a big reason why they’re my favorites!

Along with the physical stuff, you learn about the history of yoga, the chakras, our anatomy— all of which was super interesting and helpful. To my surprise, the lecture about the 8-limbed path and the yamas and niyamas was my favorite one of the entire training. Everything that I love about the practice was all of a sudden articulated in it’s history. How cool is that?! This context helped to deepen my spiritual practice in a way that I really wasn’t expecting. Plus, I learned some new favorite words like Santosha and Ahimsa, and now I want to buy every yoga book I see! :)

What if you don’t want to teach? That’s cool! There are SO MANY benefits to this program that transcend the teaching aspect. You’ll learn about your practice, and (bonus!) you’ll become so STRONG from going to all of the required classes and sessions. Pushing yourself to do every pose correctly and mindfully, working at your edge, developing a strong sense of self and compassion for others— all of it strengthens your mind, your body, and your spirituality.

You’ll create a bond with people who you might not have otherwise met, by sweating, laughing, learning and practicing alongside them for eight weeks. I feel really lucky that I signed up for TT at this particular time with this particular group of people. Our instructors were amazing and set a positive and enthusiastic tone from day one. Chelsea, Joanna, Elizabeth, Kevin and Jennifer - thank you so much! All of you inspire me to not only be my best self on my mat, but off of it as well. (If you’re in Chicago, go to their classes!!) And to my fellow students - you are all so warm, kind, smart and supportive that I can’t imagine going through it with anyone else!

Our last day was special. So special that I don’t want to give away any details :) But I will say that I shed a few tears. After taking a step back, I think I now understand why. This whole process has been so overwhelming for me. Yes, it’s been stressful (seriously. so. busy.), but there have also been overwhelmingly wonderful things happen in my life during this time. It’s crazy to me that when I opened myself up to this process and to new possibilities, so much of the world opened up right back for me— and no, I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I’ve learned to breathe through the chaos and difficult situations. Instead of falling apart, I find strength by reconnecting with myself on my mat. Re-energizing with self-compassion and positivity has given me the courage I’ve needed to believe in myself and in what I want to achieve. I stand here at the end of this experience with new optimism. Even if people think I’m crazy and impractical, I know how to listen to myself and follow what my intuition is telling me to do. My far off goals are all of a sudden within reach, and even though I’m not there yet, I finally feel like I’m exactly where I need to be.

I’ll leave you with a quote I shared on our last day of TT. It’s one of my favorites and it’s particularly relevant to my TT experience:

“When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. And when life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” - Shauna Niequist