Teacher Training: Inside The Journey

Hi everyone! My name is Britney and I’m the health, wellness and lifestyle blogger behind FittyBritttty. I’m so excited to share my experience with CorePower Yoga’s 200-Hour Power Yoga Teacher Training! It’s extremely difficult to really sum up my experience in words, but here I am hoping to do it justice! 

Over the last eight weeks, I gave up my Wednesday nights and most of the hours in my day on Saturdays and Sundays to dive deeper into yoga, and to cultivate a deeper understanding of something I was already super passionate about. I was terrified to begin this journey because even though I had only heard positive and amazing things about the program, it’s scary to put yourself out there into the unknown. Going into the unknown (no matter what you’re doing) can be scary, but it’s in those moments of fear that you become stronger and grow one step closer to discovering your truest, most authentic self. 

I actually didn’t spend too much time thinking about doing teacher training, but after going to CorePower Yoga for almost a year and half, I had heard the teachers mention the trainings several times and one day after class I decided to ask about it. It was pretty spontaneous. After chatting, it gave me butterflies and made me feel nervous, but excited. I was scared that my yoga practice wasn’t fancy enough or strong enough to go through Teacher Training, and I honestly didn’t think I wanted to be a teacher at the end of it. I just wanted to learn, to expand my knowledge and see if I could do it. So after a few days going back and forth about it, I jumped in head first and took the plunge.

Yoga teacher training is like a roller coaster. It started with a slow and manageable amount of work, and just as you thought you were getting comfortable a huge drop would come and send you into a high speed loop of emotions. That said, I wouldn’t trade my roller coaster ride for anything! Yes, it’s a lot of work physically and emotionally, but it’s work that you’re doing for yourself, on yourself and with yourself. 

Leave your comfort zone outside the studio. One of my biggest takeaways from Yoga Teacher Training was that “I can and WILL do hard things.” Yoga Teacher Training introduced a new discomfort almost every single session. Whether it was being called on randomly and asked to break down a posture without knowing how or whether it was asking a question and having the teacher ask one back to you and having to figure it out yourself, there was never a moment where I felt at ease. For me, that was what I needed and what I was craving. To be shaken awake from my everyday easy breezy life. Being pushed out of your comfort zone is terrifying, but knowing you can make it out alive on the other side is one of the most satisfying and rewarding feelings ever. Be ready to be uncomfortable and be ready to WANT to feel that way. With discomfort comes great growth! 

Learning how to teach yoga is like learning a new language. Get ready to wrap your head around learning how to talk "yoga." I found myself stumbling and fumbling through words that I’ve heard so many times while on the mat. There were words that my brain and body knew how to do without thinking, but when it came to not moving my body and just moving my mouth, my brain kept malfunctioning! It took a lot of time, patience and practice saying the words over and over again for it to start feeling fluid and normal. Know that it’s totally normal for it to feel foreign, but that with time, it will all start to come to you and fall into place just in the nick of time. 

Get ready for your practice to become the strongest it’s ever been. Seriously you will be doing lots, and lots, and lots of yoga. You will see your practice literally transform before your eyes and it’s so freaking magical. You will also explore different areas of your practice in Yoga Teacher Training that you may never have explored before like meditation, the spiritual side of yoga and new asanas. You will also get to dive into the history of yoga, new breathing techniques, chakras and even ayurveda! Something for everyone! 

Find your new bestie! I knew no one else when I signed up, but ended up leaving with some amazing new friends and one new best friend. Most of you know as an adult it’s extremely hard to make friends, especially in LA! Now whenever I show up to class, I almost always know at least one other yogi! When you go through such a transformative experience you’re bound to really bond with one another like you did with your college friends or your friends from kindergarten. You break yourself down, become vulnerable, and your true self shines allowing you to be open to new possibilities and new friendships! It’s something that I didn’t really go into the experience thinking I would come out with, but it was one of my favorite takeaways from the eight weeks! 

The whole CorePower Yoga Teacher Training experience was extremely special and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Take that leap of faith and trust your gut, be ready to be uncomfortable, to grow, and to go on a journey of a lifetime. You won’t be disappointed that you did!

I have more recaps of my experience on my blog, and on my youtube channel.

Namaste,

Britney