Why become a yoga teacher? Lauren Franze has been training under the guidance of Anna Ashby and Joey Miles and here she gives an insight into her journey and what to expect if you’re considering this November’s triyoga teacher training diploma.
Yoga has been a big part of my life for a long time. My first class was in a church hall, I struggled through an hour and a half of bizarre words (sanskrit!), chanting (om) and hyperventilation (kapalabhati breathing), but still I floated out of class with an overwhelming sense that everything would be okay. The more I practised over the years I realised that I wanted to share my experience of yoga and that (maybe) I wasn’t so suited to my corporate job.
So naturally I put it off year after year, always finding an excuse rooted in self-doubt that I wasn’t good enough and that I needed to hold headstand for five minutes.
Eventually a good friend encouraged me to follow my passion and just apply for it! Three months later I was meeting my fellow teacher training yogis at triyoga and freaking out about how to teach tadasana!
The last two years have been so incredibly transformative for me as a yoga practitioner and on a personal level. Yes, I’ve learnt to teach but I also got so much more out of it. The triyoga teacher training diploma brought me face-to-face with myself, I learnt a lot about my strengths and weaknesses and about self-acceptance. My personal practice improved 100% – it turned out I didn’t have to hold headstand for five minutes. It’s more about intelligent practice and learning to understand how the body moves. I also met a group of wonderful and inspirational people, I’d finally found some yoga peeps who ‘got it’.
Anna and Joey are fantastic. Their teaching styles complement each other and they’re both very down-to-earth. They hammered home the fundamentals of how to teach safely and with precision. They care about training people to teach well. Which is important. I know that as I grow as a teacher and develop my style I’ll always have a strong foundation to go back to.
Everybody’s experience of the course is different. For me the philosophy was like a doorway into a world I knew existed but wasn’t quite sure how to open it. It answered a lot of questions but also a prompted many more. Fundamentally, it gave me the tools I needed to start meditation and an understanding of a rich and beautiful practice.
Most importantly I now teach yoga! Eight months in I found a wonderful women’s charity called CleanBreak that I volunteer teach at. The first class was terrifying, five ladies expecting me to teach them, but they came back and I still teach there so I guess it’s a good sign! I’m also a regular cover teacher at a gym. I’m learning the student’s body’s and the regulars are starting to trust me. Every class is different and I learn something new each time I teach.
Teacher training is a fantastic experience but like anything in life you get out of it what you put in. It will change you, you’ll make mistakes, you’ll have moments of clarity, you’ll have ups and the downs. The most important thing is to remember to enjoy the journey.
triyoga teacher training diploma
next course starts November 2015 with Anna Ashby and Joey Miles
application deadline Friday 25th September 2015
apply now
