Teacher Training at Bend Yoga
Our model
Teacher training at Bend Yoga is personal, focused and attainable. It requires self-study on your own, as well as time together in the yoga room—moving, leading, discussing, and accepting feedback. The goal is to equip you to teach yoga.*
*If your goal is different, we have other ways to help you deepen your practice.
Our model for training teachers is built around providing you ample time to practice teaching to—and learning from—real bodies in the room. Starting from a set sequence, you’ll learn how to communicate movements and transitions clearly. We’ll discuss the intent of different yoga poses, along with their benefits and uses. Your ears will open to how others hear you so you can find a clear and comfortable “voice”.
You’ll also spend your own time reading, memorizing and practicing. We provide the resources; you provide the brain (and the heart.)
Be prepared to accept constructive feedback. And to laugh! Because what will you do when the class is all-of-a-sudden facing the back of the room and you need to turn them around? How will you recover when you give a cue… but no one moves as intended? Can you improvise if a student shows up requesting to work on X but you’ve planned a class for Y?
You can, and we’ll teach you how.
Who is this training for?
This training is for folks who want to teach yoga.*
Our model works well for folks who have a consistent yoga practice, ideally at Bend Yoga.
Bonus points if you have ever taught/coached/parented/directed people in another capacity, and/or have studied another movement modality such as dance, tai chi, etc.
Self-directed study is a core component of our model. You must know how to motivate yourself and stay on task.
Accepting and incorporating constructive feedback is key. Must also possess the ability to laugh at oneself.
*If your goal is different, we have other ways to help you deepen your practice.
How is this training different?
Our method produces teachers who are ready to teach. It is practical, personal, and focused on that goal.* It’s also in-person, because that’s how we operate at Bend. You’ll be practicing with the same small cohort for the entire training.
This model of teacher training is different from a Yoga Alliance 200 hour RYT credential. The Yoga Alliance RYT and E-RYT designations are social credentials. They are not necessary—in a legal nor practical sense—in order to work as a paid yoga teacher.
Why do we do things this way? Because we think the 200 hour model Yoga Alliance promotes leaves so many people out from the get-go. It ignores folks who can’t afford a $3,000+ program, or two weeks off of work for an intensive, or to give up all their weekends for a year. (Additionally, those social credentials are costly to maintain; $100 per year or more annually.)
We know there are other ways to become a good teacher; in fact, a Yoga Alliance credential is not required to teach at Bend Yoga. Your favorite teacher may not have one, and we bet you never noticed because you were too busy enjoying their awesome class!
*Why do we keep emphasizing this? Because we believe teaching is an art and a skill so it’s the focus of our model. If your goal is different, we have other ways to help you deepen your practice.