The Details Get Lost in the Hype

For me it’s personal. 

I was living in New York City, I was 26 years old and living my dream of auditioning to become a full time modern dancer and travel the world with a group of people that would become my best friends.

Audition after audition with other dancers who were far more trained than I took its toll on myself esteem and made me question the feasibility of my dreams.  I was waiting tables taking dance classes everywhere and fitting in at least one yoga class a week with Dharma Mittra.   My ballet teacher from San Francisco raved about how we should all take yoga as part of our dance training.  So although I had read Krishnamurti as a teen, my yoga practice was only focused on getting better balance in my turns.

Then a fellow dancer suggested I sign up for Yoga Union’s 200 hour teacher training with Alison West.  When I initially met Alison I noticed she carried herself well.  She was incredibly precise and with her British accent came across as strict and slightly intimidating.  In fact she still is unless you know her.  She is a stickler for form, safety and the health of every individual’s body while they are taking her yoga classes.  I liked her so much I signed up for the month long training.  This was to be part my career change and making my transition to Connecticut.  During the training I would stay 5 nights in the city and travel to Connecticut for one day and night to spend time in my new residence.

What always amazes me when I look back on these things is, how did I pay for that?  Both with the Yoga Union training and subsequent overseas yoga training, it always amazes me that somehow I pulled it off financially.  But you know how the saying goes, “if there is a will, there is a way.”

I remember Alison said to a new student one day jokingly, “be careful if you take a yoga class, it will change your life.”  And for me it did.  I never thought teaching yoga would be a full time job for me or that I would be good at it.  I had always thought I would teach the older populations thinking it would be easier.  Who knew I had a power yoga teacher hidden within?

Over the 18 years I have been teaching yoga I have seen yoga go from a practice on the outskirts of the fitness industry to a staple in every gym.  And with anything that becomes mainstream the details can get lost in hype.

That is why I am have dedicated the Fuller Yoga Primary Teacher Training towards the making of knowledgeable, sensitive, and discerning yoga teachers.   I have seen many “certified” yoga teachers know very little about anatomy and the body’s natural abilities and limitations in an individual.  There is also a lack of knowledge about how to modify or make accessible postures for those individuals whose body’s aren’t quite ready for the full expression of the pose.  I have even seen yoga teachers who have been teaching less than 4 years start their own teacher training.  And not to mention the incredible onslaught of social media pictures of women who are young and extremely flexible giving the average person something completely out of reach to emulate.

Fuller Yoga Primary Teacher Training is about so much more than turning out teachers and making a profit.  This training is about you, your practice and the gifts you can offer to others through the practice of yoga.  Our Training is designed in two tracks.  Track 1, The Foundation is to deepen your study of yoga and to learn more about yourself and how yoga can help you navigate the ups and downs that life has to offer.  You will learn anatomy, breathing, yoga philosophy and the alignment of each posture.  There will be study on the mind, its nature and how you can manage thoughts and emotions by using your yoga practice.  You will also be exposed to various styles of yoga and we are looking into a field trip to NYC.

Track 2, The Gift is for those who have made the commitment to become a certified yoga instructor.  This will be for 3 weekends.  In this portion you will learn how to teach a class, deal with multiple levels in a class, how to plan a themed class and the art of sequencing.
You will also learn how to market yourself and establish yourself as in independent contractor and how to create boundaries with students both on and off the mat.

I’ve learned so much within 18 years of teaching, anywhere from a gym, to a yoga studio, to a church basement and upon receiving your certificate will be well equipped to teach wherever the universe needs you.  Fuller Yoga Teacher Training will not teach you a system of yoga where one size fits all.  It is designed to help you know how to cater each posture and each class to either yourself or the students you teach.  You will graduate stronger physically and mentally, more confident and with skills that can assist you as a teacher, a parent, a co-worker, a boss, a partner, and a member of the human race.

For more information visit https://fulleryoga.perfectmind.com/SocialSite/retreatstrainings

or email info@fulleryoga.com