What My Yoga Teacher Training Was Really Like
If you’ve seen anything about yoga teacher trainings online, you’ve probably seen pictures of perfect yoga poses in the most beautiful locations. That was what I saw before I decided to do a YTT. Pictures and videos say a thousand words but somehow they can’t fully describe what this particular experience is like. I did a 200-hour yoga teacher training in Bali and it wasn’t at all what I expected. Let me tell you what this experience was really like, and just be prepared because there is so much I want to say.
Why I Did This
Before I started my yoga teacher training, I had no intention of becoming a yoga teacher - sounds contradictory but let me explain.
I had been practising yoga for a while and I was really interested in the idea of immersing myself in my practice for an extended period of time. I toyed with the idea of doing a retreat, but I wanted a deeper immersion. A YTT seemed like the perfect answer. It had a blend of everything I wanted. Yoga practice, Philosophy, Anatomy, and more.
It turns out that it’s actually pretty common to do a yoga teacher training without wanting to become a teacher. I think once you’ve read about my experience you’ll understand why.
Choosing the Course
Choosing your YTT is a big decision. For starters, they’re not cheap. There are a lot of providers all over the world and they all offer something different. You’ll be there for at least around a month so you need to choose one you’ll like. Plus, if you do want to teach classes, you’ll want to choose one that’s Yoga Alliance Certified.
Since India is the birthplace of yoga, it seems like the most obvious choice for your YTT. I would have loved to go to India (and I still hope to), but I chose Indonesia because it suited my travel plans better and was more affordable for me at the time.
I considered a few different places but was particularly drawn to House of Om. They offered everything I was looking for. Their course had a good balance between breadth and depth of knowledge. I didn’t need to specialise in anything in particular because I wasn’t planning to teach afterwards. I just wanted to experience a variety of topics and this school offered just that.
This course was split into 3 weeks, focusing on 3 main styles, Hatha, Vinyasa, and Ashtanga with theory classes and other workshops throughout. The school had a great reputation and raving reviews, plus it just looked like a beautiful place to stay for this experience.
I booked my YTT about 2 months in advance. I found I could enjoy the classes more because I’d prepared my body as best I could. It’s not essential to ramp up your practice before the course but they do recommend it and I can understand why. Some people had a break from yoga to rest before the training, some people booked much further in advance, and others booked just weeks before it started. It totally depends on what works best for you. Everyone is at a different place and it does not matter where you are at when you arrive.
Arriving
I stayed at the Amertham in Ubud, one of the House of Om YTT locations in Bali. The surroundings are truly idyllic. It’s away from the main area of Ubud so it’s more secluded and quiet than some of their other locations. The resort is immersed in nature, they have one shala by the river and another above the tree tops. The training is split into 2 groups of about 25 people each. We swap between these shalas and come together for breaks and some workshops.
I felt so much gratitude to be there when I arrived. My room felt very Balinese and the balcony had an incredible view of the jungle. Every evening around dinner time there were the most beautiful sunsets overlooking this view. The resort felt like a little sanctuary and I was incredibly happy to be staying there.
Opening Ceremony
I arrived just a few hours before the opening ceremony, which I was both excited and nervous about. I’d read so much about the YTT but still wasn’t sure exactly what to expect. Everyone gathered around the pool dressed in white, eagerly anticipating what awaited us.
The opening ceremony felt like a gentle and warm welcome, it really set the tone of what was to come. There were moments of stillness and moments of chanting. It was about 3 hours long in total. We started with some exercises to relax into the space and all had a chance to talk about what yoga means to us.
The teachers introduced themselves and talked about what lay ahead. They asked us to open our minds and open our hearts because for most people here these next few weeks would be unlike anything they had experienced before - and they were right. It was at this point that I knew I was about to step outside of my comfort zone.
We were invited to set an intention for the next 3 weeks, something that would anchor us in times of difficulty when we might want to give up. My intention was to experience it all. To be deeply present and feel everything, the good and the bad.
From the outside, this ceremony might have looked a bit cult-ish. Picture us all dressed in white holding hands and singing together, but I promise you it was far from that. It was the start of a beautiful experience that you needed to open your mind and heart to fully enjoy.
Beginning
Training started promptly at 6 am the next morning. Over the next 3 weeks, I was waking up around 5:15 am to get ready for class and honestly, I fell into the routine quite easily. The time difference worked in my favour and I had early nights most evenings. Plus after a full day of training, I was pretty exhausted and ready to sleep.
Our first class started with a Jala Neti demonstration. A cleansing technique to prepare you for Pranayama - the breathing techniques. You essentially pour salty water into each nostril to clean them out. I know, it doesn’t sound pleasant and at first it wasn’t, but it quickly became part of our morning ritual.
One thing I learnt very early on, is that yoga isn’t just the poses you see on the mat. It’s everything. It’s the poses (Asana), the breathing (Pranayama), the meditation (Dhyana), the cleansing techniques (Shatkarma), and the way you act (Dharma) just to name a few. The practice of yoga doesn’t just start and end on the mat, it’s so much more.
I was apprehensive about how difficult the classes would be. The first week was Hatha, which I honestly didn’t practice much myself. Thankfully, the first few classes gently eased us into the training. In our first class, we broke down sun salutations and focused on nailing the basics.
Much of the training set up the foundations of our yoga practice - which is so essential. In the Alignment classes, I realised I’d been positioning my hands incorrectly the whole time - seriously. In previous months, I experienced some wrist pain and now I knew why. Learning the details of Alignment and Anatomy are so important for our own practice and safety.
Within the first few days, I began to see the magic of this place. The classes were electric. You could feel the energy. We were taught by expert teachers with so much knowledge and wisdom. Everyone in the training was so excited to learn and it just created the most beautiful space.
Embracing Routine
I remember walking to our classes with so much gratitude and feeling so in awe at every moment. We had silent mornings until 10 am which meant we had our first class and breakfast in complete quiet. I came to love this so much. It was a few hours each day where we could find introspection and focus on ourselves.
Some of my favourite moments were walking down to the Pesraman shala first thing in the morning. The sun was still low and morning was still. The stairs led a winding path through the trees where you could hear the sounds of the jungle and the river flowing. I’d often just stop to take in the moment. These weeks I found myself feeling so present and grounded. I have to admit though, I didn’t enjoy the walk back up the stairs after class quite as much - it was a lot of stairs okay.
The first 3 hours of our mornings were Mantra, Pranayama, and Asana class. We learned a new Mantra each week and different Pranayama techniques. Each day we built a little bit more on what we learned the previous day. The classes were intense and challenging in the best way. That was one thing I was expecting from this YTT. I’d always leave the class feeling energised, those endorphins were strong every morning.
After the morning class, I was definitely ready to eat and the food did not disappoint. They had a buffet spread for every meal and each day there was something different. It was absolutely incredible. I still miss those breakfasts to this day. They always made the spread so pretty, you almost didn’t want to break into it - but not really because the food was too good. It was all vegan and tasted great. I’m not vegan and I wasn't sure how I would feel about not eating meat, but it was completely fine. They also had the best coffee there too which was a nice bonus.
After breakfast, we had a bit of spare time before our next class, which most people seemed to spend journalling or relaxing. They gave us journal prompts every day and with the quiet time of the morning, this was the perfect time for it. We also had free time after lunch to chill out by the pool and relax. It was a pretty full-on schedule so these moments between classes were a cherished time for rest.
Here’s a snippet of what our daily schedule looked like:
6:00 - Morning class (Mantra, Pranayama, Asana)
8:45 - Breakfast
10:00 - Anatomy / Philosophy
12:45 - Teaching Practice / Yoga Nidra
13:30 - Lunch
15:00 - Alignment / Teaching Methodology
17:30 - Workshop
18:30 - Dinner
The times stayed the same but the classes after breakfast and lunch changed the most. In the first week, we had Anatomy in the morning and Alignment classes in the afternoon.
We tended to have something different most days for our evening workshop. Here are some of the things we got up to:
Yin Flow
Arm Balancing Workshop
Voice Activation Session
Sound Healing Meditation
Tantra Lesson & Ecstatic Dance
We also did a beach clean and acro yoga session one morning. I had learnt so much within such a short amount of time. The days might have been full on, but I loved every moment.
Our first week ended with a Satsang, a sharing circle. This was one of the most heartwarming moments. We all got to share how we were feeling after our first week. It was always so lovely to share moments like this, whether that was dancing together or talking about our experiences. One of the most amazing things about doing this YTT was experiencing it with this group of people. Everyone was so lovely and it created such a warming environment.
Experiencing Intensity
Our second week came around quickly. We had one day off to recharge and get ready for Vinyasa week. Classes were becoming pretty intense by this point and my body was starting to feel the strain, but I kept going because I was enjoying it and I didn’t want to miss a thing.
We had Philosophy classes after breakfast which became some of my favourites. These lessons felt like a mirror was put up in front of me. It felt almost impossible to learn these teachings without thinking about how they applied to my own life.
We’d also had a few Yoga Nidra sessions by this second week, which are like a deep meditation. Part of the practice is to allow emotions to come to the surface - and boy did they come to the surface.
I could see a clear difference between the first week and the second week. The first week I felt so excited and filled with curiosity. I still felt those things but I also felt more emotionally drained. There was a lingering tension and something felt off. All of the experiences so far had given me time and space to go inward and reflect.
They told us that if we got upset it was totally normal, we were releasing emotions that needed to be released. This was exactly what happened to me at the end of the week. It was an emotional close to the second week and I know so many other people were experiencing similar things. This was a side of the training that I didn’t anticipate.
Overcoming Challenge
The third week was Ashtanga week which was the hardest yet. This was also the week we ramped up exam preparations as most of our classes were dedicated to practising teaching.
There was one exercise where everyone in our class came to the front to teach a round of sun salutations with the microphone. This ended up being a bit of a challenge for a lot of people. Standing in front of a room of people with a mic and leading a class is a very vulnerable state to be in. The group was always so supportive and made it a safe space to overcome this fear. It was incredible to witness everyone slowly becoming more confident in their abilities.
The lead up to exams felt a little scary. We all wanted to do well, but it was natural that we’d be nervous doing something we’d never done before. This week was all about stepping out of our comfort zones and embracing the challenge.
The day of the practical exam, nerves were high. We had a full day of taking turns to teach and be in other people’s classes. I had 3 classes before my teaching spot. It was an intense and tiring day but it actually such a beautiful experience to be taught by our peers after seeing them grow the past 3 weeks.
By the time it came to teach my class at the end of the day, the rain started to pour, in true tropical Bali style. It almost felt symbolic for the transition between where we were when we started this training, to where we were now. My practical exam was a success, I passed with flying colours. It wasn’t perfect but I gave it my best shot. I was surprised by how much I actually enjoyed teaching since I never intended to become a teacher. Maybe I had changed my mind on that one.
The next day was a last full day of the YTT. We started with 108 sun salutations which ended with us dancing around the shala. Then we completed our theory exam and were ready to celebrate with an ice bath challenge which ended in more dancing.
In our final Satsang, we shared kind words about each other and it was quite an emotional moment thinking about our last 3 weeks. So much had happened in such a short amount of time. Not only had we become yoga teachers, but most of us experienced fundamental changes. We were walking away from this experience as different people than when we arrived.
Later in the evening, we had a Kirtan with music and dancing and a gala dinner with lots more dancing and celebrations. By the end of it all, I was tired but my heart was full.
Closing Ceremony
We had one last thing to do before our training was over and that was the closing ceremony. We gathered in the rice fields early the next morning and took some time to be proud of what we achieved. We were officially yoga teachers. This was the end of our experience, a closing of one chapter to open the next one. Saying goodbye and leaving the Amertham was hard. We’d spent the last 3 weeks in a yoga cocoon, learning and growing together.
Reflections
I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on this experience since it ended. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. This yoga teacher training was so much more than a 3-week course. It was an emotional experience of growth and introspection. I learnt and experienced so much more than I could have imagined.
It was more spiritual than I expected, and I’m thankful it was. I think sometimes when we go to a yoga class we don’t see the full wholeness that is yoga. There’s so much more to it that we can’t fit into a 60-minute Asana class. Fully immersing myself in this allowed me to feel and share the magic of yoga. I’m so grateful for the entire thing. I left this experience with a full and open heart.
If you’ve read this far and you’re thinking about doing a yoga teacher training, I 100% think you should do it. If you like yoga and you approach this training with an open mind, I am sure the experience will be just as magical for you as it was for me.
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If we haven’t met before, hi I’m Rachel a health and wellness copywriter. I write blogs, website copy, sales copy and more. My yoga teacher training certification makes me a perfect copywriter for wellness and yoga-based businesses.