5 Fears I Had Before Starting Yoga Teacher Training

I didn’t believe my yoga knowledge or practice was advanced enough to begin my training. I didn’t know my vipasanna from my savasana and I was extremely worried that the rest of the class would be far more advanced than me. From the beginning of the course the teachers made us very comfortable and highlighted the fact that everybody’s practice was at a different level and was relative to each individual. Your yoga practice is always progressing but it is not a race and this course has put me at ease in that sense.

I thought that I would look like an idiot if there were certain postures I couldn’t do. For me, I initially thought that in order to train as a yoga teacher that I would have to be able to wrap my legs around my head and be able to do the splits at the drop of a hat. I was incredibly worried that I would be found out when we approached difficult postures. The fear was that if I was seen to be unable to perform a posture then I was a failure as a student. From talking to fellow students and teachers, it was evident that we all have difficulty with certain postures as we are all human. We are not expected to perform every posture as students. The teachers are hugely supportive and comforting on this topic and there is no such thing as failure. So if you are unable to drop down and get your “pigeon” on, it is not the end of the world. The teachers constantly affirm that they weren’t born in “reverse wheel” pose, they had their own struggles and they share these along the journey which provides us all with extra confidence and inspiration along the way.

Change is difficult and I’m always slightly apprehensive about trying new things as a shock to a routine is always challenging. I also had no idea what to expect as I had never done a full weekend of yoga before. Initially, one weekend a month of yoga seemed quite daunting for ten whole months. The anticipation of giving up my weekend was quite worrying but the funny thing is that I now really look forward to my yoga teacher training weekends. The whole structure of each weekend makes for a very enjoyable weekend where not only do I get well needed yoga therapy but I am also absorbing vital knowledge and learning valuable skills to take with me as a future yoga instructor.

Yoga and meditation are extremely beneficial for me as they help me every single day to help me overcome pain, stress and anxieties in my life. My absolute dream is to be a yoga teacher and to help other people overcome the things that I do every day. I was frightened of taking on this course as I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to take on so much as I also have a full time job and I am undertaking other studies at the moment. Though I had a dream and an overall purpose I wanted to work towards, I was worried that I may have bitten off more than I can chew but that has definitely not been the case.

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On reflection, I am so happy that I enrolled on the course and that I am following my dreams. This course has actually taught me to make time for those things I am passionate about, as they are the most rewarding activities I will ever do.

“Each of us must confront our own fears, must come face to face with them. How we handle our fears will determine where we go with the rest of our lives. To experience adventure or to be limited by the fear of it.”
-Judy Blume

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Thank you so much for reading.

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Namaste classy folks!