Choosing a teacher training can be a mind-numbing task, but the amount of consideration and research can either make or break your training experience. We suggest that you start with a few main things like location, cost, time and Yoga Alliance approval to sift through the piles of trainings. But beyond these factors, you may want to get to know the character of the training and other considerations. To help simplify your research on Shanti Shanti Yoga School, view the compiled the “Top 9 reasons for choosing Shanti Shanti Yoga School for your 200hr certification”:
- Practice Teaching Time – So many yoga certification programs neglect this key aspect of the training. Nearly each week will include at least 45mins of practice teaching time with your peers. This prepares the teacher trainee for the internship and applies the information learned. Graduates can feel confident in their teaching skills and start to develop their personal flair and style.
- Intimate Learning Environment – Our class sizes per training are limited to a maximum of 10 teacher trainees. With large groups, trainees receive less personalized attention. We want our students to feel comfortable, so we make ourselves approachable and available for each person’s learning experience. We also have mid-training 2:1 (2 trainers: 1 trainee) dialogue sessions, so that each trainee can voice their concerns, expectations and challenges with the training process.
- Devoted and Experienced Faculty – Samantha and Alexis are here to serve you during your training process and after. Both serve as mentors for a large majority of trainees, unless requested otherwise. We build relationships with our trainees that last beyond the training. Our expertise is not only in knowing how to teach yoga, but how to train teachers too. We are patient, supportive, and motivating. We love what we do and it shows!
- Assistantship/Internships that matter! – All too often trainings pair mentor with teacher trainee to the mentor’s weekly classes. Unfortunately, not all mentors allow their intern to teach to their classes or let them walk around and adjust the students. We believe that this is the most essential opportunity where the teacher trainee is able to apply the techniques and skills that are learned during our Practice Days and receive feedback from their mentor. Feedback is always in the form of thoughtful comments, critiques and guidance from your mentor that will steer you toward being a better teacher.
- Free Stuff – Who doesn’t love free stuff? Included in the cost of the training are a mala (prayer beads) and access to our library of yoga books, DVDs and CDs. We provide tea and refreshments at each meeting too.
- Opportunities to teach beginner students – With our close relationship within the community, we have established a unique weekly class for each teacher trainee to teach true beginner students. This is a paying gig too – donation based!
- Relationships within the Yoga Community – Samantha and Alexis have established themselves within the yoga community as teachers and teacher trainers for the past 7 years. They have taught in nearly every gym and studio and continue to make these connections for their students, setting up auditions and forwarding job opportunities.
- Organized, Clearly Guided Material – We are proud of our professionalism. We stand out from other trainings by using a PowerPoint Presentation and projector format, with clearly organized notes. Your learning experience benefits when you call upon visual, audio and kinesthetic tools.
- Scholarships – In cooperation with YogaBasics.com and Rocktanga Scholarship, we are on the preferred schools list for applicants of these yoga scholarships.
If you are still not sure, ask one of our graduates how they felt about the training. We are confident that you will receive quality training and preparation for your future as a yoga teacher. Find out more about our next teacher training here.