5 Ways Yoga Teacher Training Changes your Life!

If you’re thinking about doing a yoga teacher training course, you may have heard many people say that it’s a life changing and transformative experience, even if you don’t intend to teach yoga.

If you’re wondering what they mean, and want to know more about how yoga teacher training changes your life, then this blog post is for you.

Of course, everyone’s reasons for doing yoga teacher training and personal experiences are different, subjective and unique, but we hope this post gives you a better idea of what to expect.

Pin this image!

Benefits of Yoga Teacher Training

Many yogis assume that yoga teacher training is only beneficial if you want to become a certified yoga instructor, but there are many other benefits to gain from doing a YTT. If you are struggling emotionally, in need of healing, feel like you are stagnating, lost, or stuck in a rut, and are looking for change then maybe it’s time for yoga teacher training!

I’m not exaggerating when I say your life will never be the same after a yoga teacher training! YTTs are unlike any other training course where you merely learn a new skill or develop an existing one. You might be surprised when you realise just how yoga teacher training changes you.

When I did my yoga teacher training in Thailand I realized how much that one experience changed me as a person and, as a result, my entire life. Of course, you’ll dramatically level up your yoga practice, but you’ll get much more from it than just skills and knowledge.

Read on to find out how yoga teacher training changes your life for the better….

5 ways yoga teacher training will Change your life for the Better

1. It will help you heal

For many yogis, one of the ways yoga teacher training changes your life is because it’s as much a healing experience as it is a learning one.

The extended time away from “normal life” allows you to reflect on past events or current problems. It can be an antidote for a broken heart, unofficial therapy for past trauma, or a vital aid in grieving. 

Whatever personal issues you have when you arrive at your yoga teacher training, you’ll likely have a different perspective on them when you leave.

This is because the deep inner work you do on a YTT nurtures and nourishes your inner child, so you feel more loving and compassionate towards yourself, creating a general sense of lightness in your soul.

2. It will make you healthier

I don’t remember any time in my life when I felt as healthy and wholesome as I did during my one-month 200-hour YTT. Yoga teacher training will significantly boost your health and well-being thanks to twice-daily yoga sessions, nutritious meals, and early bedtimes.

However, those health benefits don’t stop once you finish the course. Those four weeks give you a glimpse of how much more energy, concentration, and clarity you can have if you follow a healthy yogic lifestyle. Thus, you’ll likely feel inspired to make positive changes to your diet and lifestyle back home. 

In addition, deepening your yoga practice leads to a higher appreciation and love for your body. You no longer want to abuse it by consuming excess sugar or partying all night.

One of the best ways that yoga teacher training changes your life is that now you see your body as a temple and actively make healthy choices to give it the nourishment it deserves.

3. It will prompt lifestyle changes

Similarly, yoga teacher training opens your eyes to many negative behaviours and lifestyle habits that you were previously blind to. This is partly due to the structured YTT routine of waking up and going to bed early, significantly less tech usage, and minimal room for distractions.

Not only will you identify bad habits, but you’ll be much less inclined to return to them. For example, sleeping in till 10am might now feel like wasting half the day. One bad habit I realized on my YTT was how addicted I was to my phone. 

At the beginning of the course, the instructors suggested we minimize how much we use our phones during those four weeks. Thus, I would keep my phone on airplane mode for most of the day, turning WiFi on for just five minutes here and there. 

By doing this, I discovered how freeing it was to not wake up and check my phone immediately. In addition, I felt much more present in my interactions with others when I didn’t have my phone in my hand.

As human beings, we all have unhealthy habits and negative behavioural tendencies. One of the ways that yoga teacher training changes your life is that it helps you uncover some of those and make the necessary changes to improve your life.

4. It will open your heart

One of the things yoga teacher training helped me do was connect deeper with others. The group sharing, intimate setting, and heart-centered practices trigger a sense of vulnerability and a feeling that we are all connected. 

I arrived at my YTT, seeing myself as separate from everyone else. Thinking back to that time, my heart was pretty closed. I was cautious about who I let in and opened up to. However, the transformational spiritual journey helped me discover that we are all one and the same, which allowed me to experience true benevolence.

With this new perspective, I could form more meaningful connections, feel, give, and accept more love and compassion, and be more present in interactions with others. 

Considering this, it seems too much of a coincidence that just after I finished my YTT, I met my soulmate, who, 5 years later, I share a beautiful life with!

5. It will open up new career options

We all know the famous saying, “do what you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life.”

As you’re reading this article, chances are you love yoga and the feeling you get when you’re flowing through sun salutations with a group of other yogis, synchronizing your breath and raising the collective energy. 

But maybe the thought of teaching classes yourself doesn’t appeal to you. If so, that’s totally ok; there are many more reasons to do a YTT and you’re not any less a yogi if you don’t want to teach the practice!

However, teaching is only one of many careers that will open up to you from doing yoga teacher training. Out of the 20 or so yogis I shared my YTT with, only a handful became yoga teachers, and fewer ended up teaching full-time. However, many pursued a new career in a wellness-related field like massage, Reiki, or life coaching. 

I taught yoga abroad while traveling for several years after completing my YTT before finding a different way to use my yoga expertise, writing for yoga blogs and websites – another way that yoga teacher training changed my life.

Thus, if you’re not interested in teaching but are still deciding which career path to take, doing a YTT will likely help you figure it out.

Read this articles about The 5 Steps to Becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor for more.

So how will yoga teacher training change your life?

Wether you decide to do your yoga teacher training in the USA or an exotic destination like India, Bali or Costa Rica, it’s sure to be an experience you’ll never forget.

These are just a few examples of how yoga teacher training changes you, the experience can improve all aspects of your life and is different for everyone.

While I’m sure many yoga teachers will relate to these, remember that yoga teacher training is a personal and unique journey. Your shifts, realizations, and positive changes might not be the same as your classmates, but one thing’s for sure, you will no longer be the same person after this experience!

If you’re considering taking a yoga teacher training course read our other YTT blog posts including how to choose the right yoga teacher training program for you and the best places to do yoga teacher training abroad and check out the courses on bookyogateachertraining.com

If you’ve already done a YTT, how did it change your life? Leave a comment below. We would love to hear about your experiences.