200hr Intensive
Yoga Teacher
Training
oriented around you.
Find out more: zenways.org
Uniquely
rooted in
the Zen
Buddhist
tradition
om yoga teacher training guide
Stephanie Walker recalls her experiences on a recent
yoga teacher training course
Tales from a
teacher trainee
I
have always dreamed of being a yoga
teacher. I always had a feeling that I
would one day help others through
yoga and follow in the footsteps of my
first teacher and ‘yogini hero’ Hilda
Ormerod in Hull. However I always felt this
dream was a long way off. Personally I had
been through a tough time and doubted
myself prior to the training. I seemed to find
reasons that I wasn’t good enough...it was
too much of a commitment, or that I would
struggle to afford it financially. But I listened
to my heart as something was telling me
strongly inside that I had to do it.
From the first wonderful day of training I
knew I had done the right thing. From that
first apprehensive day of meeting everyone
and settling in, I expected that I would love
the training. I wanted to not only just learn
to teach but to deepen my own personal
practice and understanding. I had no idea
of what the reality of the course was going
to mean to me and how it would completely
change my life.
Each weekend came and went, learning
and experiencing far more than I ever
imagined. The training gave me focus to
develop my home practice, which has
changed my routine now for life. It has also
encouraged me to develop a daily meditation
practice. My training course really suited me
as it encompassed a wide range of learning
styles. We didn’t just learn about functional
anatomy or posture, pranamaya, philosophy
and endless other aspects of yoga - but we
felt it...either through our own bodies, models
to touch and feel, a life-size skeleton (Stan),
visual apps, teaching and learning from eachother, reading and discussion. I would never
have predicted how much knowledge I was
able to retain. We were also encouraged as
yoga professionals to find our own authentic
voice and style and to ask questions. The first
teaching experiences were nerve racking but
as our group developed we all supported and
helped each other through each milestone,
through our releases and triumphs. We
made amazing connections to each other
as a group of trainees. It was a wonderful
experience to have so much support with a
group of such amazing and inspiring women.
We made up our own ‘tribe’ and are still all
very close after the training.
Through our yoga ‘tribe’ and the
support of our instructor the course really
affected my life in so many positive and
unpredictable ways. I began to really let
go of past difficulties, I learned to love
myself again and follow my heart. We all
laughed and cried and the experiences of
those weekends have touched me deeply.
I have since decided to leave my job as
a primary school teacher and focus fully
on yoga teaching, I am excited to be on
this journey and my dream is to set up a
community yoga studio in Middlesbrough.
I would never have had the confidence to
follow my heart without my training. I feel
extremely fortunate to have been part of this
experience and can’t wait to move on to an
advanced training this year.Stephanie Walker took part in the Amiyoga
200hr yoga teacher training course with
Ann-Marie Mainprize in Hull, East Yorkshire
(amiyogateachertraining.co.uk)