Te acher zone
Online courses have enabled me to get my
message out through a network of teachers
to thousands of parents.”
Another is April Nunes Tucker from Big Dog,
Little Dog children’s yoga teacher training:
“I decided to build an online course
because I had a woman in the States ask
me if she could take my course somehow
through Skype. I told her I would look into
building an online course and then after
about a year of gathering video material,
images and text I got it together. The
Big Dog Little Dog online course means
that more parents and children could
experience the bonding that comes
from doing yoga together.”
There are now so many options out there
for the aspiring yoga instructor, both online
and in person, and covering so many styles,
from Yin to Rockstar, from Tantra to Vinyasa,
from Fertility to Yoga Nidra. So how do you
know which way to proceed?
When it comes to online yoga teacher
training, I would say there are some
prerequisites, such as self-motivation,
discipline and confidence.
Self-motivation: to set and maintain high
standards, and to complete coursework at a
pace that suits you.
Discipline: you must be capable of
managing your own time, and have the self-
discipline to study, research and complete
your assignments.
Confidence: to reach out and ask for tutor
guidance if needed and to know that if you
need help, it’s always available wherever
you are in the world via email, FaceTime
or Skype. So to all of you out there looking
to better yourselves personally and
professionally in yoga – in whatever shape
this takes – I salute you!Sarah Oakley runs online yoga teacher
trainings specialising in Pregnancy and
Postnatal Yoga, Fertility Yoga and Yoga
Nidra at YogaGro (yogagro.com)WHEN ONLINE YTT
DOESN’T WORK
Be aware that studying online
is definitely not the soft option.
In many ways, distance learning
can be more demanding than
attending teacher training
workshops or intensives, as
the onus is always on you, the
student, to deliver.Also, online learning should
be seen as a complement and
extension of classical forms
of learning rather than a
replacement. Social interaction
is precious and nurturing, so
students should always seek out
personal contact with peers as
well as online support.WHEN ONLINE YTT WORKS
Online courses can add as much (if not more, perhaps)
value to students as a face-to-face teacher training.
Online training works because:1. Online courses are generally designed to keep things
simple, so as to avoid overwhelm and confusion.
2. Online teacher trainings allow you to define your own
schedule and learn at your own pace, wherever and
whenever convenient.- As there are no travel costs or need for time off work,
compared to face-to-face training, courses generally offer
excellent value for money.