Do you think the high cost of becoming a Yoga Teacher is too far out of reach? Will you have to sacrifice your family?s life savings to become a Yoga instructor? How will you be able to justify the time off from work needed to gain your Yoga certification?
There are cost-effective, and less expensive solutions, to learn to teach Yoga by becoming a certified Yoga instructor, without the cost of an ?arm and a leg.?
Recently, I was talking to an intern from an outside Yoga Teacher Training program, which had paid nearly $10,000.00 for on-site training, on an exclusive tropical island. He was upset, since he had borrowed tuition costs from his parents, and possibly sacrificed his job, in order to become a certified Hatha Yoga Teacher.
He visited my web site for a Yoga teacher correspondence course and discovered my course was a fraction of the cost he and his family paid. He asked me how this is possible. I explained that we do not need to feed, house, or supply hundreds of Yoga interns. On top of that, there are no transportation costs to be concerned with, when using a Yoga home study course. The only cost is for materials, tutoring, and Yoga teacher certification.
Further, I explained that to be trained in a face-to-face setting, by a Master Yoga Teacher, is more expensive due to the ?hands on? time spent with his teacher. After all, we have an onsite Yoga Teacher program that is more expensive than our correspondence course.
Time spent learning Yoga from a Master Teacher, or a Guru, is a valuable service. Our course is designed for an experienced Yoga practitioner who doesn?t need as much hands on help or who has a local Yoga teacher for guidance.
He continued the conversation to ask me about technical support, and I explained that we handle it by Email, over the phone, and some interns stop by for our Yoga teacher workshops. We have had Yoga teacher trainees visit us from California and Great Britain to attend a workshop. By the sound of his voice, he seemed depressed, and I asked him, ?What is wrong??
He told me that he hadn?t been taught anything about the marketing involved in the Yoga business or about business in general. He felt it would take a long time to pay his parents back and didn?t know if his job would still be available to him when he gets back home.
Then, I explained that we have Yoga marketing and business tools in our standard course and as a separate course for experienced Yoga teachers. I invited him to come to a Yoga marketing workshop when he gets back to the States, and, we both, made a new friend.
We all feel a ?calling? to do work that gives us satisfaction. It helps to have a passion about our work and to know that you are helping others along the way. This is one of the many benefits of teaching Yoga, but I advise you to research the cost of Yoga instructor education, and to be careful not to put yourself too far in debt. Otherwise, your passion for Yoga could turn into a financial worry - well into the future. This would make it difficult to teach the benefits of Yoga to your students, while you are stressed out over your bills.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Showing posts with label Master Teacher. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Master Teacher. Show all posts
February 27, 2009
February 23, 2009
Yoga Teachers Lead by Example (Part 3)
Behavior toward neighboring Yoga schools, Yoga teachers, and their students, should be cordial. Like the old saying goes, ?If you do not have anything good to say, do not say anything at all.? When we speak of other Yoga teachers, or former Yoga teachers, in a hostile manner, what do we teach our students?
Unfortunately, Yoga teachers are human and behavior is not always optimum. Show respect toward neighboring ashrams by letting the director, master teacher, or guru, know about your events - in the form of a letter or invitation. Do not post your events on their doors, on their cars, and on telephone poles nearby their ashram.
Do not encourage your Yoga students to tear down advertisements of other local ashrams in the markets and local coffee shops. Harmonious coexistence with local Yoga studios and ashrams is healthy. When Yoga students are encouraged to become sectarian, or elitist, they are being strayed away from the true meaning of Yoga. Always remember Yoga means ?unity.?
Avoid moving your Yoga studio next door, above, below, or across the street from another Yoga teacher. The world is a very big place. There is no need for us to behave like rivaling businesses. If that were acceptable, Yoga would be just a business, and our true mission is to help others.
Try to maintain good relations with former Yoga teachers and their students. Sometimes, there are complications in the student / teacher relationship, but try to be as friendly as possible.
Relationships with your Yoga students should be balanced and kept intact. Yoga teachers should avoid using their position for leverage or special favors. If you are having feelings beyond the usual Yoga teacher / Yoga student relationship, you should seek qualified advice, do some ?soul searching,? or withdraw yourself from the situation.
The Yoga studio is not a romantic playground, or part of a dating service, for Yoga teachers. As a Yoga teacher, your relationship is founded upon the trust of your students. You also want to avoid ?fueling? any distractions from Yoga practice.
Lastly, you want to encourage your more advanced Yoga students to become independent creators of their own practice. It is nice to be needed, but your Yoga students will grow if they are allowed to be innovators. You can always show them the safest methods to keep them on the right track, but you do not want your advanced Yoga students to feel dependent on your existence.
To draw a small comparison: A pair of adult eagles takes wonderful care of their chick, but someday, that chick will grow to be as large as its parents. The solution is to encourage their offspring to fly and become independent. You know, you will not be around forever, so encourage your Yoga students to keep the practice evolving.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Unfortunately, Yoga teachers are human and behavior is not always optimum. Show respect toward neighboring ashrams by letting the director, master teacher, or guru, know about your events - in the form of a letter or invitation. Do not post your events on their doors, on their cars, and on telephone poles nearby their ashram.
Do not encourage your Yoga students to tear down advertisements of other local ashrams in the markets and local coffee shops. Harmonious coexistence with local Yoga studios and ashrams is healthy. When Yoga students are encouraged to become sectarian, or elitist, they are being strayed away from the true meaning of Yoga. Always remember Yoga means ?unity.?
Avoid moving your Yoga studio next door, above, below, or across the street from another Yoga teacher. The world is a very big place. There is no need for us to behave like rivaling businesses. If that were acceptable, Yoga would be just a business, and our true mission is to help others.
Try to maintain good relations with former Yoga teachers and their students. Sometimes, there are complications in the student / teacher relationship, but try to be as friendly as possible.
Relationships with your Yoga students should be balanced and kept intact. Yoga teachers should avoid using their position for leverage or special favors. If you are having feelings beyond the usual Yoga teacher / Yoga student relationship, you should seek qualified advice, do some ?soul searching,? or withdraw yourself from the situation.
The Yoga studio is not a romantic playground, or part of a dating service, for Yoga teachers. As a Yoga teacher, your relationship is founded upon the trust of your students. You also want to avoid ?fueling? any distractions from Yoga practice.
Lastly, you want to encourage your more advanced Yoga students to become independent creators of their own practice. It is nice to be needed, but your Yoga students will grow if they are allowed to be innovators. You can always show them the safest methods to keep them on the right track, but you do not want your advanced Yoga students to feel dependent on your existence.
To draw a small comparison: A pair of adult eagles takes wonderful care of their chick, but someday, that chick will grow to be as large as its parents. The solution is to encourage their offspring to fly and become independent. You know, you will not be around forever, so encourage your Yoga students to keep the practice evolving.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Yoga in Practice: Projecting Happiness
We are all human, living life with its many ?ups and downs,? but how can we keep our spirits up in difficult times? There are many types of Yoga, and not all are physical styles, like the many popular Hatha Yoga sub-styles. To name one that is not Hatha, and classified as one of the nine main Indian Yoga styles, there is Bhakti Yoga - the union of love, devotion, and worship.
The principle of Bhakti Yoga is universal to all people of all religions. A person who sings, prays, worships, and helps another person is practicing this form of Yoga - whether they have heard of Bhakti Yoga or not. It does not matter what religion you are because singing, praying, worshiping, forgiving, and helping are morally right.
To quote one of the most enlightened men of the 20th century, ?The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.? - Mahatma Gandhi
Therefore, life is a daily Yoga practice, even if you do not attend a Yoga class. When you help others, you are practicing Yoga. It could be argued that you are practicing other forms of Yoga, but that is not the purpose of this article. It is more important to understand that you can help others in many ways, and it does not have to cost you a fortune.
Projecting happiness is free and does not require a lot of money. Here are some ideas that will help you to be happier, and hopefully, more worry free. Whether you are a beginner, Yoga practitioner, Yoga teacher, or Master teacher of Yoga, you should spread happiness to everyone you meet.
Listen to everyone, regardless of his, or her, social status. Let go of judgment; it makes fools of all of us. Pre-judgment is prejudice, and this is the one thing that prevents world peace. To some degree, we all have felt it, but you must discard it, suppress it, and never teach it.
You cannot listen if you are talking at the same time. The wisest and most educated person has learned that the purpose of listening is to understand; understanding is knowledge, and knowledge is power. There are times, when you cannot listen. This could be due to time restraints, the fact that you may have heard it all before, or possibly you do not consider this person?s opinion to be important.
My grandfather had a saying, ?Even the court jester can teach you something about life.? Sometimes, we take the help, or opinions of others, for granted. How many times do we seek more information in order to make the best decision? The final decisions you make, in any given situation are entirely up to you, but when you can sit back and listen, that is time for learning.
Try to avoid arguments and stay the course of peaceful co-existence. You may not always be able to do this, but you should try to improve. You could keep a log of daily situations that end peacefully and those that did not.
This is not meant to make you feel guilty, but it is a course in self-improvement.
You will then see your daily shortcomings and your success. Learn to develop your power of influence for the common good.
It does not matter who is right, especially, if your intention is to proliferate happiness. Related to this, I share one more quote by Mahatma Gandhi.
?What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?? - Mahatma Gandhi
Think about these words, and how you can make the world around you a happier place. This concept is contagious, but it has to come from within and spread worldwide.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
The principle of Bhakti Yoga is universal to all people of all religions. A person who sings, prays, worships, and helps another person is practicing this form of Yoga - whether they have heard of Bhakti Yoga or not. It does not matter what religion you are because singing, praying, worshiping, forgiving, and helping are morally right.
To quote one of the most enlightened men of the 20th century, ?The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.? - Mahatma Gandhi
Therefore, life is a daily Yoga practice, even if you do not attend a Yoga class. When you help others, you are practicing Yoga. It could be argued that you are practicing other forms of Yoga, but that is not the purpose of this article. It is more important to understand that you can help others in many ways, and it does not have to cost you a fortune.
Projecting happiness is free and does not require a lot of money. Here are some ideas that will help you to be happier, and hopefully, more worry free. Whether you are a beginner, Yoga practitioner, Yoga teacher, or Master teacher of Yoga, you should spread happiness to everyone you meet.
Listen to everyone, regardless of his, or her, social status. Let go of judgment; it makes fools of all of us. Pre-judgment is prejudice, and this is the one thing that prevents world peace. To some degree, we all have felt it, but you must discard it, suppress it, and never teach it.
You cannot listen if you are talking at the same time. The wisest and most educated person has learned that the purpose of listening is to understand; understanding is knowledge, and knowledge is power. There are times, when you cannot listen. This could be due to time restraints, the fact that you may have heard it all before, or possibly you do not consider this person?s opinion to be important.
My grandfather had a saying, ?Even the court jester can teach you something about life.? Sometimes, we take the help, or opinions of others, for granted. How many times do we seek more information in order to make the best decision? The final decisions you make, in any given situation are entirely up to you, but when you can sit back and listen, that is time for learning.
Try to avoid arguments and stay the course of peaceful co-existence. You may not always be able to do this, but you should try to improve. You could keep a log of daily situations that end peacefully and those that did not.
This is not meant to make you feel guilty, but it is a course in self-improvement.
You will then see your daily shortcomings and your success. Learn to develop your power of influence for the common good.
It does not matter who is right, especially, if your intention is to proliferate happiness. Related to this, I share one more quote by Mahatma Gandhi.
?What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy?? - Mahatma Gandhi
Think about these words, and how you can make the world around you a happier place. This concept is contagious, but it has to come from within and spread worldwide.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
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