About a year ago I graduated from Bryce Yoga 200h Teacher training in Koh Samui, Thailand. Armed with up-to-date education from some of the best teachers. I had a bright future, I just had to take THAT step__ One question though... Which way do I go? There are so many options for the new graduate baby yoga teacher. I didn't´t know where to start:
1. Look for work
2. Build your Brand
3. Take your Level 2 Yoga 300 hour teacher training
4. Take supplemental training like Aerial Yoga, Yoga Tune Up, Yoga Therapy, Curvy Yoga, etc..
5 . Assist in Workshops
6. Continue with your day job and just practice Yoga
7. Take up another system of yoga
All good choices. Lots of Possibilities. Great for your career but overwhelming for your brain. I landed in Madrid excited, ready to go with about a million ideas in my head. As the dust settled it hit me; Where the hell do i get started? I could tell you an entire story about my 1st year as a new graduate but I´ll save that for the next post. For now, Let's go over these 8 options point by point and hopefully I have given you an optimistically realistic overview of what your first year can be like. Let´s call it:
Not Just Juan Direction ( Spanish Dad Joke!)
1. Look for Work
A Fine Choice! Get that ball rolling and make some monehh! The good thing about this is you start teaching right away, you earn right away, which means you start getting your ROI ( Return of Investment) ASAP. The bad part is that teaching is trial by fire. You can prep all you want but there will always be curveballs thrown at you during that class and there are no 2nd chances at a first impression. The advantage to this is that you´ll learn from your first day and will get better immediately for the following classes. Don´t worry about your students. They will come and go. Just worry about your evolution as a teacher. That´s all that matters.
2. Build your Brand
If you have an Instagram account then you have already started. Which takes a big chunk out of that first step. All you have to do is to streamline it. Which is easy enough but tedious. Branding yourself takes a lot of time, effort, and consistency. It takes about 5 years to really become more than just a face in the hashtags. So you will have to keep at it. Follow, like, comment and post even if you feel like no one is out there following you. Don´t fret, They are.
3. Take your Level 2 Teacher training
I know that some of my fellow Brycers have taken this route recently. It´s a good option. Hey.. If you have the finances and the vacation days for it,by all means go. The best thing about this is that you still have the previous lessons fresh in your memory, you´ve maintained that Yoga strength you´ve developed, As an added bonus__sanctuary lifestyle is an awesome bubble to be in... A few concerns though, 200 hour rigorous training is no joke on your body. Throwing yourself into another 300 hour puts you at risk for burnout and injury. So make sure you´re ready to be put through the ringer again before you commit to 30 days.
4. Take supplemental training like Aerial Yoga, Yoga Tune Up, Yoga Therapy, Curvy Yoga, etc..
This was what I did. I was always into the idea of aerials and I am sort of an adrenaline junkie so the idea of literally flying in my profession was one of my SUATMM ( Shut Up And Take My Money) moments. There are many specialisations after yoga. From Yoga for the big and beautiful to medicine, a vast horizon of options for you to investigate. Just be careful that you don´t pick a weed that´s trying to pass off as a flower. Meaning, there are a ton of BS online trainings out there that will lure you in with affordability and convenience without offering anything of substance. I learned this lesson the hard way...twice. Now to avoid this, sherlock the sh%$ out of a course by looking for forums and Facebook groups to get feedback. I even reached out to a former student through Skype. Get the good, the bad and the ugly. As an added bonus, you get a personal referral from the former alum which gives you a bit of an edge when you start training.
5. Assist in Workshops
Before I landed a studio job, I assisted in a couple of workshops for free with my Aerials teacher. This gave me a fountain of information in teaching style and syllabi creation. It also gave me a foot in the door with the studio we rented which landed me my first job. Assisting is highly recommendable because you aren´t thrown into the fire head-first so to speak. It would be more like grilling with indirect heat. In an assist job, you help with physical adjustments, getting the people to the pose, group work management, Partner work, etc. While doing all this, you get to share your experiences in the course that you feel was a teachable moment that your students benefit from. Makes sense? By the end of the workshop, I promise that you are 30% more confident to teach on your own. This adds up the more times you do it. I did 2 workshop assists before I did my first class. It turned out a bit awkward at times, but not as bad as it would have been if i didn't do anything prior to my first day.
6. Continue With Your Day Job and Just Practice Yoga
If you plan to take it slow for whatever reason, I suggest you document it on video. Whether you are practicing just for yourself or use it to gain followers and subscribers, video documentation is a must. Why? For your own practice, you´ll see where you went wrong. From there you can correct yourself. As a teacher, you can use your practice to start a vlog on youtube. You will learn editing and voiceover skills as you fit your videos for the platform of your choice. There is nothing wrong with putting things in the back burner. Sometimes, it even turns into an advantage. the bottom line is that you don´t let potential content go to waste.
7. Learn Another Type of Yoga
There are about 14 types of yoga out there, not counting the new ones that became a franchise ( aka Air, corepower, etc.). Another type of yoga would be a strong asset in your education arsenal. This is especially beneficial if you have decided where you want to be professionally. Which means a considerable amount of time in the classroom teaching. You can learn another type of yoga right away but ask yourself these questions:
- Would this type of yoga benefit my CV?
- Would this type of yoga benefit my students and my practice?
- Do i really need to train or could I fulfil all my needs with a book?
- Will I eventually get bored with it?
- Am I just using training as an excuse to stay in this safe student zone?
Ask yourself these questions first and decide.
I hope that this VERY long post has engaged you enough to make it all the way to the end of this article and that this has cleared the road ahead for you yogis out there. I´m not going to go all mommy on you and tell you which choice is the best. I will tell you that It´s a lot of work and soul searching to figure out which path to start with but once you find a few hours to do your due diligence, you will not waste your time or money in choosing the right avenue for you. Good luck!
N´ ah´mah see ya later!
Jennifer