My favourite courses for yoga teachers & students
As a yoga teacher and student, I’m always looking for ways to deepen my knowledge of the practice and to better serve my students.
The following courses are online aside from one which is in-person. All are great not just for yoga teachers but also for yoga students, too, and all of them have an element of joining/building a community which is so important, not just for yoga teachers but for everyone!
Creating Sequencing with Sarah White
online, self-paced, group calls, community Facebook group
For: Teachers who already have some experience teaching students in group or private clients, new teachers who are wanting to do additional training before putting themselves out there, and also students looking to understand more about sequencing a flow / self practice which feels amazing!
I was part of the first group who took this course with Sarah in-person but it’s now available online for students anywhere in the world!
This course really changed how I plan my classes, and how I teach them. After finishing my 200 hours, I felt confident to teach the basic elements of a class but coming up with my own sequences felt challenging, especially as my first yoga job was at a gym where the sequences for hatha, power, and yin yoga were provided for us daily.
I took this course 18 months into my teaching journey and for me it came at the perfect time. The online course means you can revisit aspects of the course, something I’d love to do now after applying my learning for over a year, and unlike most online courses – you can submit a video of your teaching fo Sarah’s feedback. This was one of the elements I found the most helpful, to have constructive feedback about my word choice, cuing and demoing while I taught.
You can find out more about the course here, and practice one of Sarah’s flows on YouTube here.
Restorative Yoga Teacher Training with Joanne Smallwood
in-person, small group learning
For: Teachers looking to add a new class to their offering in studios and privates, students who have taken a few restorative classes and want to learn more about the science behind the practice, and be able to create their own classes at home.
Joanne’s next restorative yoga teacher training is taking place 12-16 April 2023, so there’s plenty of time to clear your schedule and book.
The training takes place over five days and this is one of those courses which just has to be in-person as you not only experience restorative yoga in a group setting, but also learn how to set up students in the poses, and practice teaching a class. This is one of my favourite courses, Joanne is an excellent teacher, the course is so well-paced and well-structure, and I’ve since started teaching restorative classes as an offering, and incorporating restorative practices into my private classes. I wrote a full review of the course right after taking it, here.
Institute of Integrative Nutrition Health Coach Training Programme
online, self-paced, group calls, Facebook group for your intake
For: Yoga teachers looking to add a coaching offering, anyone looking to learn more about health, wellbeing and supporting themselves and others in their lives.
I loved this course as a complement to my first yoga teacher training. IIN’s course looks at health holistically, and also teaches skills in coaching clients including active listening, asking the right questions and providing support from a place of confidence and safety as a coach.
I’ve found this knowledge and skills so helpful not just in my day to day life, but also in my private yoga classes where students can often come to a class with more than just wanting to try / practice yoga. This course also gave me the confidence to explain, price and structure my offerings properly, and led me to more learning on parts of the course which particularly interested me like spirituality, ayurvedic practices and female hormonal health. You can try a sample class here.
Hypermobile Yogis by Adell Bridges and Celest Pereira
online, self-paced, Facebook group support
For: Yoga teachers and students with hypermobility, yoga teachers looking to identify / support students with hypermobility
I took this online course last year and found it SO helpful. As someone who has always been very flexible, certain yoga practices have never needed much work / effort to get into, while others which require strength have seemed impossible. This course helped me understand how to engage certain muscles and find integrity in my poses, while protecting myself against future injuries. I love that Celest is a physio and is able to explain anatomy in a way which is fun and approachable.
I’ve also found this course super helpful when I come across an ultra-bendy student!
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Let me know any other courses I should try in the comments! I love learning more about things I’m passionate about and I’m definitely looking forward to taking some more teacher trainings and courses in 2023…