Why I Quit a 200 HR Yoga Teacher Training

In January 2017, I was super stoked to begin my 200 hour yoga teacher training. I tend to always talk and never put action to my words. This time I actually took the initiative, paid the deposit and showed up… for the first day at least.

Let me explain that at the time I had a lot of things going on. I was trying to focus on too much at the same time. I was trying to build an e-commerce business, which in itself is a ton of work and trying to focus more on my blog. All while doing whole30, which for someone who has never once dieted or consciously restricted their diet, took a ton of mental discipline to be honest. Wiped me pretty clean when it came to will power, that was about all I could handle.

But I read all the information about the trainings, they were basically 2-3 times a month, on the weekends (ALL DAY) but you were done within 6 months. And someone who LIVES for those summer and spring weekends, I was a little apprehensive about that too, since the trainings would last through mid June.

I figured sacrificing the weekends to get to learn more about something I love wouldn’t be so bad. Plus, I’d have the training done quickly but wouldn’t get in the way of my 9-5.

Oh, the training also cost $2400, which is actually a relatively cheap yoga teacher training. But for someone who lives paycheck to paycheck and trying to become debt free, the idea of having to put $400.00 dollars a month on my credit card wasn’t sitting well.

I wanted to give it a fair shot and at least “try”. So I showed up bright and early ready to take on the challenge. The first few hours were fine, I was like okay cool I can do this. I realized though by the end of the first day that I just wasn’t in the mind space to be doing this right now and really couldn’t even afford it. With everything else I was wanting to focus on, it felt too much to sacrifice a majority of my weekends in the next 6 months.

And if I’m being totally honest, I wasn’t vibin’ with the accordion singing and chanting we did haha!

I had just realized by the end of the class, this wasn’t the route I needed to go right now. So I let the instructor know that I just had too much going on at the time and wouldn’t be continuing. She was super sweet and wanted to text with me to make sure it wasn’t something more than that. I assured her it was just me and not the right timing, and that I would probably try it again when I wasn’t as busy. Luckily the instructor is allowed me to use the $400.00 deposit with a different workshop.

By then end of the weekend, I had decided that for now I will be doing the YogaFit teacher training instead. This training has a module system that has trainings all over that allow you to complete levels or classes one weekend at a time, at your own pace. So you aren’t stuck in it for 3 weeks or 6 months of weekends. It actually is at your own pace.

So now my plan is to sign up for one nearby in Tallahassee, in April. I plan to do the level 1 training, teach my free community classes and go from there. I have actually read that some people have spent thousands of dollars and given up their time to realize they don’t even like teaching. Sincerely hoping that is not the case for me, but you never actually know until you try.

If I enjoy teaching the community classes, I will likely continue training to get my 200 hr certification either with YogaFit or another yoga school I also found in Tallahassee, that is one weekend a month. This training is also a bit more flexible and cheaper.

My advice to you if you are looking into Yoga teacher training, is to find a training that makes the most sense for your life. You have a ton of options out there, just take your time to research the school, training schedule, costs, and the classes. Do what makes most sense for you!

New to my blog or yoga? You may enjoy these posts:
Choosing the Right YTT for YOU
How to Create and At Home Practice
How to Motivate Yourself to Workout Consistently
5 Reasons to Start Practicing Yoga
6 Things to Do Before Yoga Class

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