Can a Yoga Teacher Training be more than learning to teach?
- Helen C
- Jun 1
- 7 min read
I don’t know if I want to teach, should I join a Yoga Teacher Training?
In short, yes! There are so many reasons to commit yourself to a Yoga Teacher Training beyond building yoga into a profession. Many of our students begin the program unsure if they even want to teach yoga afterwards. The Off Grid Yoga School's training is as much about crafting and focusing your own practice as it is about how to share that practice with others. This approach, accompanied by lots of yoga philosophy, can often change how you view your own lifestyle and yoga practices in profound ways.
Much of the training is about learning to know yourself better. Our society is starting to become more and more aware of how integral a healthy nervous system is to a balanced life and the Therapeutic Hatha Yoga we practice during the training is an incredibly powerful tool to help stay regulated through tough moments.
Three weeks and 200 hours is a hard pattern to break
Yoga Teacher Training at Cara Creek is intense by design. The days are full and the practice is challenging, but that’s exactly what helps build strong habits during the three weeks you’re with us. There’s something about living so close to nature that allows you to be more authentic, more raw, more honest. You and your course mates have the retreat center to yourselves for the entirety of the training and the simplicity with which you live, surrounded by the sounds of the river and the trees, helps peel back the layers of your practice.
During your three weeks with us, we ask you to live as clean as possible. When our bodies are full of toxins, it can be difficult to avoid falling back on old patterns and conditioning, so we ask that you refrain from sugar or caffeine during the training and that you stay off of your devices as much as possible. Yoga Teacher Training is meant to be a break from everyday life & we find that these actions can lead to far greater clarity during your course.
Overcoming dis-ease and confidently holding space
Therapeutic Hatha Yoga, which you can read about in our earlier blog post (link below), focuses on our ability to find softness in strength, ease in stability. It trains your nervous system as much as it trains your body. It can be quite a confronting experience to first practice THY, but it’s important to remember that you don’t need to be flexible or strong (that will come), you just have to be curious about what’s inside of you and what the practice will bring up.
We like to say that Therapeutic Hatha Yoga helps overcome dis-ease. When your nervous system is dysregulated, everything else feels the effects. Your digestion and blood pressure can be affected and your ability to listen to your own body is thrown off as well, creating a lack of safety. When your nervous system doesn’t feel safe, it can wreak havoc on the rest of your body and when you’re holding space whilst teaching it’s essential to be regulated yourself. If you’re not, it’s impossible to be conscious of and create a space that people will feel safe in. We all feel each other energetically, whether we’re aware of it or not, so if the leader of a class or retreat is dysregulated themselves, the feeling of unsafety will trickle down to the participants.
Yoga is a practice that asks us to build consciousness, build awareness, and move past the ego. How can we expect this of our students if we don’t expect it of ourselves?
This is why a large part of our training focuses on building a personal Therapeutic Hatha Yoga practice. We feel that you can only discover how to share with others what you’ve practiced yourself. The better you know your own mind and body, the more confident and comfortable you will be at sharing a practice with and holding a space in which your students can flourish. While you’ll learn to teach more versatile Hatha & Vinyasa practices that will be much more recognized in western studios, it’s a foundation in Therapeutic Hatha Yoga that will make you a capable, adaptable and confident teacher.
Remaining a Student while becoming the Teacher
During the last week of your training with us, we talk a lot about integrating what you’ve learned with us into the life you’ll return to. It would be unrealistic to expect all of our students to suddenly move off grid and embrace the exact way of living you experienced with us. What’s more important, is figuring out how to hold onto as much of our teaching as possible as you move through the world around you, whatever that world may be.
Once you bring this into your life, you’ll share it in whatever way you feel called to do so. Some people confidently and capably dive straight into teaching after their training with us, but we’ve also had people return to corporate jobs after their time with us and find that everything feels different. What’s important is to return with health and clarity so that you can integrate back into old patterns in a more aware way. Our society thrives on people not being conscious and it can feel a bit rebellious to do the opposite, but leading a more conscious life is essential to maintaining health and wellbeing.
People often describe the Yoga Teacher Training at Cara Creek as a huge gift to themselves. You’re not only investing the time to step back out into the world with a Yoga Alliance accredited qualification, you’re investing the time to step back out into the world as a better version of yourself with the tools to constantly evolve and flourish through whatever comes your way.
Should I join a Yoga Teacher Training? Our Graduates say Yes!
"This was one of the best experience of my life!! If you are looking for a Yoga Teachers Training in an intimate environment this is the place for you! A small group of trainees, each one gets personal attention, each one is seen. The small group also allowed a unique bond between us the students and our AMAZING teachers. Ashley and Isaac are amazing, experienced, caring and professional teachers. We also had a variety of teachers teaching other aspects of yoga, so we got a chance to experience different styles of yoga and teaching styles. And Cara Creek is absolutely the best place to go deep in to yoga. Being off greed supports the journey. The place is SO beautiful, being close to nature, hearing the river every morning- a dream! Big shout out to Hannah who cooked us amazing food everyday!" - Dana Zamir, Summer 2024 Graduate
"This place is simply amazing. Heaven on earth. It's very peaceful, beautiful, and mostly the staff there is the best. I was there 3 weeks in august 23 for a yoga teacher training course and I had such a special time. I feel blessed to have received all theses amazing teachings, the teachers are so inspiring, present for us, caring... I couldn't recommend this place more. Don't hesitate. It will change your life. Also, Hannah, the cook is a true fairy! The food is so delicious, healthy and fresh. Thank you Ashley and Rory for opening your magical space to us. My heart is filled with love, gratefulness and joy. With all my love" - Emily, 2023 Graduate
Huge recommendation for everyone to come here! I have just spent 3 weeks at this magical place for a yoga teacher training and am completely amazed. This paradise is situated in the midst of nature and is a wonderful place to find a little peace and calm your mind. Falling asleep and waking up to the gentle sound of the creek, bathing in a twinkling starry sky at night and swimming in the water during the day. Ashley and Rory are super lovely, warm hosts who made me feel very welcome. The training itself is rich and covers not only physical practice but also meditation, philosophy, mantras, kirtan, ... and so much more. Nothing is left to be desired! It was a deep journey into yoga. Thanks to the small group size, each student receives individual attention. During our time there, we grew together like a family and were able to learn so much with and from each other. The teachers are always there for anyone who needs anything. I would choose this place again at any time - and am already looking forward to coming back! :) - Elisa, Spring 2024 Graduate
I have just completed my 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training at Cara Creek Eco Lodge, and I highly recommend it. Whether you are considering teaching or want to deepen your understanding of what Yoga is, Ashley and all the teachers at Cara Creek will make this experience unique and truly life changing. During your 3 weeks there, you will live as part of a close-knit community completely immersed in nature and everything has been thoroughly thought through to give you a taste of what it means to live a yogic life. It is so much more than a yoga teacher training, it is a journey through your mind, body and soul. Added bonus- the food is absolutely to die for- Hannah, the wonderful chef, always creates the most wonderful meals, snacks and cakes to keep you going! - Marion, Summer 2024 graduate
I participated in a YTT course in July 2022. There are no words to describe the experience! The location - the proximity to nature, water and the moon were inspiring. The teachers were professional, the content was varied and enriching and the timetable was well planned and combined experience, learning and enrichment. I felt a connection to the other participants and in the same breath I had an empowering experience for myself. I strongly recommend coming to the Cara Creek Eco lodge and taking part in the yoga teacher training course. - Adi, 2022 Graduate
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