Since I’ve taken over Inlet Yoga, new yoga studios are popping up everywhere and we’re being approached by more yoga instructors than ever to potentially teach at the studio. 

The number of 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs has gone through the roof.  We ALL know this. There are more options than ever, discoverable in studios, on retreats, as immersions, in modules, as intensives, at gyms, with individual teachers in alternative spaces – the list goes on.

Options can be a beautiful thing, but they can absolutely also be a catalyst for a ton of very real concerns and questions. Here are a few that pop up on an almost daily basis from potential trainees and 200 hour graduates:

Will a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training be enough to differentiate me from other new YTTs?

Is it enough time? Will I learn to teach a safe class?

Did I absorb enough in my teacher training program to provide an educated, well-queued and well-rounded class?

Am I ready? Can I do this? 

Will I be able to get a teaching job?

When I graduated my 200-hour about 10 years ago, my fears were pretty “professional”: (1) I didn’t have much experience for my resume and (2) actually, how could I even write a resume for the yoga field? I wasn’t concerned about how to stand out and rise above a sea of fresh 200-hour trainees all looking for work in studios.

And that’s a real concern today. We are definitely in a different (yoga) world.

And yet, so many of us share a desire to keep learning. We want to know more about yoga, on the mat and off. So what’s next?

300 Hundred Hours.

Want to know why it’s worth it? Read on… 

LEARN WHILE DOING, REFRESH AND GO DEEPER

The number one thing I hear from students considering another 200-hour teacher training program (yes, a lot of us do 200 hours more than once) is that they didn’t “get” everything they needed. If your 200-hour truly is Yoga Alliance certified, then honestly you probably “got” everything, but it was just too much to learn in 200 hours on the typically compressed timelines of most 200-hour programs.

200-hour Teacher Trainings, at their core, are meant to be foundational courses. They are the beginning understanding of the depth and breadth of yoga. You are learning a different culture, learning a different language, philosophy, anatomy (physiology, kinesiology), the science of energy how to move energy thru asana (yoga shapes), mantras, mudras, pranayama (breath practice). Oh my! It is quite a lot and let’s face it this is the short list in a practice that is thousands of years old, and spans cultures.

DEVELOPMENT AND CONNECTION WITH LEADERS 

Chances are a 300-hour teacher training has teachers who are at the top of their field and recognized by the community in the area of study. The opportunity to learn and connect with as a reference and leader is invaluable experience to pull and grow from. Many 300-hour graduates are ERYT certified, continue learning, establish themselves as instructors at more well-known establishments and institutions.

SPECIALIZE YOUR CLASSES

As a yoga instructor, you know the importance of being able to teach all levels of yogis, whether they are beginners or long-time practitioners. But odds are that you have one group that you are most passionate about reaching with your message. A 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training can help you discover your unique niche by exposing you to different modalities. It’s a known fact that yoga has immense therapeutic benefits for many different groups of people. So if you have always wanted to reach out to the senior adult community, show kids how to play in yoga, help people rehab from injury, be a part of someone’s prenatal care, or lead people on a path to healing through trauma sensitive yoga than a 300-hour teacher training program may be for you.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

The old adage is true: “Practice makes perfect.” But should read “practice makes better” And while yoga isn’t about being perfect (that’s why it’s called a “practice!”), the more you teach, the better you should become at it, based on both your experience and what you’ve learned in the educational programs you’ve taken part in.

One of the most valuable aspects of a 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training is that you get to practice what you’re learning while you’re learning it. 

UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN TEACHING AND LEADING A CLASS

When you have the confidence and the well of information from informed grounded education you are able to deliver a class to whoever is present in the room and not just what you planned out. You can adapt, change, and serve in the moment and not from a script in essence.

You’ll be able to have a broader influence and shine the light of the yogic path to more people with the skills you’ll learn at your training.

CONNECTIONS WITH FELLOW TEACHERS THAT LAST A LIFETIME

Never do we make more beautiful connections then when we are children. Unless as an adult you do yoga teacher trainings, they are the type of connections that can last a lifetime, and change your life; not family members, work acquaintances, college associates, etc. Truly fellow yogis are the best family we can have.

BECOME A LEADER

 A 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training is hands-down the best way to advance your career as a teacher. Not only will you learn more about building an ethical, sustainable business during A 300-HR program, but you’ll also get a leg up on other teachers who only have a 200-Hour training under their belt.

The knowledge you’ll gain during your advanced training will equip you with the tools to host international retreats, teach more in-depth classes, open your own studio, resort, or therapy center. This is the best thing you can do for yourself as a professional yoga instructor!

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Interested in Learning more and doing a 300-hour Teacher Training? Inlet Yoga is announcing and hosting a pay as you go 300-Hour Teacher Training Program beginning in January 2020.  Learn more by contacting Jennifer Vafakos at jennifer@inletyoga.com.

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Jennifer Vafakos began practicing yoga regularly in 2008 in NYC.

Though Jennifer started years earlier it wasn’t until she met a a group of yoga instructors that changed her life and where she become a serious yoga practitioner and student. Registered with Yoga Alliance at the ERYT500 level and YACEP, Jennifer currently runs a yoga studio, leads weekly classes, yoga teacher trainings, workshops and international retreats. In 2016 Jennifer left a 20 year career in Fashion Design and purchased Inlet Yoga from Emma Clagett in Manasquan, NJ. In 2019 Jennifer founded a podcast with New Jersey Yoga Collective’s Bridget Riepl called “Here for Savasana.” 

In her weekly classes you will notice a strong influence of Jennifer’s Laughing Lotus training (Dana Trixie Flynn), with layers and influence of Katonah Yoga (as taught by Nevine Michaan) and Seasonal Yoga. Jennifer will reference and inform on alignment, healthy transitioning between shapes, themes of seasons, cycles discovering and uncovering human existence and of layering in music, poetry and laughter in her classes, trainings, and workshops.

She believes yoga is for everyone, and gives you the ultimate tools to engage life fully to recreate and work towards your potential to heal and live well as we age. 

Jennifer’s Training Background includes over 1,000 plus hours of formal Yoga Teacher Training, and more:

Baron Baptiste 100hr

Laughing Lotus- 200 hr, 300 hr (twice)

Laughing Lotus India- study of Bhakti and advanced asana- 100hr

Katonah Yoga- currently working towards 200 hr certification

Ayurveda Foundations- Dr Claudia Welch (current) 

What Jennifer is working on now for you and launching soon!

Lead trainer for Inlet Yoga’s 200 RYT Teacher Training 2016, 2017, Year Long Seasonal Yoga 200 Hour 2018 to 2019 and launching again in 2020 (student signups currently being accepted)

Lead Trainer 300 RYT Inlet Yoga launching in 2020

Retreat 2019 and launching again in 2020 in Costa Rica

Here for Savasana Podcast founded in 2019

Regular Blog contributor New Jersey Yoga Collective

Beginner Video Online series Inlet Yoga launching late 2019