I am a certified yoga instructor. I write this because when people call me to inquire about yoga lessons, they never ask. They don’t ask about my education at all in regards to my yoga teachings. I get asked how much does it cost and about schedule. The scheduling of course I understand and I do about the cost as well, don’t get me wrong. I know so much now about how little a brand new yoga teacher actually does not know, yes that’s right does not know. When I was a new teacher, I knew right away that I had to keep studying because there was so much to learn. I have been teaching for 12 years and I have never stopped studying, reaching out, trying to learn as much as I could and quite frankly I will never stop. This is a self motivated, situation however and I am not mandated to continue my education. There is only one governing body and there guidelines are in my opinion a bit off. I hope people start to think more about what you are letting any fitness professional do with you. We are working with a human body that in reality is so strong, yet so fragile. We are vastly complex, different and ever changing and there are a plethora of things that can be helped and a plethora of things that can go wrong.
The next time you go to any class, look for a private yoga teacher or trainer, I encourage you to ask lots and lots of questions about their training. I encourage you to have a detailed conversation about what they do with their own bodies and if they have any issues. If anyone says they are great and have never had any problems, I say run for the hills, because everyone has issues and things that are off from time to time. It is those of us that are honest about it and have tools to aid in the recovery process and injury prevention that I want to work with. It is through vast amounts of learning, practicing and yes living in a human body that has helped me in my own body and has allowed me to share these vast amounts of information. I have to walk the walk and talk the talk, meaning if I don’t practice what I preach, how good can I really be. Anyone who knows me in regards to my yoga practice knows I not only geek out on anatomy, but spend so much time being my own Ginny pig. I play around with ideas and different healing modalities endlessly to bring that to someone else.
Yes, I am a proud certified yoga professional who will never stop learning, sharing, practicing and trying to feel good in my one and only body!