Taking the Leap: Am I Ready for a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training?

Have you been thinking about doing a 200-hour yoga teacher training, but keep talking yourself out of it?

Maybe you wonder whether you're experienced enough.

Maybe you don't think your yoga practice is advanced enough.

Perhaps you can't do a headstand, handstand or forearm balance and assume that means you're not “yoga teacher material”.

Or maybe you're asking yourself:

“Am I ready to become a yoga teacher?”

If any of this sounds familiar, I want to tell you something:

You don't have to be able to stand on your head to start your yoga teacher training.

I know this because, over 13 years ago, I was exactly where you might be now.

“I'm not good enough to become a yoga teacher.”

For years, I went back and forth about whether I should do my yoga teacher training.

I loved yoga. I was attending classes regularly and was fascinated by what I was learning. More importantly, I was beginning to notice how much yoga was changing the way I experienced my everyday life.

But I didn't think I was good enough.

At the time, I had fallen into the trap of thinking that being a yoga teacher meant being able to perform advanced yoga poses.

I couldn't balance on my arms.

I certainly couldn't demonstrate all the impressive postures I was seeing.

So I assumed there must be some sort of physical milestone I needed to reach before I could consider becoming a yoga teacher.

Looking back, I realise how completely I had misunderstood what yoga really is.

Yoga is so much more than the physical postures

One of the most important things I discovered was that asana – the physical postures – is only one of the eight limbs of yoga.

In Patanjali's eight-limbed path, asana is the third limb, alongside practices including yama, niyama, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and samadhi.

And that completely changed my perspective.

Because when I thought about what yoga had actually given me, it wasn't my ability to perform a particular posture that came to mind.

It was everything that happened off the mat.

Yoga taught me to go with the flow a wee bit more.

It taught me to pause.

To stop.

To notice my breath.

To become aware of how I was breathing when I felt stressed.

At the time, I was working in a demanding role in social care, and I found that my yoga practice helped me feel less irritable, more grounded and more connected to myself.

It gave me a sense of calm.

It helped me turn my attention inwards.

And I began to realise that this was what I wanted to share with other people.

Not how to perform the most advanced yoga pose.

But how yoga could become a meaningful practice for everyday life.

I wanted to go deeper into yoga

I was attending some wonderful yoga classes, but increasingly I felt that an hour-long class only scratched the surface of everything I wanted to understand.

A teacher might mention the chakras.

We might explore some pranayama.

There might be a conversation about yoga philosophy, meditation or the wider history of the practice.

And I would leave thinking:

“I want to know more about this.”

I wanted to understand where these practices came from.

I wanted to learn more about the history and philosophy of yoga.

I wanted to understand pranayama and meditation.

I wanted to explore the subtle body and the energetic aspects of yoga.

I wanted to understand how all of these different elements connected.

And I realised that a 200-hour yoga teacher training course could give me the opportunity to really immerse myself in the practice rather than simply experiencing it for an hour at a time.

A 200-hour yoga teacher training can deepen your own practice

Another thing that mattered to me was that, at the time, I could only attend one or two yoga classes each week.

But I really felt that I would benefit from having yoga as a more regular part of my life.

Teacher training gave me the knowledge and confidence to develop a home yoga practice.

I learned how to structure a yoga sequence – beginning with warming the body, moving into the main practice and more dynamic postures, and then gradually bringing the body back down towards cooling and relaxation.

Learning about yoga sequencing meant I could begin to create practices for myself rather than always relying on someone else to guide me through a class.

And it didn't have to be an hour.

It could be 10 minutes.

Ten minutes of movement.

Ten minutes of breathing.

Ten minutes of meditation.

The important thing was that I had begun to understand how to practice yoga for myself.

And that is one of the reasons I believe a 200-hour yoga teacher training in Glasgow can be so valuable even if you're not yet sure you want to teach.

You can do it because you want to deepen your own practice.

You don't have to know that you want to teach

This is something I really want anyone considering yoga teacher training to hear.

You don't necessarily have to start your course knowing that you want to teach yoga professionally.

When I began my own 200-hour training, I wasn't even sure that I would go on to teach.

I knew that I wanted to deepen my knowledge.

I wanted to understand the roots and history of yoga and learn how to approach the practice with respect for its origins.

And as the training progressed, something changed.

We weren't even halfway through the course when I realised:

“I have to share this.”

I had begun to understand just how much yoga had influenced my life physically, emotionally and spiritually.

And I wanted other people to experience some of that too.

You don't need an advanced yoga practice to start

If you're sitting on the fence about becoming a yoga teacher, this is probably the biggest thing I want you to take away from this blog.

You do not need to be able to do advanced yoga poses before you start a 200-hour yoga teacher training.

You don't need a headstand.

You don't need a handstand.

You don't need to put your leg behind your head.

You don’t have to be skinny

And you don't need to look like a yoga teacher on Instagram.

Yoga isn't a performance.

Your physical practice is just one part of a much bigger picture.

In fact, one of the most valuable things you can learn through yoga teacher training in Glasgow is that no two bodies are the same.

Learning about anatomy can transform the way you practice

A good 200-hour yoga teacher training isn't simply about learning how to demonstrate yoga poses.

It's also about developing a deeper understanding of the human body.

You'll explore yoga anatomy and physiology, including how the musculoskeletal system works, how muscles and connective tissues contribute to movement, and how individual bodies move differently.

And this can completely change the way you approach your own yoga practice.

Instead of asking:

“How do I make my body look like this shape?”

you can start asking:

“What is happening in my body?”

“How does this movement feel for me?”

“What does my body need today?”

That's a very different approach.

And it's one that I think is incredibly important for anyone who wants to teach yoga safely, respectfully and inclusively.

And then there is everything beyond the physical body

One of the things I love about yoga is that the deeper you go, the more there is to discover.

Alongside asana, you may explore pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, the subtle body, chakras and the koshas.

In yogic philosophy, the koshas are traditionally described as five sheaths or layers through which we can explore different dimensions of our experience.

These concepts can open up a completely different way of understanding yoga.

And that was exactly what I was looking for when I started my own teacher training.

I didn't want simply to learn more yoga poses.

I wanted to understand yoga as a whole practice.

Finding the right yoga teacher training matters

When I eventually decided to take the leap, I spent a lot of time researching different yoga teacher training courses.

I wasn't looking for the cheapest course.

I wasn't looking for the flashiest course.

I was looking for something that aligned with my values.

Eventually, my own yoga teacher recommended a wonderful teacher training with Brenda Louw, who is now based in England.

The course felt right for me because it wasn't simply about what the practice looked like.

It was about what the practice felt like in your body.

It also incorporated a significant amount of Yin Yoga, which was a practice that really resonated with me.

And this experience has built the way I think about yoga teacher training in Glasgow today.

Because choosing a teacher training is a big decision.

You want to find a course that doesn't just teach you how to teach yoga, but encourages you to understand the practice more deeply and develop your own relationship with it.

So, am I ready for yoga teacher training?

Maybe.

And maybe you're not.

But I would encourage you not to let the voice in your head that says “I'm not good enough” make the decision for you.

You don't need to be the most flexible person in the room.

You don't need years of advanced yoga experience.

You don't need to know exactly where your yoga journey is going to take you.

And you don't even have to know whether you eventually want to teach.

You simply need to be curious.

Curious enough to learn.

Curious enough to explore.

Curious enough to ask questions.

And willing to take the next step.

Because your 200-hour yoga teacher training may become much more than a qualification.

It might deepen your personal yoga practice.

It might introduce you to yoga philosophy, meditation and pranayama in a way that you simply can't experience in a weekly class.

It might transform your understanding of anatomy, movement and the human body.

It might help you develop a consistent home practice.

It might lead you towards teaching.

Or it might simply give you a much richer, deeper and more well-rounded understanding of this wonderful practice.

And you don't have to know the answer before you begin.

Take the first step with Meridian Yoga & Pilates

If you've been thinking about doing your 200-hour yoga teacher training in Glasgow, but you've been sitting on the fence, talking yourself out of it or wondering whether you're “ready” – come and find out more.

At Meridian Yoga & Pilates, our 200-hour yoga teacher training in Glasgow is designed to take you deeper into the practice of yoga – exploring not only asana, but also anatomy and physiology, yoga philosophy, pranayama, meditation and the wider practices and principles that make yoga so much more than physical movement.

Whether you're considering yoga teacher training in Scotland as a pathway towards teaching, or simply want to deepen your own personal practice, this could be an opportunity to explore where your yoga journey might take you.

And there is absolutely no pressure to sign up.

Come along to our Yoga Teacher Training Information Session on Sunday 13 September.

You'll be able to find out more about the 200-hour yoga teacher training course, ask questions, meet myself (lead facilitator) and get a feel for whether the training is right for you.

There is no obligation to sign up. Just come along, find out more and see how it feels.

You don't need to commit.

You don't need to have it all figured out.

You don't even need to know if you want to become a yoga teacher.

You just need to be curious enough to take the first step.

Maybe, just like me 13 years ago, you'll discover that the thing you thought you weren't ready for is actually the beginning of something incredibly meaningful.

Your yoga journey doesn't have to start with a headstand.

There is no pressure for you to teach

It can just be a decision to learn more.