Yoga Teacher Training Wasn't Life-Changing—And That's OK

Before beginning my 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) last year, I thought about it for years. It made sense from several standpoints. Favored teachers suggested the journey, my career as a freelance writer encouraged additional sources of income, and I have always been here for transformative growth—which is what everyone promised YTT would bring.

“You won’t be the same person you were when you started,” effused one friend.

“Get ready to see the world in a completely different way!” warmly warned another.

“It’s like someone turned the lights on,” said a trusted teacher.

Several months and a certificate later, I am here to say I am—for better or for worse—the same exact human being I was when I signed up for YTT. Life may have demanded that I evolve (as it does, and does, and does), but YTT felt like little more than an intensive course of study.

I have been practicing on and off for nearly 20 years and seeking for even longer—reading texts, getting lost in nature, and traveling the world in an attempt to unfurl the mystical nature of being. This may explain why the existential overhaul I was tentatively prepared for never quite came. Digging into the concepts of yoga was more affirming than revelatory.

Let me be clear: the experience was valuable and entirely worthwhile. Along with a deep dive into the physical and philosophical elements of yoga, our cohort was encouraged to practice self-inquiry and share our findings in a safe container. It was amazing and vulnerable and very helpful. But did it rock my world? Did it prompt a tectonic shift of the ground on which I’ve built my life? Alter the way I see and feel and understand the Universe? No, no it did not.

This was not the experience of everyone in my group. For some, YTT was an opportunity to view life in a wholly new way, and that transmutation was palpable and a joy to witness.

My advice? Set aside the experiences and declarations of others and allow your YTT to be what it is. If a personal overhaul occurs therein, fantastic! A spiritual awakening? Amazing! But it’s totally OK if your teacher training is just that: preparation to better guide students through a yoga class.

When it comes to yoga, the learning truly never stops. Like many who have come before me, my 200-hour YTT taught me that I have so much more to learn—and that I can pursue that knowledge just as I am.