Meet Maya George – a recent graduate of the Yoga For All Teacher Training program.
Maya graduated from a standard 200-hour yoga teacher training program and she was ready to start sharing yoga with others. But, Maya recognized that her journey was a unique one.
“I know what I look like, I know what I need from my practice, and a lot of the local studios just weren’t catering to that.”
As a student, Maya often felt ‘othered’ and generally left out of the standard one size fits all approach offered at her local yoga studios.
“Here’s how yoga was presented to me: “Okay, here’s the full expression of the pose. You should be working towards that. And anything else is considered a “failure. That would never be said… but that was definitely the vibe.”
Maya was looking for something different. She wanted a sustainable yoga practice that left her feeling empowered and recognized. And if she felt underrepresented in her local yoga studios, than surely other students felt the same way.
“…There really are people who want a certain type of yoga. There are people who want a more inclusive, accessible and comfortable yoga practice.”
Here’s what Maya had to say about how the Yoga For All Teacher Training changed the way she teaches and practices yoga:
What drew you to the Yoga For All Teacher Training?
“I [wanted] to make sure that I [was] confident in my ability to help people and to offer assistance and adjustments. I really wanted to make people feel comfortable with their practice. I really wanted to make sure that people could get the most out of their practice.”
What was your biggest “a-ha” moment during your Yoga For All Teacher Training?
“What really resonated with me was the ‘Bus Stop’ teaching method. I didn’t know that was a thing – I had never heard of it before, and certainly none of the teachers that had taught me had used that before.
[The Bust Stop Method] reminded me how I instinctively walked through the final exam in my original 200-hour yoga teacher training program. It really clicked for me that yes, it’s true, there really are people out there like me, or who want the same kind of yoga that I want.
How has the Yoga For All Teacher Training affected your ability to find employment as a yoga teacher?
“I very recently picked up an Every Body Yoga class at a local yoga studio. It’s a class geared to people in every kind of body, but is really geared to people in bigger bodies specifically. What’s great about this class is that I can go into the class confidently, and know that I can create a sequence based off of what I already know from the Yoga For All Teacher Training.
The Yoga For All Teacher Training taught me that there are so many more options…after completing the Yoga For All Teacher Training, I learned how to be prepared with so many more options for poses and sequences that cater to whoever is in the room.
I can walk [into my class] with about three or four plans in my mind, but if I walk in and the students who are practicing want or need something that isn’t appropriate with what I had originally had in mind, I can now just think on my feet and I can confidently know exactly what to do next.
I know that whatever I offer my class will be inclusive, and no one is going to feel left out, different, or ‘othered’. We can all enjoy the class and have a really great experience.
Want to hear more about Maya’s experience in the Yoga For All Teacher Training Program? Check out the full-length interview below.
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