Have you ever considered a pranayama teacher training or immersion for yourself? Whether you’re a yoga teacher or you’re a student of yoga, pranayama is a truly special part of yoga. In today’s blog, I’ll be sharing more about pranayama in the format of a teacher training or immersion. That way, when you’re ready to do a pranayama teacher training, you have all the information, checklists, red flags etc…listed here so you can make the best decision for yourself.
What is a pranayama teacher training?
Most credible yoga teacher training will cover some amount of pranayama (or so I hope). But the truth is there’s a LOT of ground to cover in a 200 hour yoga teacher training. There are also high quality & sub-standard yoga teacher trainings. I would say it really depends on the credibility of the lead trainers, the studio culture & the intention behind creating the yoga teacher trainings.
But most yoga teacher training even with the best intentions will only briefly touch upon how to breathe in asana & add a few notes about pranayama. But it’s never enough. Just learning how to breathe in asana isn’t the full picture of pranayama. In fact, it hardly is.
How best to study pranayama?
There are many ways in which you can study pranayama. The 3 most obvious ways would be…
- Svadhyaya (self-study) – read books, self study, watch online videos etc…
- Attend class series, workshops with credible teachers
- Do an immersive pranayama teacher training
What to look for in a pranayama teacher training?
If you want to do a pranayama teacher training, doing it right matters. Here are 3 must consider options.
Lead teacher, lead teacher, lead teacher…
Most people jump over this aspect & go straight to the pranayama syllabus & what’s going to be covered. But you must put your lead trainer or the main teacher under a microscope. Look at their experience, ask who their teachers or lineages of yoga are, find out how long they’ve been doing & teaching pranayama. What their approach is when they teach pranayama? Ask all your questions.
The lead teacher in yoga teacher training has a tremendous influence on how you view the world. They have a direct impact on the kind of yoga teacher you will turn out to be. Don’t fall for heavy discounts, fancy marketing & new-age sales tactics. Remember you’ll only do this once in your life so take your time to find the right one for you.
If your lead teacher is qualified, they will not hide or hesitate to share any details or answer any questions with you. If you can’t get attention at the start of the training, imagine what will happen during the training.
Transparency – Ask what is not covered in the syllabus
If training is credible, all details should be visible upfront. But to be truly sure look a little further. Because no pranayama teacher training can cover it all. If your lead doesn’t admit this -then it’s a red flag. They should be able to tell you what’s not covered & why as well.
Post pranayama teacher training support
Have you wondered what makes a good versus great yoga teacher training?
Great yoga teacher training will give you post-training support. Not just a yearly get-together but well-thought-out graduate support. Because studying yoga & teaching yoga are two different worlds. Look for a pranayama teacher training that offers clear post-training support.
For example, in my pranayama teacher training, the students have 4 zoom alumni calls. The dates are given ahead of time & there’s an agenda for each call. This is spaced out over the course of the year post-training. This helps them navigate teaching pranayama in the real world. They also have support after this & can return to training free of cost for a lifetime.
If you can’t find that, then explore mentorship & support clubs like the mindful yoga teachers club.
Pranayama teacher training online or recorded?
Honestly, this is a tricky one to answer. As we learn differently. I personally enjoy live training because it keeps me more accountable as a student. Plus I love the live interaction & thoughtful conversations, teaching moments & questions that arise spontaneously. Some people prefer a self-paced learning environment. But it does lack accountability.
For me, seeing & being in the presence of the teacher matters. I offer live training with access to content for a full year after training. See what works best for you.
I hope this gives you a good insight into what to look for when looking for pranayama yoga teacher training. If you’re ready to explore mine – head to Aham Yoga to know more.
