Hey everyone, I’ve been pondering the current events and am feeling deeply connected to humanity like never before. There’s really no overcoming obstacles: we go through obstacles and transform through the experience. All that we are experiencing together, the fear, anxiety, pain and suffering connects us. I pray for unity, love and peace for all of us.
I am currently putting together a whole new curriculum for our Yoga Teacher Training. We are calling our signature yoga training program the Alkaline Method ™ Yogapreneur Program. As someone who’s been a student all her life, I wanted to create a mentorship-coaching-teaching program that actually allows Yoga Practitioners to not only heal their own body, but be able to teach effectively. And then they can monetize their skills in ways that disrupt the industry norm.
The Yoga Training Industry Standard
A 200 hr minimum basic Yoga Teacher Training is the industry norm through the standards of Yoga Alliance. And once you graduate from an approved school, you receive a certificate that says you are a “Yoga Teacher.” A typical Yoga Teacher training is approximately six weeks to six months depending on the time commitment. There are programs that are full immersions where the students go away fully immersed in the training for six weeks. There are also online programs where everything is virtual. Whichever program you choose, there’s a full spectrum of training that offer a diverse way to consume the information.
But the real question is, what does a 200 hr teacher training equip you for? What does it allow you to do?
In reality, each program is highly focused on the practice of Yoga itself and perfecting the specific poses. Beyond that, there’s very little training on the anatomy, movement, physiology, injury prevention, tactile cues or special considerations. This is the industry standard, yet Yoga is touted as an effective healing modality. When in reality, the teachers who teach students are not properly equipped to help students heal.
Many Yoga teachers know this to be true. Upon graduation, they are not confident enough to teach. But, some begin teaching depending on their confidence level. Yoga has become more about how well the teacher can effectively go into and out of poses rather than paying attention to the specific needs of the students that they lead.
Yoga in Our World Today
In a fitness-obsessed world today, most students seek Yoga for its external benefit of a bendy, lithe and strong body. It is true that the physical benefits of Yoga can’t be denied. However, not so readily shared, self-introspection, exploration and self-healing are often the deeper benefits of Yoga.
As someone who has used Yoga for introspection and self-healing, my mission in life is to help as many Yogis set off on their own self-healing journey, share the experience and make a successful business out of helping people heal. As a multi-discipline trained holistic health care practitioner, the Yoga practice can be the bridge to fill the gap between telling versus showing. And it can fill the gap from making short term changes in the lives of their patients to helping their patients transform their health for life.
My 20 years in the conventional and holistic healthcare industry has taught me that we are ultimately failing our clients and patients. So much focus is on the external aspects of the discipline, practice or dogmas versus promoting the internal shift for healing.
The Holistic Health Industry
The holistic health industry is riddled with compartmentalized systems, methods and certifications that further divide the human body. I believe we are missing the point all together when we do that. It’s not effective or efficient. We cannot compartmentalize human body and experience. Yet, we’ve got psychologists for mental health, physicians for the various parts of the body, nutritionists for the foods, pharmacists for the meds, etc….
In the health and wellness industry, we have personal trainers, health coaches, nutrition coaches, nutritionists, Pilates, Orange Theory, CrossFit, P90X, hot yoga, power yoga, ashtanga yoga, you get my point. Providing the yang to the yin, we need to first look at the big picture. Our body needs to sleep, eat, move, think, feel, eliminate, metabolize and detoxify.
All the disciplines that I mentioned help with these functions. But there are underlying business models that is for profit driving ALL such disciplines.
Yoga as a Business Model
When things are in a state of unease or imbalance, we look to the medical system to “manage” our disease or symptoms. While we call this medical system the healthcare system, it’s really a disease promoting system in that it “treats” disease with emphasis on pathology and disease. The very business model depends on the patients to remain sick.
So, then we look to the other disciplines like the holistic system. We’ve made business models out of Functional Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Health or Nutrition Coaching, Yoga, Pilates, Fitness and much more with respective third-party credentialing body for quality assurance which is also driven by the “business” system.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with capitalism and business models. However, when it gets in the way of health of our nation, people, environment, etc, then we need to pull out and re-evaluate the big picture.
As a Yogi, we have yoga studios or virtual options with a myriad of different practices. But as a Yoga professional, there is very little education and training on how to effectively create a business doing what you love.
Yoga impacts our metabolism, mental health, movement, detoxification, sleep, nutrition and elimination. However, the level of training is so basic that it’s accepted as the industry standard to perpetuate the industry norm to keep Yoga teachers at the bottom of the profession with very little opportunity for growth.
Dream to Reality
Other than becoming a Yoga influencer on the social media platforms, you’d have to work really hard to go from studio to studio for an opportunity to teach. Many Yoga teachers have the certification, but they’ve accepted it as a side “gig.” They love it, but they buy into the belief that it can’t sustain their lives.
My question is why not?
My mission is to elevate Yoga practitioners to dare to dream and think big. Disrupting the industry means that we must lift the limits and hold ourselves to a higher bar. So, it starts with the educational standards.
Our Alkaline Method ™ is all about holding space for ourselves first and foremost to get clear on who we are and what and why we want to create for ourselves. Then, we can move into holding ourselves in this world to create a purpose drive life that we create for our inner vision coming from self-regard, self-respect and self-love. Only then can we extend ourselves to help others achieve what they desire.
Our Training Program
We divided the Alkaline Method ™ Yogapreneur program into three phases. The first phase is all about the inner pillars of the self where self-exploration and self-mastery is the focus for your Yoga practice.
The second phase is all about the outer pillars of sharing and exploring your gifts to others. It’s about mastering your teaching and mentoring your students and clients.
The third phase is all about therapeutics of Yoga intervention in healing and learning all about the business of Yoga to learn to create a successful business that sustains your life financially. Without clarity of what you’re creating, you’ll always revert back to the status quo. We want to disrupt the status quo of the Yoga industry to help you to find your personal power.
What You Will Gain
We believe in creating a purpose driven business with a clear goal for doing good in the world. While Yoga practice helps so many Yogis, many still struggle with creating a business for themselves. Many Yoga teachers consider Yoga their passion but accept that it can’t be a career that supports them financially. So, they end up having a different career and consider Yoga teaching as a side gig or a hobby.
We want to change that. We want to create new possibilities and opportunities for properly trained yoga practitioners to dare to make a business or career of their dreams doing what they love.
If you want to learn more or simply want to be around elevated Yogis who want to think big and breakthrough the limits of their mind, join our private Facebook group, the Tribe of Alkaline Method ™ Yogis where we elevate, challenge and uplift the practice of Yoga to a whole new level.
As a member, you will gain education and knowledge, but most importantly, applied knowledge to catapult your yoga practice and your business. In this time of uncertainty, we need more committed practitioners of Yoga to help the world heal and learn to love again.
Thanks so much for tuning in. See you all soon.