My top highlights from my 200 hour yoga teacher training

When others I'd spoken to or other blogs I'd read online had said that completing a 200 hour yoga teacher training will likely be a transformational experience, I thought that maybe people were over-egging it a bit...Fast forward to the end of my training, and I can confidently say I get it! I learnt SO much, and with all the learning came so much personal growth. Here, I write about the highlights that made the training so transformational for me.

I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training with The House of Yoga in Putney - a seven month course which involved learning about the history of yoga, yogic philosophy, anatomy, how to teach dynamic vinyasa flows with concise and effective cueing, how to provide hands-on assists and finally, the business side of being a yoga teacher. It was an incredible, well-rounded training covering everything you need to know to embark on sharing the practice with others confidently.

The philosophy section of the course was one of my favourites - led by the wonderful Eva at LiveKarmaYoga. We took a deep dive into the ancient concepts of the subtle energy systems within the body - the Koshas, the Chakras, and the Nadi system which moves prana (our life force energy) around the body. What I found so fascinating was that these ancient concepts - originating in India thousands of years ago when there was no x-rays, no MRIs or ultrasounds, no scientific way of knowing for sure what was happening within the body - described our energy systems based entirely on feeling and intuition and do reflect what we know today to be happening inside our bodies. The Chakras mirror what we know today to be the endocrine system - a network of glands that produce and release hormones and which influence our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. What amazes me is that ancient gurus were so in tune with their bodies, minds and hearts that they didn't need any of the modern day science we have to deeply understand themselves and what they needed to thrive physcially, mentally and emotionally. The concepts of the Chakras and the Koshas offer a tangible, holistic approach to understanding where there may be imbalances within us that we can work on re-aligning to achieve a sense of harmony and better wellbeing. Since learning about these subtle energy systems, this is where I now turn for guidance when I'm not feeling my best - I can identify where there's an imbalance and know how to get myself back to a better place.

Linked with this topic, a really magical part of the course for me was the deep level of self enquiry that was woven in. Jason, the founder of The House of Yoga and a leadership coach, often led these sessions and is really gifted at posing questions in such a way that it inspires you to really unpick your mindset, limiting beliefs and feelings. In group discussions and in private journalling sessions, we were encouraged to be really vulnerable, to open up and delve into some of the things that were troubling us - on and off the mat - so we could identify ways to break through challenges and live our lives more happily, more fully and more gracefully. Ultimately, we were guided towards finding how to balance our energy systems, giving us more vitality and contentment in life.

We unpicked the different ways we react to stressors, and learnt how pranayama (breath work) and mindfulness practices, as well as our mindset, can help us to reprogram our behaviours and respond more calmly in future. At times these discussions were confronting and uncomfortable, but I have never felt a deeper understanding of who I am at my core - and from this space of awareness and understanding, I have the power to modify my reactions so that I, essentially, am a kinder, calmer, more loving person. And if you believe in karma, you'll believe that what you put out into the world, you get back.

The anatomy section with Jamie Blowers also transformed the way I think about yoga asana. I used to be so focused on the way I looked in certain poses to know if I was doing it 'right', but the more Jamie taught us about the human body, the more we came to understand that you can't always accurately judge alignment by how it looks. Our bodies - our bones, our muscles, our mobility, our flexibility - are all so different and so an asana can look totally different in two different bodies while both yogis could be accessing the benefits of the pose. For example, it's a common misconception that in Ardha Kapotasana (half pigeon pose), the front shin should be parallel to the top of the mat - probably because of how the pose can look on seasoned yogis with extremely open hips - but actually the purpose of the pose it to feel the opening of the hip flexor and the stretching of the surrounding muscles. On a deeper level, this pose can be uncomfortable and it teaches practitioners to tune inwards and find ease and softness in the discomfort. When you cue students in to this pose in a yoga class, you'll see it can look wildly different on every student in the room, but what matters is that they can feel what they're supposed to in this posture.

Asanas were never created to 'look' a certain way but to cultivate a whole host of benefits for the practitioner and ultimately lead to a greater connection to the self. While it's of course important to have guiding principles on alignment to keep students' bodies safe in yoga classes, it's just as important to empower your students to tune into their bodies and really feel whether they perhaps need to modify, go deeper or check their alignment to find the benefits of the pose.

I also learned that because of our individual bone structure, some people will simply never be able to get their heels all the way down in a downward facing dog. Some people (and I think myself included) will always be on tiptoes in a skandasana. Some people with larger vertebrae will not be able to access backbends as fully. The more you practice and build flexibility and mobility, the closer you may get to these things, but you can't do anything to alter the size of your bones and this can simply impact your range of movement. Once we understand this, our whole idea of what it means to be 'good' at yoga is challenged, as is the concept that you can be 'good' or 'bad' at yoga at all. This is a message I want to carry through in all of my classes - encouraging students to find the expression of the pose which is right for their body and to let go of what their ego is telling them a 'good' yogi would do.

The YTT grads with our vision boards!

Another aspect of the training that I loved and which transformed my mindset was the final weekend and the way that it came to a celebratory close. We created personal vision boards with everything we wanted to see in our futures over the next few years. Everyone's idea of a fulfilled future looked different - mine included images of a mother and daughter practicing yoga together, images of travel, my favourite UK beaches, asanas I'm still working on (mainly inversions), and images of the types of yoga classes I wanted to teach. It helped to give us focus and turn fear of the unknown next steps into excitement for where those next steps could lead us. My vision board is now the screensaver on my laptop - always manifesting!

Of course, a HUGE highlight for me is the friends for life that I made on the course. We were a group of 20 female yogis, and the wholly supportive, nurturing energy of the group was genuinely incredible. Teaching each other became so much fun because you had 19 other students (plus the teachers) who were cheering you on every time it was your turn to guide them through a sequence. We challenged each other and kindly gave constructive feedback after teaching sessions because we wanted (and still want) each other to succeed - and we shouted about the ways others in the group inspired us. We each wrote letters of gratitude to every other student on the course and shared them on our graduation day. Some of the friends I made have really helped me to grow and they are still the best support system as we all try to navigate teaching and sharing yoga out in the wild!

I very nearly backed out of the training because I was so nervous and the imposter syndrome was screaming 'you can't do this'! I didn't back out thanks to the support of my husband and family who repeatedly reassured me that in fact, I could do it! My confidence grew hugely from that first day in Putney, and by graduation I rest totally assured that I was on the right path. The 200 hour training with The House of Yoga WAS transformational. We learned to teach - and to teach really well and confidently, we learned about anatomy, history, philosophy, business, and SO much more. And I believe I'll forever feel that it's the best decision I've ever made for myself!

There were so many highlights that I could have written pages and pages on - these are just a few! If you're thinking of starting your teacher training or have any questions about The House of Yoga's course, send me a message!

A special thanks to all the people who made the training what it was -

• Jason Pooley - founder and owner of The House of Yoga, leadership coach and yoga teacher. Jason led half of the course weekends, along with Maryann, and has created the most incredible community through The House of Yoga and its trainings.

• Maryann Huyhn - yoga teacher and part of The House of Yoga family. Maryann led half of the weekends along with Jason, and specialises in teaching other teachers how to provide incredible assists to their students. She's also an incredible yoga teacher herself and brought humour and light to every weekend.

• Emma Saunders - yoga teacher and teacher trainer at Simply Self Care, and part of The House of Yoga family. Emma leads the assisting course with Maryann, and has her own company in Wales. She's another fabulous yoga teacher.

• Eva Thomson - senior yoga teacher and founder of Live Karma Yoga - Eva led the philosophy section of our course, and has set up a truly inspirational company which brings yoga to vulnerable communities around London.

• Jamie Blowers - yoga teacher, reformer pilates teacher and anatomy specialist - Jamie led the anatomy section of our course and his knowledge and expertise blew us all away!