If you want to become a yoga instructor, one of the most exhilarating, life-changing opportunities is doing a yoga teacher training abroad. Regardless of whether or not you want to teach, international teacher training is one of the best ways to immerse yourself and transform your personal practice. There are tons of benefits to doing your teacher training internationally.
I remember when I was researching my teacher training, I was nervous to make the leap to go abroad. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions of my life. I feel much more advanced than the students that trained here in the states. It feels like the immersive, exotic experience allowed the yoga to sink in just a little deeper. Here are some of the benefits:
Immersive experiences allow you to go deeper
One of the knocks on the weekend programs is you don’t really get very deep. Yoga is very nuanced, and to really live it requires your full attention. That’s hard to do when you have to go back to work on Monday. With an immersive experience, you can go much, much deeper. This leaves you with a much stronger foundation for practice that will keep you inspired for years or decades to come. The international training is typically all-inclusive, which means you don’t have to worry about cooking, travelling around, doing laundry, or cleaning your room. All you have to do is focus on yoga, all day.
It’s a much better value
I remember when I began searching for my training, I had this perception that doing it internationally would be significantly more expensive. When you add it all up, that is not the case at all. Part-time and weekend training range anywhere from $3,000-$5,000, and that only includes the training materials.
The all-inclusive, international programs are typically the same price range but include all your food, accommodations at a resort, and course materials. At The East West Institute, our training are truly all-inclusive at a luxury resort in Bali, for the same price as a weekend training in the states. We also offer payment plans which allow students to pay as little as $500 / month for their training, making it accessible to most people.
Leaving the country opens you up
Anyone who has ever travelled abroad knows the feeling of being fundamentally changed by travelling. This is a perfect environment to learn yoga, which requires an open mind. Travelling can make you a blank slate. Not to mention that when you are done, you are in a beautiful, foreign country with dozens of new life-long soul friends, with nothing to do but explore and live in the bliss created by your training.
Detaching from your current life allows you to create a new routine
It’s difficult to learn new things when stuck in your current routine. Yoga is a path of discipline, and naturally, you’re going to have to change many of your habits to continue going deeper. When you get out of your living environment, naturally you’ll be more open to allowing new information to come in.
It’s much, much easier to go through this process if you aren’t surrounded by all your old triggers– friends, family, work, partners, etc. In one sense, going abroad for your teacher training is like going to rehab, where you get a chance to clear all the toxic things out of your life.
You’ll make soul-friends that you’ll have for the rest of your life
Showing up at a resort for one month feels like your on the MTV show The Real World, in all the best ways. Something about the international, immersive experience brings you back to summer camp, where the process you’re going through with the other’s there will bond you for life. You’ll leave with a group of friends from all over the world that you’ll be able to hit up anytime you travel. This group will make you feel supported as you continue your practice.
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Having done both an international, and a weekend training myself, I truly believe the international training is the way to go. It really is like night and day, and I hope you get to experience it one day.
Happy training.