Finishing a yoga teacher training is a big deal. It shifts something in your body, in your mind, in how you see the world. What happens when the final savasana fades, the certificates are handed out, and the world outside the studio doors is waiting?
In this graduate story, we check in with Laura, who completed the 250HR yoga teacher training 2023. From navigating first classes to building confidence, she shares what life looked like after the training. Because as powerful as the training is, the journey that follows is where the work really starts to land.
What inspired you to do your yoga teacher training in the first place?
A few years ago I was working as a mindfulness coach on a side of my regular job within the pharmaceutical industry. My passion has always lied within holistic health, and yoga has been a practice I kept returning to through many years. It helped me especially when I was burnt out as I strengthened my mind and body and decided to start my own company within holistic health services. A yoga teacher training felt like a natural next step as I wanted to work more with the body, helping other people, using the tools that helped me.
How did you integrate what you learned into your daily life after the yoga teacher training?
I reconnected with my mind and body and found a whole new strength in pursuing my passions. My own practice evolved and deepened a lot as I learned about the anatomy of asanas and the philosophy of yoga. I became more aware of the importance of critical thinking and appreciated the practice of yoga even more than before.
Did you start teaching right away, or did you take some time before stepping into that role?
I actually moved to Åre a few months before I was finished with the training and started teaching yoga at a gym here. I also held a few classes for the company I worked for and started my own company Remindful as I was finishing the teacher training and changing my career path. I was very positively surprised to see how well-prepared I already felt in teaching my classes from Yoga Folks’ yoga teacher training. Less than a year later, I opened my own studio in Åre where I gathered a group of amazing teachers and had active memberships and events. I ran the studio for almost a year, until I had to re-prioritize. I’m very grateful that the studio lives on under someone else’s management and is run by another person, while I can hold classes there and enjoy the community.
What’s one lesson from training that you still carry with you every day?
There are so many! Professionally: I take so many lessons and the confidence in being able to hold so many different types of classes both at gyms, studios, for companies, private clients, as well as having started and ran a studio. Personally, using the different types of practices we’ve learned to adjust to my needs constantly. I also keep reminding myself Josephin’s phrases very often, that “rest is a radical act in a world that thrives off hustling” & “The world needs more well-rested women”.
What advice would you give to someone considering this kind of training but unsure if it’s the right step?
If the thought keeps crossing your mind, then definitely do it! Even if you don’t want to work with yoga, you’ll gain so much knowledge and tools that will give you a whole new dimension of practicing yoga.
What were some unexpected challenges you faced after completing the teacher training?
I became a picker about which classes and teachers I really liked.
In the beginning I was also very aware of what the other teachers were saying and how they were saying things to gain inspiration. That way I couldn’t stop analyzing during a yoga class, which made me enjoy the practice a little less for a while. It has settled now though, and I can switch to fully being a student during a class without thinking too much of how things are said or how the class is structured… for the most part 🙂
What’s the most rewarding experience you’ve had since graduating?
Being able to feel so confident in my practice and my teaching. Having found my style that develops as I develop and go through things in my life. Be okay with not being everyone’s cup of tea and still feel that I’m a great teacher who has my own style and my own voice.
