6 Essentials You’ll want to bring to your Yoga Teacher Training
Did you decide to go into your first yoga teacher training? How great! It is a very exciting journey and
perhaps you feel a bit keyed up and clueless about packing up for this upcoming adventure, wondering
what’s needed and what’s not.
Let’s make this simple. Here are 6 essentials you’ll want to bring to your Yoga Teacher Training that might
help you be well prepared.
1. TWO NOTEBOOKS
I recommend bringing two notebooks for a simple reason. Surely, you will need one during your classes,
to write down Sanskrit name of asanas, alignment tips, posture modifications and variations, sequences
and how to plan a class, anatomy and philosophy notes, etc, but you might want to write more personal
things in a separate book. It is likely you will experience some emotional changes and revelations during
your Yoga Teacher Training. It could be interesting to externalize this inner process by writing it on a piece
of paper. This way, when you go back home in your routine, from time to time you can read it and use it as
a reminder of those precious tools you might have learned during your training.
2. SOME SNACKS
If you are lucky like me, the food will be absolutely delicious and very tempting. Though, I would recommend
you to go with the “ eat smaller, more often “ formula. You don’t want to step on your mat with a heavy
stomach as you might not be able to enjoy and benefit from your practice fully. In most Yoga Teacher
Training, you will be served 3 meals a day. So here’s my tip, keep it light, and in between those meals, grab
a healthy snack to keep you energized. Bring some granola bars, nuts, dry fruits, anything nutritious and
non-perishable that can fit in your luggage.
3. A SARONG
If there is one item I would never leave whenever I travel, it is a sarong. It has always been more than useful
to me. The sarong is this one thing that can be multipurpose. You can use it during savasana when the
weather is a bit chilly, it can provide coverage if your clothes are a bit revealing for the country you go to,
you can use it as a blanket on the plane, fold it to sit outside or on the beach, wrap it around your head for
a twist of fashion or warm yourself, make a dress or a skirt out of it. I even use it as a second pillow which
I find quite comfortable.
4. YOGA MAT CLEANSER
In most Yoga Teacher Training, you will be provided a new yoga mat. You will use it many hours every single day, carry it a little bit everywhere and outside and naturally, it will get filthy, dusty, sweaty. If you want your mat to smell fresh and keep it longer, you might bring a cleanser. You can easily make one naturally from adding water to your favorite essential oils or you can buy one eco-friendly. This way, your mat will have an extended life and you can lay down your face on the mat during some postures with no worries!
5. MINIMALISM
Ok, this one might be a bit of a challenge! Maybe you will want to bring tones of clothes and different outfits for when
you will go out of the school, but the truth is, you will probably won’t have much time to go out, and when you do, maybe you will prefer to relax and take it easy in yoga pants. Bring some comfortable activewear, you will practice, sit and study long hours every day, make it as more enjoyable as possible. Also, keep in mind that you will have the chance to wash your clothes, so you don’t need to overpack. And why not challenge yourself and try to go as minimal as possible? Leave the flat iron at home, don’t go heavy on make-up, limit yourself to a pair of flip flops and a pair of sneakers. Make an experience out of it and you will probably realize how we live with excessive things in daily life.
6. OPEN MIND
This is not always going to feel like home. You will step out of comfort zone. You will notice cultural differences, not only from the new environment around you but also from everyone in the group who has their unique personality and habits. It will not always be as you pictured it. Make it fun, when it gets more difficult, see it as a growth opportunity and observe the magic that can emerge from this broad-mindedness of yours.
About the Author: FLORENCE
Naturally born writer, chai lover, professional daydreamer, aspiring
photographer, and passionate hand balancer, Florence is an artist at
a soul who recently completed her 200HR Yoga Teacher Training with
Gyan Yog Breath in India. There, she found something she has been
looking for during the last 4 years of traveling around the world. A
sense of clarity that will guide her into her new journey in India.
