My first day of Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) was a disaster. It took me about two months to find the right program. I considered many factors like budget, schedule, location and other personal preferences. When it became clear that Black Swan Yoga‘s YTT matched most of my needs, I signed up right away. It was a big decision and the deposit was substantial. I excitedly told all my friends, I bought all the required books and even upgraded my yoga mat. I arranged daycare for my daughter and doubled my at-home yoga sessions. All this without ever stepping foot into Black Swan’s studio. Big mistake! Being unfamiliar to the studio turned my first day into a catastrophe. Here’s my story and my tips on what you can do to have a successful first day.
Visit the studio
Your YTT research begins online but it shouldn’t end there. If you’re training locally and if you’ve already narrowed down your options, you should experience the studio first-hand. Take a class or stop by to talk to the teachers. Get a sense of how friendly and professional the staff is. This will help you prepare for the logistics of driving, parking and just having an overall sense of familiarity. Familiarity takes away so much confusion and nervousness. If something isn’t right about the place, you can then explore other options.
Being unfamiliar to the studio caused me a lot of stress.
I’ve never been to Black Swan so I was nervous driving there. Just the idea of not finding the place worried me. We were instructed to park in the church lot and then to walk across the street to get to the building. Once I got to the church lot, I was already five minutes late. There was a continuous stream of passing cars on the street with no stoplight for crossing. I had to wait for a clearing to cross and then it took a couple more minutes of walking to get to the studio. Altogether, I arrived about ten minutes late. Had I known to expect this, I could’ve avoided so much stress. I thought getting there was the worst part but unfortunately, it wasn’t.
Plan to arrive 30 minutes early
Get to the studio very early. Treat your first day of yoga teacher training like a job interview. Arrive early, relaxed and sharp for the class instead of walking in frantically with all the rushing and fussing it may take to get there. You may not have to deal with rush hour traffic depending on the program schedule but unpredictable things can still happen. Wouldn’t it be nice to get there early, say hi to the teachers and then scope out the place to find the lockers and the bathroom? This will also allow you to settle in nicely and choose a good spot for your mat.
Being late could mean laying down next to a trash can.
I didn’t get to choose a spot when I made it to the studio. I expected a walk-in area, like a lobby with a person to greet me. Instead I opened the door and there was a person doing yoga right where I was supposed to take another step forward. The lights were dimmed and a crowded yoga session was in full swing. I had to tip toe around like a thief in the dark before I found one last open spot to lay my mat – next to a trash can. Planning to arrive at least half an hour early meant I could’ve been ahead of the crowd and far from the trash.
Read the instructions and ask questions
You will likely receive an email ahead of time with instructions on what to expect for your first day of yoga teacher training. If so, print this email. Highlight all the important details. Take a note of where you’re supposed to go and memorize it. Many studios have more than one room and you want to make sure you make it to the right one. Every studio is different, some may have a lobby area and others may not. Ask questions ahead of time and clarify anything that may seem unclear to you. You may be an inexperienced student but you are still a paying customer. You can and should ask questions.
I was doing yoga in the wrong room.
The email I received said there was a dedicated room for YTT. No other directions or room details were provided. I assumed I can just ask the person at the desk when I get there. Instead, there was no lobby area and I walked straight into a crowded yoga class.
I frantically tried to catch up in the ongoing yoga session. After a few more minutes, another student tried to get in. I saw the teacher turn them away because the room was full. “That’s really weird,” I thought. Why would they turn a trainee away? Someone who made a deposit to secure a spot, just like me. That’s when I remembered the email about the “dedicated room” for YTT. With horror, I realized that I had been doing yoga (next to a trash can) in the wrong room all along!
Don’t forget the necessities
Don’t forget to bring water bottle for hydration, towel if you’re prone to sweating, and extra hair ties if you have long hair. Of course, you will need your yoga mat and some personal items. Depending on the duration of your class, you may need to bring lunch or dinner also. Pack your bag the day before. If you need blocks and straps, call the studio and see if they have them. Otherwise, you may need to bring your own. Consider leaving your valuables locked in the car.
Forgetting some necessities added to my frustration.
I wish I remembered to bring an extra hair tie. Not only did I get to the right place very late, I also looked very untidy. Most of my long hair came loose within minutes of doing yoga in the other room. I must’ve looked like a madwoman running in 20 minutes late, disoriented and disheveled. I normally would use two hair ties for extra hold but of I forgot to bring another one that day.
Keep an open mind
You may arrive fresh and early with every necessity item on hand, but if you show up with a bad attitude, you’ll still have a bad time. Once you have all of the tips above checked off, the final step is to check in with yourself. Be open to having fun. Also, be open to having a less than perfect experience, something may just surprise you.
I had the best Vinyasa class on my first day of yoga teacher training.
I was so embarrassed that I almost went home. It was unbelievable how my first day of yoga teacher training was turning out to be. But I convinced myself to stay because I had already invested so much into being there. The instructor’s name who was leading the class was Patsy. She had such a sweet and soothing voice. Her flow had smooth transitions and she had a sequence of feel-good yet challenging poses like downward dog to side plank, and then to wild thing. Yoga postures, especially back bends, have always felt so relieving to me. Back bends are said to stimulate the heart chakra, which releases pent-up emotions. In that moment, they were just the movements I needed.
Patsy’s flow just felt so fresh, so buoyant, and so comforting. She played a relaxing playlist that sounded like Indie music mixed with upbeat jazz and splattered with some tropical jungle-ish drums. I’m not very good at describing music but I can tell you how it made me feel. I felt grounded and washed over. It was like pressing a refresh button. Like nothing else mattered but that I was there and it was enough. I heard the music trailing off as I settled nicely into savasana, feeling very glad that I had stayed. Just then, Patsy said something that I would’ve missed if I hadn’t kept an open mind: “Remember that you are exactly where you’re supposed to be.”