Yoga Teacher Training
with Andrea

Feedback from previous students

 

What has the Diploma Course given you?

“The course has given me the belief in myself which accompanies me as I carry out my teaching.  It has also given me a direction, a new path to take me onto a new stage in my life.”  Jean

“The Diploma Course has expanded my knowledge on the subject (of yoga) and has made me realise how far reaching the topic is.  It has given me the courage to share my knowledge with others and the hunger to learn more.  It has been a privilege to share learning and experience with a lovely bunch of fellow students.  The course has given me tools for lifelong learning.”  Carolyn

“The course has given me a deeper insight into yoga and the confidence to teach others, which is not something I could honestly envisage at the start of the course.  I have a new career – as I very quickly inherited 3 classes, and at one point during the course was teaching 6 classes a week.  It was ‘in at the deep end’ and actually it worked for me.  I learnt as I went along and was able to gradually add what I was learning on the course into my teaching.  The course had a huge impact on me personally.  Other parts of my life were changing dramatically when I began the course, and yoga was an anchor to hold on to.”  Tracey

“The Diploma course has given me more confidence in my abilities and the chance to explore what abilities I possess.”  Sue

“The Diploma course has given me a sense of achievement and a process for furthering personal development, which has resulted in the once implausible idea of teaching yoga, being plausible.”  Mike

“The Diploma course has given me confidence – I am now able to teach in front of a group.  It has given me self-belief in my skills as a yoga teacher, patience and tolerance.”  Karen J

“I would say (the course) has given me a recipe for life!  It helps you find out what is best for you – in how to treat your body, how to treat other people and a guidebook on dealing with life.  It was very hard at the time but I know I will reap the benefits forever.”  Deb

 

What aspects of the course allowed you to learn the most?

“I am really pleased that we were encouraged to teach from the beginning because learning ‘on the job’ was the most beneficial for me.   The BWY diploma should be a mark of more than attending workshops and so the variety of topics and different approaches seem to fit in well with the awarding of the final qualification.”  Jean

“I learnt a lot all through but at the moment I feel the most lasting effects will come from the pranayama and meditation work.”  Sue

“The aspects of the course that allowed me to learn the most were when we linked the theory to practice either by doing a teaching practice, giving a talk or working in groups during the teaching day.”  Karen J

“I learned mostly from studying the recommended books and writing the unit assignments.  Until Andrea had marked the work, I was not entirely certain I had it right, and if not, her feedback was invaluable.”  Mike

“Hard to say which aspects of the course allowed me to learn the most.  In retrospect, each unit felt quite different.  I think the final unit, being the culmination of everything we’d learned, was the time that I really realised the amount of knowledge and confidence I’ve gained.  With lots of teaching experience under my belt, reviewing the theory made a lot more sense.”  Tracey

“I learnt the most when I was researching and relating that learning to personal experiences.”  Carolyn

“I learnt the most from the presentations and teaching practice as you really have to do the research for these and have the confidence to stand up and talk/teach in front of people.”  Deb

 

What did you find most helpful about Andrea's teaching style and role as Diploma Course Tutor?

“Patience!  Firm, clear and supportive with deadlines, expectations and direction.”  Carolyn

“Andrea is extremely knowledgeable and has a really good teaching style in getting her learning points across clearly whilst still allowing room to form your own opinions.”  Deb

“Andrea's teaching style was totally suitable for a course of as much diversity as this one. She showed me, with her calm, unflinching approach, how to teach adults with all the baggage they bring to a further education course and, I hope, I have become a more sympathetic teacher, and person, as a result of following her example.”  Jean

“Andrea’s teaching style provokes discussion which makes the study days very interesting with lots of student interaction.  She is also very down-to-earth which is particularly helpful for the philosophy unit.”  Sue

“Andrea maintained absolute integrity and objectivity during discussions on very personal interpretations of yoga philosophy.  It’s not easy to manage a room full of students with wildly differing opinions, when those opinions are being challenged, and when they desperately want there to be a right answer!  Andrea helped us to keep coming back to the information at our disposal; to question it; to apply our own experiences; and to be aware, constantly, of how to make it appropriate for our own students in weekly classes.” Tracey

“Andrea is an extremely focused and approachable tutor, whose help and support is always to hand.  I am pretty certain that without these enthusiastic and intelligent attributes I would have found it difficult to complete the course.  At my low points in this undertaking, an informal chat with Andrea gave me the resolve to continue.”  Mike

“Andrea’s calm and un-flustered demeanour was very helpful particularly when we became anxious about the homework or our teaching practices.  She is clear in her teaching style and is disciplined with class boundaries particularly around the prompt submission of homework.  She has a warm and loving personality and is generous with her encouragement of students which engenders confidence and trust.”  Karen J

 

How do you feel about the length of the course (3 years)? 

“I feel that the length of the course was about right as I needed time to integrate the learning in an unhurried way.  The monthly support from the tutor and the group was very important.”  Karen J

“The course length was perfect for me.  Any shorter and I would have struggled to complete the number of assignments to the required standard.  If shorter, the pressure generally would have been greater.  Having started teaching at about 8 months into the course, I felt I had the support of the group and the tutor if any issues came up with my teaching for over two years, during which time I grew in confidence.”  Carolyn

“Although it was a huge relief to come to the end of the 3 years I do feel that time is needed for development and growth.”  Sue

“The course couldn’t be shorter.  I needed that time to really soak up the knowledge and apply it to my life and my teaching.  The development of the course matched developments in other aspects of my life and it all flowed together over the three years.” Tracey

“I think the duration of the course was about right.  It needs to be paced and last that long to allow time for the teaching to be absorbed and practised personally.”  Deb

“When I began the course I was somewhat concerned by its length.  When you start something fresh at 62, 3 years seems a lot of studying before you achieve your goal.  Now that I have completed the 3 years I am glad it was this length because of the confidence I have gained over the period of time.”  Jean

“For me I think the duration of the course was about right.  I find the drip-feed approach works best for me.”  Mike

 

How were you able to manage the volume of work required?

“I was able to manage the volume of work required through commitment.  We find time to do the things we really want to do!  Personally, it meant juggling working hours, having the support of family and nominating at least one evening per week of dedicated time.”  Carolyn

“I was able to manage the volume of work required through discipline, not leaving it all to the last minute, spreading the homework over the month, asking for support from my ‘study buddy’, course peers and teacher, and making sure I had a quiet space to work.”  Karen J

“I set myself an allocation of 5 hours a week which I kept to throughout the course when I either carried out homework or read around topics.  Wasn't always easy to find 5 hours but dust has never bothered me greatly!”  Jean

“I found this very difficult with working full time, having to travel long distances and having a busy life anyway.  My advice would be if you work full time you will not have time for much else at all.  It was mainly the time taken on the homework, that was a lot but also the time spent on personal practice, attendance at classes, then the preparation required for  the teaching practises and presentations etc that continue throughout the course.  I don’t think we realised exactly how much work was actually involved intensely throughout the 3 years.”  Deb

“Some bits of the course were incredibly challenging (A&P especially, which was all new to me) and it was very difficult at first to fit all the work in.  Being able to apply what I was learning to the classes I was teaching made a huge difference and although the workload was still sometimes a challenge, it became more relevant and therefore a bit easier to deal with.”  Tracey

“For the first 2 years, by setting aside my non-working day each week to give the course work priority, I was able to manage the volume of work required.   I was working full-time for the final year so had to change that to a weekend day which did mean there was little time for anything else.  Although there were occasions when I was under pressure to complete work due to other commitments, on the whole it was manageable.”  Sue

“I was in the position of only working part time throughout the course and my children had left home, so I had the time, but not always the motivation to start the work.  However, once I started I managed to complete all assignments but one, on time.”  Mike

 

What would you say to a prospective student who was thinking about taking the course?

“Go for it if you have a 'gut' feeling that you want to teach and can back it up with solid reasons, such as deepening your own interest and passing your experience on to others.  Be prepared to be resilient enough to overcome the doubts at various stages during the course - it's absolutely worth it!”  Sue

“I would highly recommend Andrea as a teacher and I would suggest that the student seriously considers the amount of work involved and commitment needed before they begin the course.”  Karen J

“Whether you can envisage standing in front of a class or not, I would recommend the course to anyone who is truly passionate about yoga and has even the inkling of an idea to enthuse others with that passion.  Learning to teach enriches your own experience and practice of yoga and I love passing on what I know to other people and seeing them find their own way.  The course is a huge time commitment, not least because so much can change in your life over three years.  But it is worth every hour of essay-writing and scouring books and the internet.”  Tracey

“My advice would be to talk to as many people as possible.  Those who have completed, those who have chosen not to do the course and others who are considering.  Ultimately though, if you want to take the course listen to your own desires and go with what you know is right for you.”  Jean

“Make sure it is really what you want to do at the end – which is to be a teacher.  If it is just to develop your yoga then find another way as this is very much a teaching course.  Be prepared that it takes a lot but it also gives you a lot – some of which you may not realise until you finish the course!”  Deb

“Ask yourself a few questions before you decide, and answer them honestly.  For example: what are your motives for doing the course, are you passionate about being a yoga teacher, or is it a higher and deeper knowledge you desire, or furthering personal development?  Will I have the time and commitment, allowing for life’s unexpected events?  If you realise through considering these questions, that most fall into the positive sector, then the Diploma course is for you.  Good luck!”  Mike

“Be certain that you have the personal commitment and support of your family.  Three years flies by.  It’s an amazing personal journey - be prepared for change.”  Carolyn

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