2. My
name
is
Sunny
Keach
and
I
am
the
co-‐founder
of
Asheville
Yoga
Center.
It’s
my
goal
here
to
answer
some
of
the
most
common
questions
about
finding
and
attending
a
yoga
teacher
training
program.
As
the
owner
of
a
yoga
studio
that
offers
around
a
dozen
teacher
trainings
a
year,
I’ve
gotten
to
know
many
teacher
training
students.
Since
1997,
we’ve
had
thousands
of
students
share
with
us
their
concerns,
questions
and
issues
around
attending
a
teacher
training.
Through
this
I’ve
gotten
to
witness
first
hand
the
uncertainty,
fear
and
sometimes
anguish
related
to
the
decision
of
where
and
if
to
attend
a
teacher
training
program.
Our
studio
also
offers
advanced
studies
and
300hr
yoga
certifications.
These
programs
are
the
next
step
after
a
teacher
has
already
attended
a
200hr
certification,
with
us
or
at
another
studio.
Due
to
this
fact,
I’ve
been
able
to
ask
about
other
teacher
trainings
our
students
have
attended
all
over
the
world.
We’ve
heard
the
good
and
the
bad.
We’ve
had
students
leave
other
programs
in
tears
to
come
attend
ours.
In
short,
I’m
in
a
unique
position
to
share
with
you
what
I
know
about
yoga
teacher
trainings.
Because
I
could
see
how
overwhelmed
some
students
felt
while
making
such
an
important
decision,
I
wanted
to
put
together
this
guide
to
help
shed
some
light
on
yoga
teacher
trainings.
We
answer
many
of
the
same
questions
over
and
over
again
prior
to
someone
signing
up
with
us
for
training,
so
it
wasn’t
difficult
to
cull
out
the
most
wanted
info.
It’s
important
to
understand
that
just
because
you
take
a
teacher
training
it
doesn’t
necessarily
mean
that
you
want
to
teach.
We
have
many
students
that
just
aim
to
deepen
their
practice.
Whether
you
aim
to
teach
or
just
transform
your
life
for
the
better,
this
guide
will
help
you
along
your
path
to
yoga.
Feel
free
to
contact
us
at
any
time
with
additional
questions.
Sunny
Keach
Asheville
Yoga
Center
Teacher
Training
Institute
AYCnow@gmail.com
828-‐254-‐0380
3. Are
You
Ready?
“Ready
for
what?”
most
people
will
ask.
Let’s
start
with
what
a
yoga
teacher
training
is.
There
is
the
obvious:
You
will
learn
much
more
about
yoga
and
how
to
teach
yoga.
With
a
quick
internet
search
you
can
find
curriculum
to
a
program.
Here
is
an
example.
What
is
less
obvious
and
hard
to
explain
is
the
growth,
realizations
and
connections
that
you
will
make
in
a
well
directed
yoga
teacher
training.
At
the
end
of
every
one
of
our
teacher
trainings
we
go
around
in
a
circle
and
share
what
we
got
from
the
training.
What
you
generally
hear
is
how
much
they
will
miss
the
experience
and
people.
How
much
they’ve
grown
and
realized.
How
much
has
changed
in
their
lives,
for
the
better,
in
such
a
short
time.
How
they’ve
overcome
a
fear
or
perceived
shortcoming.
And
probably
most
importantly
and
frequently:
How
they
learned
to
love,
appreciate
and
accept
themselves
unconditionally.
This
is
a
pretty
common
theme
in
teacher
trainings
and
not
just
ours.
How
can
this
be?
Is
that
what
they
had
in
mind
when
they
signed
up?
The
reason
this
happens
is
because
of
the
immersion
into
a
yoga
and
meditation
practice.
Things
get
clearer.
It
gets
harder
to
not
look
at
something
going
on
with
you.
You
get
the
support
you
needed
to
overcome
fears.
I
know
all
this
can
come
across
as
bold
statements.
Consider
this:
Did
they
teach
you
in
school
or
at
home
how
to
handle
stress?
How
to
breathe
or
be
aware
of
your
body?
How
to
eat
and
sleep
and
think?
How
to
grapple
with
negative
self
talk
and
confidence
issues?
For
most
of
us
the
answer
is
no.
Well,
yoga
does
address
all
this.
Yoga
helps
to
peel
away
the
false,
the
unnecessary
in
our
lives.
It
helps
us
to
become
aware
of
how
we
talk
to
ourselves
and
how
we
allow
others
to
talk
to
us.
It
can
help
us
gain
the
courage
to
address
what
is
not
serving
us
and
gain
the
confidence
from
those
actions.
Some
of
you
have
already
discovered
this
in
a
yoga
practice
and
now
want
to
share
it
with
others.
Some
have
seen
enough
to
know
they
want
to
learn
more.
A
teacher
training
-‐
whether
you
intend
to
teach
or
not
-‐
is
a
great
place
to
take
it
much
further
than
regular
yoga
classes
ever
will.
So,
are
you
ready?
Are
you
ready
to
deepen
your
practice?
Are
you
ready
for
the
changes
associated
with
that?
• Better stress management
• Better sleep
• More relaxed in life
• More confidence
4. • Healthier habits
• Fit yoga body
• Self love
• Increased compassion
• Better communication
• Full responsibility for your life
The
list
goes
on.
It
comes
down
to:
Are
you
ready
to
improve
your
life
or
not?
Are
you
ready
to
serve
others?
I’m
afraid.
Fear
is
a
big
one.
Fear
is
helpful;
it
keeps
us
alive
and
protects
us
from
harm.
It
does
serve
us,
and,
it
can
also
hinder
us,
especially
when
it’s
fear
of
something
we
imagine.
Most
of
the
fears
around
whether
to
go
to
a
teacher
training
are
imagined
fears.
Educating
yourself
is
a
great
way
to
overcome
them.
Here
are
some
common
fears
associated
with
attending
a
teacher
training.
Fear
of
the
Unknown
This
is
an
easy
fear
to
overcome.
Ask
questions.
Call
prospective
teacher
training
centers
and
ask
to
speak
to
the
program
director.
Ask
all
the
questions
you
can
come
up
with
and
then
call
back
later
and
ask
more.
Get
clear
on
all
of
them.
Talk
to
any
and
all
yoga
teachers
you
can
find.
Ask
them
everything
you
can
think
of
about
their
teacher
training.
Where
did
they
go?
What
was
good
and
bad?
What
didn’t
they
learn
they
wish
they
had?
What
was
the
best
thing
they
learned?
How
did
it
help
them
in
their
life
off
the
yoga
mat?
Etc.
etc.
Don’t
worry
about
bugging
them.
You
are
about
to
give
them
your
money,
make
sure
you
are
going
to
get
what
you
want.
If
they
don’t
have
the
time
to
talk
to
you,
you
may
want
to
move
on.
Fear
of
Failure
This
is
a
very
common
fear.
Something
about
our
culture,
at
least
here
in
the
US,
instills
this
fear
in
many
people.
I’ve
certainly
grappled
with
it.
It
helps
me
to
take
it
out
to
the
extreme.
What
is
the
worst
that
will
happen?
The
very
worst?
In
your
vision
of
the
very
worst,
are
you
dead?
Are
you
homeless
and
living
on
the
street,
begging?
If
so,
how
likely
is
this
really?
Try
that
exercise.
Imagine
the
very
worst
that
could
happen,
then
answer
this
question.
How
bad
would
that
really
be,
in
the
very
unlikely
event
that
your
worst
fears
were
to
come
true?
Could
you
recover
from
it?
5. Are
you
afraid
you
will
fail
out
of
the
program?
Guess
what.
We’ve
never
failed
anyone
out
of
our
programs.
People
have
left.
We’ve
encouraged
people
to
leave
when
it
was
just
clear
it
wasn’t
a
fit.
Don’t
let
that
fear
stop
you.
It
is
very
unlikely
that
a
program
won’t
work
with
you.
Ask
if
you
have
specific
fears
about
your
capabilities.
Educate
yourself.
Are
you
afraid
you
will
fail
as
a
teacher?
You
will
show
up
to
teach
day
after
day
and
no
one
will
come
to
your
class.
Everyone
will
hate
you.
Sure
this
is
a
scary
proposition.
But
one
thing
is
for
sure:
No
students
will
show
up
if
you
never
get
up
there
to
teach.
Going
through
a
great
teacher
training
program
helps
to
eliminate
the
possibility
of
never
having
a
student.
You
will
gain
confidence.
You
will
gain
skills.
You
will
gain
knowledge.
You
will
learn
how
to
market
yourself.
We
will
give
you
the
tools
you
need
to
teach.
Fear
that
something
is
wrong
with
me
I
think
we
owe
our
capitalistic
society
for
this
fear.
Well,
not
really
capitalism,
advertising
is
the
real
culprit.
In
order
to
sell
things,
companies
need
to
make
us
feel
like
we
are
missing
them
in
the
first
place.
We
get
this
message
over
and
over
and
over
again
our
whole
lives,
until
we
learn
to
tune
it
out
and
see
it
for
the
folly
it
truly
is.
On
our
applications
for
teacher
training,
we
see
lots
of
reports
of
negative
self-‐talk.
We
seem
to
love
to
beat
ourselves
up
about
our
perceived
shortcomings.
Here
is
the
great
thing
about
yoga
teacher
trainings.
They
help
you
overcome
this
self-‐talk.
Quieting
the
mind
in
yoga
and
meditation
makes
that
self-‐talk
all
that
much
more
noticed.
Awareness
is
key.
You
can
then
learn
to
question
it,
dialog
with
it,
turn
it
down
and
tune
it
out.
It’s
all
about
having
the
tools
and
making
the
choices.
We
have
some
gifted
teachers
on
our
staff,
who
in
the
process
of
a
teacher
training
help
guide
students
into
their
shadow
stuff
and
give
them
tools
to
work
with
it.
Watching
the
transformations
in
people
is
absolutely
wonderful.
One
last
thing
about
fear
and
failure
Consider
that
many
of
the
world’s
most
successful
people
have
failed
many
more
times
than
they
have
succeeded.
Try
to
see
failure
as
learning.
It’s
not
so
much
failing,
as
learning
another
way
it
didn’t
work.
That’s
really
a
success!
You
are
one
step
closer
to
achieving
your
goal.
The
only
time
you
can
really
fail
is
if
you
give
up
for
good.
So
don’t
give
up.
Don’t
give
up
on
your
dreams.
Don’t
give
up
on
you.
Don’t
give
up
on
the
others
you
could
be
serving
as
a
yoga
teacher.
6. How
to
choose
the
right
school
This
will
depend
on
you.
I
encourage
you
to
answer
some
questions,
maybe
forming
a
checklist
of
desirable
characteristics
for
a
program.
• What are your goals? Teach or just deepen knowledge and practice?
• Is there a certain style of yoga you are really drawn to and convinced that’s the
only style you want to learn and teach?
• Do you want to travel or stay local?
• What are your local choices?
• Where did your favorite teachers go to study?
• Evaluate yourself, and find schools that will cater to who you are. Do you gravitate
towards ancient texts, strict traditions, new age thinking, down to earth, loosey-
goosey, book learner, hands-on learner, etc. etc.
• Do you prefer small groups? Does the school cap class size?
The
teacher
You
should
be
able
to
get
to
know
the
main
teacher,
staff
or
director
before
the
program
starts.
Check
out
their
bio,
Facebook
page,
etc.
Check
for
testimonials
and
reviews.
Ideally
you
can
go
to
one
of
their
classes
or
take
a
smaller
workshop
with
them
to
get
a
feel
for
who
they
are
and
if
you
would
want
to
learn
from
them.
Styles
of
Yoga
There
are
many
styles
or
traditions
of
yoga
out
there
and
many
have
teacher
trainings
associated
with
them.
There
are
also
other
teacher
trainings
that
offer
an
eclectic
curriculum
covering
many
styles
so
you
can
get
an
in-‐depth
feel
for
each
and
further
your
studies
after
your
200hr
certification.
I
will
put
a
word
of
caution
out
there.
Beware
of
teacher
trainings
that
are
priced
extremely
high
compared
to
others.
I
can
think
of
two
main
styles
with
pricing
around
the
US$10,000
to
$15,000
mark.
This
is
4-‐5
times
higher
than
most
other
trainings.
Are
they
that
much
better?
In
my
opinion,
no
they
are
not.
Especially
when
they
cram
hundreds
of
students
in
a
single
training.
I
would
also
advise
being
weary
of
very
strong
personality
teachers
or
highly
idolized
ones.
Especially
the
male
teachers.
Many
of
them
seem
to
let
their
egos
get
them
into
all
sorts
of
troubles.
You
want
to
be
able
to
approach
the
teacher
and
trust
their
guidance.
Keep
your
power
yours.
You
want
a
teacher
that
supports
you
growing
in
your
power,
not
one
that
gets
their
power
from
you.
To
travel
or
not?
7. You
may
have
to
travel,
depending
on
your
area.
If
you
are
having
trouble
trying
out
teachers
and
styles
of
yoga
you
may
need
to
go
on
a
yoga
vacation
where
there
are
lots
of
options.
These
days
any
large
city
should
do.
Though
there
are
some
yoga
city
meccas.
Asheville,
NC
has
been
called
one.
Other
great
yoga
cities
include:
New
York,
Chicago,
Santa
Monica,
and
San
Francisco.
Really
any
large,
liberal,
metropolitan
area
will
do.
There
are
advantages
to
doing
yoga
training,
especially
an
immersion
in
a
nice
place
to
visit.
You
will
be
taken
out
of
your
normal
routine
and
can
focus
on
your
studies.
But
when
you
do
have
the
day
off,
you
can
get
out
and
clear
your
head
or
practice
yoga
in
a
beautiful
place.
Customer
Service
Is
the
proposed
school
you
are
contacting
getting
back
to
you
in
a
courteous
and
timely
manner?
Are
your
questions
being
answered
fully?
Are
their
online
reviews
good?
Can
you
contact
one
of
their
grads
through
them?
Established
I
would
also
recommend
going
with
an
established
school.
One
that
has
been
at
it
a
while
and
has
graduates
that
are
actually
teaching.
Or
better
yet,
opening
their
own
studios
and
teaching
in
yoga
teacher
trainings
themselves.
What
about
Yoga
Alliance?
Yoga
Alliance
sets
standards
and
provides
credentials
that
are
the
premier
form
of
recognition
for
yoga
teachers
and
teacher
training
programs
in
the
US.
If
you
want
to
teach
professionally
in
the
US,
then
it’s
best
to
go
to
a
Yoga
Alliance
Registered
school.
In
the
early
days
Yoga
Alliance
didn’t
do
much.
They
were
underfunded,
the
guidelines
were
pretty
loose,
and
they
had
no
real
power,
but
to
deny
a
school
registration
if
there
were
too
many
complaints.
Things
have
changed
though,
and
now
requirements
are
much
stricter
for
schools.
There
is
also
a
great
student
feedback
feature
now
and
schools
are
rated.
Graduates
have
to
indicate
what
they
actually
learned
from
a
school
in
order
to
get
their
registered
teacher
status.
If
you
are
not
in
the
US,
and
don’t
plan
to
teach
in
the
US,
or
teach
professionally
then
you
could
go
with
a
non
Yoga
Alliance
registered
school.
Just
make
sure
you
check
it
out
fully
first,
in
the
ways
mentioned
above.
Yoga
Alliance
does
help
to
ensure
to
a
degree
you
will
be
dealing
with
a
professional
institution.
8. Show
me
the
money!
Can
you
make
a
living
teaching
yoga?
In
a
word,
yes.
To
answer
more
fully,
that
depends.
On
what,
you
say?
Well,
there
are
many
factors.
• Who you are
• How hard you are willing to work with little pay at first
• Where you are
• What the market is like where you teach
• If you have a niche or something that makes you stand out in a crowded market
• Your marketing skills
• Your confidence
• Your experience
• Fate, dumb luck, open to opportunities
There
are
many
ways
to
go
about
teaching.
• At an established studio
• In your home
• At a gym, church, hospital, corporation, cruise ship, retreat center, outdoors, etc.
I’m
acutely
aware
of
how
much
yoga
teachers
make
because
I
sign
the
paychecks.
Well,
our
bookkeeper
does
now,
but
you
get
the
point.
I
know
firsthand
some
teachers
make
great
money.
They
teach
solely
for
their
income
and
do
very
well.
I
also
know
some
teachers
struggle
with
their
teaching
and
have
other
jobs
to
pay
the
bills.
Top
yogis
are
pulling
in
over
a
million
dollars
a
year.
This
is
obviously
not
starting
pay!
I
can
share
with
you
some
characteristics
of
yoga
teachers
that
do
well
financially.
• They create an experience
• They’ve been at it a while, consistency pays off with regular students
• They are special or unique in some way
• They are not afraid to put it out there
• They keep it positive, they don’t complain to the class or berate themselves
9. • They hold themselves as a teacher, an expert, someone that knows - more than
you likely - and is willing to share it with you
• They do their homework, they come prepared
• They show up on time
• They teach often
• They lead workshops
• They teach in yoga teacher trainings
• They are professionals
• They teach in areas where there are plenty of students.
Will
you
be
all
these
things
fresh
out
of
training?
Probably
not.
Can
you
become
all
these
things
in
time?
You
certainly
can.
How
do
teachers
get
paid?
As
far
as
how
yoga
studios
pay
teachers,
I
belong
to
a
private
Facebook
group
of
450
studio
owners.
We
share
with
each
other
how
we
pay
our
teachers.
It’s
all
over
the
board.
It
depends
where
you
are
and
what
kind
of
traffic
is
coming
through
the
studio.
You
can
get
paid
by
the
class
($15-‐50),
by
the
person
($2-‐$8),
you
can
do
a
split
with
the
studio,
70/30
to
you
from
class
income,
and
many
combinations
of
these
as
well.
Gyms
and
such
will
usually
set
a
flat
rate.
If
you
are
starting
your
own
enterprise,
you
can
set
the
rate
to
whatever
the
market
will
bare.
In
short
there
is
no
simple
answer
to
this
question.
You
could
be
a
subcontractor
and
have
to
pay
your
own
taxes
or
end
up
on
payroll
and
have
withholding
taxes
taken
out
of
your
checks.
Both
happen.
Like
many
fields
and
new
business
ventures
you
will
have
to
work
your
way
up
the
totem
pole.
Here
is
the
good
news
though.
The
perks
are
awesome.
You
get
to
practice
and
teach
yoga!
You
make
a
difference
in
people’s
lives
while
improving
your
own.
There
are
no
better
bunch
of
people
than
yoga
teachers,
studio
owners
and
yoga
practitioners.
These
are
your
coworkers
and
clients.
And
many
studios
will
throw
in
free
yoga
classes
for
their
teachers
as
well.
Your
life
will
be
improved
in
many
ways.
Body,
mind
and
spirit
to
name
a
few.
Now
what?
Do
your
homework
in
the
above
sections.
Get
out
there
and
talk
to
those
that
know.
Call
studios
and
ask
questions.
If
there
is
anything
we
can
do
for
you
please
don’t
hesitate
to
call
or
write.
Thanks
for
your
time.
10. In
service,
Sunny
Keach
Asheville
Yoga
Center
Teacher
Training
Institute
AYCnow@gmail.com
828-‐254-‐0380
