Tag: yoga

What is Mentoring and How Does It Work?

Written on .

The Mentoring Component of Your Studies with The Yoga Institute

Yoga mentor and yoga mentee
@markbondphotography

“Mentoring” is a modern word that describes an essential part of the tradition of yoga throughout history. 

Yoga Australia recognises and encourages the importance of mentoring, both being a mentor and being mentored, at all levels of training and teaching in yoga.  Here at The Yoga Institute, we have a team of experienced mentors who provide one-on-one mentoring for our trainees.

A dedicated mentor is one of the important (and cherished) features of our:

  • 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training course
  • 150-hour Yoga Studies course, and
  • 650-hour Post-graduate Yoga Therapy Training  

If you have never had a mentor relationship – particularly in the yogic sphere – you may be naturally curious how this works and why it’s so beneficial. So what is mentoring, and how does it work?

What is a mentor?

A yoga mentor is a senior Yoga Teacher, with extensive experience in their field.

Mentors live and breathe yoga, are committed to the teachings of the Yoga tradition and in addition to offering yoga in group or individual environments, they are very often also trainers themselves, helping to train aspiring yoga teachers and yoga therapists.

Our panel of mentors at The Yoga Institute are passionate about helping others and sharing their knowledge. 

What can you get out of having a mentor?

– Additional support and guidance navigating your course and its workload

– The gift of a personalised yoga practice tailored to your own special requirements

– One-on-one assistance with assessments, course content and general yoga questions

– Support and advice through the practicum component of your course

– Insights from someone who remembers being where you are, and has the benefit of experience to share

 – A dedicated source of encouragement and care

– Someone to help you see where your own habits and patterns (samskaras) may be self-limiting in your yoga journey

What are the qualities of a good mentor?

– Depth of experience

– A deep understanding of yoga, its history, context and applications

– Strong teaching, listening and communication skills

– Provides a caring, supportive and authentic environment in which to connect

What are the qualities of a good mentee?

– Curiosity to learn, question and seek answers to deepen their knowledge

– Open mind and open heart: allow yourself to being guided and to take on suggestions and feedback from an experienced mentor

– Commitment to steering the mentoring relationship and proactively booking and attending session with mentors

How does mentoring at the Yoga Institute work? 

Dependent on the course you do, a number of sessions are automatically included as a feature (see below)

Shortly after your course commences, you will receive an email matching you to one of our mentors. Students will proactively reach out to their mentors and book their mentoring sessions in. The mentors are asked not chase students, to help students build discipline and responsibility.

You can meet where suits (Our premises at Cammeray is an option, as is via Zoom where necessary, though we encourage your first meeting to be face to face so your mentor can learn about your body to help you refine or build a tailored practice).

Typically, one of the first things a mentor will do is learn about you and help you review any existing home practice, or design a personalised practice for you,  tailored for body and your individual needs at the time (physical, mental, emotional).

In addition to the specific mentoring session, mentors are available throughout your course via email and/or phone support to assist you along the way too

  • 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training Diploma – includes 8 mentoring sessions
  • 150-hour Yoga Studies course   – includes 3 mentoring sessions
  • 650-hour Yoga Therapy Training – includes 2 mentoring sessions per yoga therapy module (plus additional sessions for the Therapeutic and Professional Practice module)

Many of our students report mentoring as one of their favourite features of their training process, and some go on to privately enjoy a mentoring relationship with their mentor long afterwards.   At the completion of your included mentoring sessions, you can chat to your mentor about a private arrangement ongoing if you wish. 

If you have done (or are doing) training elsewhere and are interested in mentoring as a standalone service, please contact us for a chat.

Email or call us: teachertraining@yogainstitute.com.au | 0477 021 219

Graduate Story: Christine Chu – Graduated 2020

Written on .

Yoga as a microcosm of life and a pathway to conscious living

Written by graduate of the 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training Diploma, Christine Chu

From my first exposure to yoga, I always knew I would be a yoga teacher. It was only a matter of ‘when’.

I was fortunate to discover yoga in my youth at 14. After viewing photos and videos on social media, I was instantly drawn to inversions and the playfulness of the practice, but what captivated me most was an unshakeable sense of liberation and an inclination to share it.

My self-practice developed with great ease and consistency. I practiced unguided daily, until yoga was offered as an extracurricular school activity to which I latched onto quickly. After my first official class, I remember rising up from savasana seated across from the teacher, with a great sense of homecoming and knowing, “This is the role I want”.

There were countless other instances where I had these experiences of knowing, but I blindly assumed yoga had the same effect on others and lightly brushed them off.

Ultimately, I came to realise that not all individuals appreciated yoga to the marked depth as I did. Almost each night after school and still to this day, my head hits the pillow with yoga philosophy and teaching on my mind.

Enter The Yoga Institute at 19! 500hrs and many months later, I am now blessed to be sharing this practice.

What Yoga Means To Me

I believe yoga is a microcosm of Life. What we experience in the world around us – impermanence, fear and obstacles – can be preempted and explored through yoga. The only requirement is an attunement to breath and a willingness to learn.

The beauty of the practice is that it grows as we grow- changes as we change. If we are willing to become quiet, turn inwards and remain consistent, our ability to navigate the world and our mind with ease and resilience grows stronger. Yoga is a physical discipline which, if given time, transforms to a mental discipline. It is a pathway to conscious living.

Creating a Sense of Homecoming for Others

Today I am completing my final year of physiotherapy studies and allowing it to inform my delivery of safe and functional yoga classes and workshops. Although the Western expression of yoga is heavily imbued with asana, I seek to further weave through the gifts of breathwork, meditation and philosophy to the Western understanding of yoga. I hope each practice moves students closer to their own homecoming (in whichever form that may be) and a remembrance of the empowered, creative beings we all are.

“Life is a GPS, you can’t go wrong, but you can prolong”

To any out there who are considering Teacher Training at The Yoga Institute (or any individual considering a new path or life change of any sort)- I look at you, and I see me, living another life.


We are all our greatest obstacles or our greatest launching pad. I firmly believe the resources, support and opportunities leading you to your goals are already here and simply waiting for you to get out of your own way.

Come with ease and a beginner’s mindset – You won’t go wrong and you will not be disappointed.

You can contact Christine via Email: christinechuyoga@gmail.com or Instagram: http://instagram.com/christinechuyoga

How can we support you?

Our study options aren’t just for aspiring teachers, but for anyone who wants to deepen their personal practice or simply gain a better understanding of the breadth and depth of the life-affirming practice of yoga.

Interested in our 500-Hour Teacher Training Course?
Get course prospectus
Join our next information session

Prefer to start with a smaller commitment?

Learn more about our 100-Hour Yoga Studies course

Get in touch:
Email: teachertraining@yogainstitute.com.au
Phone: 0477 021 219

Join us, together we will grow, learn and inspire.

Graduate Story: Marion Just – Graduated 2020

Written on .

From Gym Junkie to Aerobics Instructor to Yoga Teacher

Written by graduate of the 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training Diploma, Marion Just

It was in my early 20s that I embarked on a path to get healthy and fit, learning about good nutrition, eating less and exercising in the gym…. ALOT!  I was a serial gym junkie.. even becoming an aerobics instructor for a few years.

Then one day (still in my twenties) while working in the city I checked out the Adyar Bookshop in York Street where I discovered an entire wall of yoga books.  Intrigued I decided to try this yoga although there were very few studios in which to practice.  I dabbled in a few classes, but it didn’t excite me enough, so I stuck with sweating out in the gym until my late 30s.

It was at that time I discovered the first Australian Bikram studio had opened up near my home on the northern beaches.  I knew about this Bikram yoga as it was the only book I purchased at the Adyar Bookshop.  So I gave up the gym for another sweat filled room in Bikram’s studio -aka- the “torture chamber” for almost 10 years.  Then another type of strong and strenuous yoga landed on our shores – Vinyasa Yoga.  Woohoo!

When I realised yoga was more than just physical exercises

After some 25 years of sweating it out and contorting the body in hot yoga rooms I felt there must be more to the practice than just asanas. 

During those years, Sanskrit words were sporadically used to describe asanas.  Words such as the ujjayi breath, the bandhas and drishti were mentioned.  What did it all mean anyway?  Who was Patanjali?  What were the Yoga Sutras and the 8 Limbs?  Did Patanjali have 8 limbs?  What had I been practising all those years?

What brought me to teacher training?

I can’t really pinpoint what compelled me to seek out teacher training.  There were many opportunities to sign up for teacher training at the heated yoga or the vinyasa studio, but something intrinsically kept holding me back! 

Then one day, I was ready to finally put all the pieces of the puzzle in place – to learn more about yoga’s history and philosophy. 

Oh My Goodness – I signed up!

After scanning the internet I found The Yoga Institute, phoned them, attended the information session and just like that – I signed up! I was very excited. And then the excitement turned to fear.  

What followed were feelings of anxiety, hesitation, regret, uncertainty that I had embarked on an intensive course of which I knew very little and which required a huge commitment. 

My fear rapidly subsided when I had my first session with my fabulous mentor who re-assured me and helped me focus on an important component of yoga – breath control and chanting with a little bit of asana to keep the mind focussed!  Wait…what?

Initially, the practice of chanting, pranayama and gentle asanas to help me release thoughts of attachments while quietening the mind seemed very strange and I didn’t take to it immediately.  I quickly realised and felt the benefits of slowing down and practising breath awareness.  My mentor knew best. 

I learned the importance of not only practising asanas, but also to learn and practise the entire 8 limbs of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.  No, not Patanjali’s limbs – the 8 aspects of the Yoga Sutras – a philosophy about how to live life harmoniously.

Post Teacher Training

Since completing my training, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to go back to where it all started for me and to teach a yoga class on Mondays for a short time in the Cammeray Yoga studio, back on the premises of The Yoga Institute!

I currently have a home studio set up where I teach my corporate clients online via Zoom, as well as group classes, and one to one personal yoga training. 

How does yoga fit in my life now and how has it changed me?

Many stages of my life have been filled with sometimes overwhelming challenges.  If I had found yoga in the early stages of my life, I believe I would have learned how to better handle these challenges – I’m certain I would have been a calmer, less stressed person for it.

Any obstacles and annoyances that I encounter now are a lot more manageable when I stop and take time out to practise pranayama and meditation.

To anyone considering doing Teacher Training at The Yoga Institute

I am so pleased that I chose The Yoga Institute for my teacher training.  Each of the teachers are world class, incredibly supportive and thoroughly knowledgeable. 

The co-founders, Dr Michael de Manincor and Lisa Grauaug studied for many years with the son of the father of modern yoga (Sri Krishnamacharya) TKV Desikachar.  My assigned mentor studied meditation with A G Mohan who was a personal student of Sri Krishnamacharya for 18 years. 

The best part of the journey for me has been learning to sit quietly, drawing inwards to meditate, learning to become un-attached to things that aren’t so important, to gain contentment within myself and to connect to my inner light of consciousness.  Hopefully one day I will attain the 8th Limb of Yoga, SAMADHI – to experience bliss and enlightenment!  YES!

You can contact Marion via her website Just Yoga By Marion

How can we support you?

Our Teacher Training Course isn’t just for aspiring teachers, but for anyone who wants to deepen their personal practice and gain a better understanding of yoga.

Need more information?
Get course prospectus

Get in touch:
Email: teachertraining@yogainstitute.com.au
Phone: 0477 021 219

Join us, together we will grow, learn and inspire.

Student Story: Stacy O’Connor – Graduated 2020

Written on .

Yoga teacher training student seated

Stacy’s Yoga Journey

I had been working in the Events industry for over 12 years and had always excelled in high pressure, high stress environments. Or so I thought. 

Over time, it was evident that the stress I had repressed for so long, manifested physically, in my body through debilitating neck pain, regular migraines and always getting sick. I was also into HIIT (high intensity intermittent training) quite regularly because I had been obsessed with wanting my body to be ‘just perfect’. In hindsight, what I thought was a stress reliever, actually became a stress enhancer.

The Switch to Yoga

I turned to yoga initially for the physical benefits – to help ‘stretch’ out my tense neck, shoulders and back. To help me feel ‘physically OK’. What I didn’t realise was that it actually had a profound effect on my capability to calm myself, to relax my mind, which is something I had always struggled with. 

Fast forward three years, I was feeling more self aware and in less pain! (I even changed roles so I was no longer running events), I was determined to discover more.

Stacy’s Year (2020)

Ah 2020! A year for the history books that’s for sure. 

My partner and I found ourselves on ‘stand down’ indefinitely as the parent company we worked for was in the travel business – something that overnight disappeared. What had initially been my year to balance a full time job and full time study to become a yoga teacher, it became simply ‘full time study to become a yoga teacher’.

I would love to say I threw myself completely into the course, but as many of us have experienced during this pandemic, it has been a rather anxious and unknown time, so there were many days when it was just simply all too much. However, little by little, I began to make yoga a regular part of my month, then my week, then my day. 

The Shift

And something shifted. As someone who was identified as an atheist, I had found a ‘God’. Not the usual God related to a religion, but I had developed a deep appreciation of Mother Nature – my God. My ‘being’ that I could completely and blindly place all faith in to look after me. My sense of gratitude – for the strength and health of my body, the warmth of the sun on my skin, the beauty of the oceans and bushland that surrounds my home town – has never been stronger. 

And it’s made me a better version of myself, helping me to ‘let go’ of perfection, and greatly influencing my relationship with others, the environment, and most importantly, myself.

Stacy’s Future

I am looking forward to graduating at the end of the year and continuing my studies further in Yoga Therapy. What started out as a ‘life enhancement’ (which it certainly was!), I have now decided that yoga is too good not to share. 

I am hard of hearing and have found that not all yoga classes are suited to those who can’t hear too well. I hope to teach yoga to those who need additional support, in aged care and mental health programs, along with any other areas that are in need of speciality yoga.

I believe that yoga is to be shared amongst all of us, so that eventually we end up with a calm, already perfect, self aware community in love with Mother Nature. 

Inspired by Stacy’s story?

Our Teacher Training Course isn’t just for aspiring teachers, but for anyone who wants to deepen their personal practice and gain a better understanding of yoga.

Need more information?
Get course prospectus

Get in touch:
Email: teachertraining@yogainstitute.com.au
Phone: 0477 021 219

Join us, together we will grow, learn and inspire.

The Yoga Institute acknowledges the Cammeraygal people of the Eora nation as the Traditional Custodians of the land on which our centre is based.

Copyright The Yoga Institute 2025

Built by IRONIC3D in Sydney