What did our students experience studying with us in the pandemic?
It’s clear that 2020 and 2021 were some of the strangest and most challenging years for so many.
Our 2020 cohort of teacher trainees were just a few weeks into their studies when the first Covid-19 restrictions were announced.
With so much uncertainty as to how long the pandemic would last or what it would mean for how we live our lives, our students stepped into the uncertainty.
They continued on their path of learning about and embodying the ancient wisdom of Yoga and how it can be applied to modern lives.
The stories of how studying with us has supported students through the many challenges of the pandemic are truly inspiring:
“While 2020 has had many peaks and troughs, completing my yoga teacher training through The Yoga Institute was certainly the highest peak! in a year marked by much turbulence and chaos, the course was very grounding for me. Not only have I grown in terms of my physical asana practices, I have also depended my knowledge of yoga philosophy, discovered the many benefits of pranayama and meditation and built my confidence as I embark on teaching yoga classes of my own. I am really thankful to the wonderful team at The Yoga Institute for providing me with this opportunity.”
2020 Teacher Trainee
“The team at The Yoga Institute have gone beyond and above during this year of Covid, always moulding and adapting to whatever restrictions are thrown their way. I felt Covid did not impact my yoga studies due to the support and diligence of The Yoga Institute.”
2020 Teacher Trainee
“Whilst on stand down, studying yoga is what kept me grounded (and sane!). I initially joined the course as ‘life enhancement’ to sit alongside the rest of my life. But I have walked away with a completely transformed mindset and new found purpose in life. Not only has my life been enhanced, but all those around me are benefiting from it too.”
2020 Teacher Trainee
2021 continued to be a time for continual reassessment and adaptation. Here at The Yoga Institute, we were well-placed to be nimble. We kept our students’ study momentum going through the Springtime lockdown by adjusting our schedules and covering off topics that work equally well online. We chose to defer a few key (more tactile) topics until we could all be together again in the studio, preserving the quality of education our students receive from us.
We know some topics simply do not translate well to an online environment and we chose not to compromise the quality of our students’ training simply in order to “get through” the training at exactly the same pace.
As a result, the 2021 Teacher Training programme formally finished up a little later than usual, but we delighted our students got to experience key topics in the studio, and that our community connection was maintained with weekly webinars through the lockdown period, helping people stay focussed and connected, and feeling supported.
“I’ve done a few online trainings since the start of the pandemic. I really liked the way you guys are managing the whole Zoom/online training piece. It’s actually one of the best experiences I’ve had in terms of online and Zoom training”
2021 Yoga Therapy Student
How we support our students through uncertainty
If you are concerned about the uncertainty that any ongoing pandemic effects might bring we want to assure you that our teacher training course will not be hindered. Not only have we ‘adapted and moulded’ to the restrictions and changes, we have been working hard enriching our students learning experience in so many ways. Our online learning platform has more content, we have…
- Developed additional material, both written and video
- Shared new resources
- Online classes are available
- Zoom classroom sessions are recorded and available to watch and rewatch!
Community and safety is important. Where possible we are conducting training in person and we have hygiene measures and physical distancing in place for the safety of our students and faculty.
We have tools and processes in place to move classes to an online format when needed and students are able to access course materials and session recordings via our online teaching portal.
Importantly, our students receive care and individual attention from our faculty and their mentor to make sure they feel supported throughout their time studying with us.
Taking care of our mental health has never been so important. The development of a personal practice and one-on-one mentoring our students receive as part of their studies has been a lifeline for many:
“I initially started doing the course to improve my posture but it became so much more than that. It has assisted me with a holistic approach to living, helping not only my physical body but also my mind. Helping me stay calm through a very trying year.”
2020 Teacher Trainee
“The course changed to suit Covid conditions and the support I received from my mentor was par to none. Our mentors are like mothers… we all thought we had the best one! We always had someone to support us through our yoga journey”
2020 Teacher Trainee
“I’ve benefited immensely from the one-on-one mentoring which allowed me to practice yoga, pranayama and meditation throughout lockdown and beyond. Completing this course is the best thing I have done in years and I’m truly excited about where it will take me!”
2020 Teacher Trainee
“I had such a brilliant weekend with Michael doing pranayama and Lisa doing Yoga Anatomy. Such fun. What a great team. We all say that the Yoga Institute studio is our happy place.😊”
2022 Teacher Trainee
If you LOVE Yoga and are curious to learn more, come along to our next Information Session – it’s free! Book Now
You have nothing to lose and so much to gain!