Yoga Teacher Training

When I first signed up for the training, I was going through some big life changes! I had decided that I wanted to take a step back from the grind of intensive office work. I wanted to deepen my own practice, connect with my physical and spiritual body, and get certified to teach others to begin my own small side business. I wanted to pursue a path that would allow me to connect with others in-person and support others in connecting with themselves and the natural world.

I was nervous about my own physical capabilities through the training, especially since I was pregnant. What I discovered was a deep strength and confidence within myself. Being supported by Alexandra, the amazing women in the YTT training, and the remarkable teachers we had come, I felt empowered throughout the training and learned so much about the depth and robustness of yoga.

The YTT was deeply transformational to me. I imagined that there would be a lot of asana practices and while there was lots of physical practices, there was so much more! It was an intensive process but one that I found so joyful! I loved going to the studio each of the weekends. We built a strong community through the process as we all went on this remarkable journey. Alexandra created an incredible blend of new experiences, moments of reflection, and deep learning with a long list of truly inspiring guest teachers. I will be forever grateful for this training and look forward to my continued yoga journey!

—Ali

If you think YTT would enrich your life, don’t think twice. YTT is the best gift I’ve given myself and one of the most rewarding experiences of my adult life. Alexandra and all the instructors guided the YTT class through training with such grace, knowledge, encouragement, and compassion.

—Heather

Before starting Carrboro Yoga’s YTT, I knew that I loved the physical asana practice of yoga. I also had an inkling that yoga had something more to offer me spiritually. My hope was that YTT would expose me to new yogic concepts and practices that would allow me to grow my own physical practice and develop new aspects of a spiritual one. I also wanted to find out if teaching yoga was something I might enjoy.

From the beginning, Alexandra masterfully created a safe and loving space for us. This allowed my cohort to quickly bond with one another. Though teaching can be quite vulnerable, I felt encouraged and comfortable each step of the way. Each YTT weekend was intentionally and lovingly planned, and I always felt prepared to do what was asked of me. There was something magical about having entire weekends dedicated to immersing myself in something so introspective.

Now that I’ve completed the training, I have a much deeper understanding of yoga asana, philosophy, anatomy, and spirituality. I have the confidence and tools I need to grow my own practice while sharing the gift of yoga with others. I also have an amazing group of supportive yoga teachers to help me along the way. I learned so much about yoga through this training, but even more about myself.

—Kay Cee

I entered YTT a grateful woman feeling a little too untethered from myself and the sacred world around me. My biggest qualm committing to the program was certainly the time requirement. Balancing time away from home in addition to work was daunting. Ultimately, everyone in my family benefitted from YTT.

I’m not too embarrassed to admit I expected to be a “picture perfect yogi” at the culmination of YTT. My poses are sharper. I’m more excited and comfortable exploring how to make a shape more interesting. I didn’t expect to crack open my mind, my heart, my energy and challenge myself in the coolest ways. The space created felt mystical, yet profoundly grounded and safe. Like a fairy dreamy forest at dusk in the summer surrounded by beings you couldn’t help but adore. Alexandra fosters this be being Alexandra. She is the safe and grounded mystic. Her thoughtfulness regarding the curriculum and each detail, down to our paper name placards that revealed initial intention undiscovered until the closing weeks, are jaw dropping.

This entire experience has felt like a safe warm bubble to grow and learn and explore more about yoga philosophy, myself, and so so much more.

My new favorite dogma from YTT is “if you ‘hate’ something, get curious and explore that, maybe something’s there.” It feels fun and weird and cautiously wondrous to think this way. The result feels like the pinnacle of liberation. Growing feels wildly empowering, but in a gentle way. Like it was quietly waiting inside me to be discovered.

—Courtney

Before starting YTT, I was depleted in every sense of the word. I was burned out from my job and from riding the emotional rollercoaster of having a terminally ill family member. I was the lowest I’d ever been and although I consider myself to be quite resilient, I was losing hope—and hopelessness wasn’t a familiar landscape. I knew I had to connect with my body in order to help quiet my ruminating thoughts so I turned to yoga. I’ve practiced yoga in the past but my reasons for unrolling my mat were different this time. I cried a lot, but I always left class feeling more connected to my body and my breath. I needed a reminder that I was alive and breathing, I needed to be in my body. I was desperate to experience life and not just survive it. I knew I needed to dive deeper into my yoga practice.

I had a million plus one reasons why I shouldn’t sign up. I didn’t need to spend the money, I work a lot on weekends, what if I didn’t want to teach yoga after all? After a long discussion with my partner, who probably would’ve encouraged me to do almost anything he thought would help me move through the turmoil I’d been experiencing, I decided to go for it. I gave myself permission to not worry about whether I would actually become a yoga teacher but rather to be curious and present.

The process was transformative in so many ways but interestingly, I notice the most obvious changes off the mat. Choosing to take five minutes when I first open my eyes in the morning to breathe and be in my body rather than checking my emails, that’s yoga. Holding space instead of trying to offer solutions when my daughter’s feelings are hurt by others at school, that’s yoga. Choosing “good enough” over “perfect,” that’s yoga.

My yoga journey has allowed me to grow and heal in ways I didn’t expect. It was scary at times and I definitely had to go out of my comfort zone but Alexandra and all of our instructors did a stunningly beautiful job of creating a safe and welcoming classroom environment. It was truly a magical and transformative experience that I’m eternally grateful to have experienced.

—Blair

The breadth of topics covered and the way the training is carried out gives you so much to explore. This training also gives the support and encouragement yoga teachers really need. So, you get tons of information, lots of support, and lots of encouragement to find your own authentic way of teaching. It gives you permission to be authentic in your teaching, but also provides a ton of information or access to that information.

By covering a broad reach of resources and topics, it also engenders a feeling that I think is of the utmost importance for yoga teachers: “knowing what you don’t know,” but also with resources to learn as much as you can while also getting experience—not thinking you need to know everything today, and recognizing that yoga can be a lifelong journey of learning and growing.

—Sarah