300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Week 2
This is a write up of my experience in week 2 of the 300-hour yoga teacher training with Sampoorna – Yoga Teacher Training School in Goa India. If you haven’t already you might want to look the first blogs in this series.This article follows on from the previous which was a write up of my experience in week 1. There are also earlier articles in the series that look at considerations and advice I would give before committing to a yoga teacher training and my preparation before the course.
Anatomy:
I really appreciated going over some of the 200-hour content last week as it meant I had a good foundation to build on from week 2.
Anatomy topics covered during the course included the following:
1. Review of Anatomical Principles
2. Directional Terms, Basic movements
3. Integumentary system
4. Skeletal system
5. Muscular system
6. Nervous system
7. Endocrine system
8. Cardiovascular system
9. Lymphatic system
10. Digestive system
11. Respiratory system
12. Urinary system
13. Reproductive system
14. Anatomy and its application in asana.
Philosophy:
After some revision over the 200-hour topics last week, we got into new material this week.
Philosophy topics covered during the course were as follows:
1. Bhagavad Gita
2. Yoga – meaning, definition and concept
3. Four Yogas
4. Three bodies / Five Koshas
5. Hatha Yoga – meaning, concept, chakra theory
6. Vedas and the six schools of Indian Philosophy
7. Gunas and diet
8. Eight limbs
9. Ishvara
10. Meanings of Om
11. Types of Samadhi
12. Yoga nidra
13. Ayurveda
14. Meditation
15. Pranayama
16. Mudras and Bandha
17. Mantras and chants
And more..
Asana theory
Throughout the course the following topics are covered during sequencing, adjustment & alignment, individual differences classes and lectures:
1. Asana and its application
2. Vinyasa flow: Movement and Breathing system
3. Elements of an asana class: Pranayama, Mantra, Meditation, Bandhas, Dristi and Mudras
4. Basic guidelines for Alignment
5. General Alignment principles
6. Teaching qualities
7. Basic guidelines for Adjustment and Adjustment theory
8. Basic Guidelines/considerations for Vinyasa flow
9. Basic sequencing of a Yoga Asana Class (and templates)
10. Characteristics of a good teacher
11. Ethical guidelines
12. Private lessons
13. Business basics and use of social media
14. Language development
15. Surya Namaskar variations
16. Gentle flow class
17. Restorative yoga
18. Yoga Injuries
19. Yoga during pregnancy
20. Individual differences
21. The yoga poses themselves
And more..
Student Teaching #2: Sun Salutations and start of standing sequence
The student teaching exercise the previous week had been about teaching a warm up sequence so this followed on from that. Like the previous exercise we were split into groups to teach to the other students. We hadn’t received feedback last time but for this exercise students wrote anonymous feedback on paper and the teacher discussed their own feedback with you. The feedback is useful because you rarely get the opportunity to receive feedback when you are teaching. Your usual students are unlikely to want to risk hurting your feelings and say anything negative about your teaching. You will often be doing things when you teach that you are not aware of so once they are highlighted you can work to improve. Sometimes it is easier said that done, particularly if things have become a habit. Having the awareness is the first step to being able to make the positive change though. Try to see the feedback as a positive and be grateful for the opportunity to improve and be open to ideas and suggestions.
Student Teaching #3: Standing Sequence building to peak pose
This exercise was in a similar format to the previous teaching. This time you had to design a standing sequence to build up to a peak pose. I was starting to enjoy the teaching exercises much more now and I was losing the nerves. I was able to relax into them much more and treat them just like I would teach my normal classes. My confidence was back and I really enjoyed preparing my class which was a standing sequence up to Pincha. I love this pose myself and I had been working on it in my own practice over the last few months. After enjoying this class, I was remembering why I loved teaching so much!
Days off
The weeks on the course are long and quite exhausting both physically and mentally. The Sundays off are much appreciated! As much as I love yoga the last thing I wanted to do on the days off was yoga! I was all yoga’d out and I think most of the other students were feeling the same! It would have been good to more time off, even if it was just another half day. I understand though that there is a lot of material to fit into a short period so it is the only way it can work. Just be aware that you are signing up to an intensive course and it is just that! I found it more so than the 200-hour first yoga teacher training in terms of volume of material and complexity. Having said that it is manageable.
I personally liked to take a bit of time on the day off to go over the course notes from the week but I also made sure I made time to relax, rest and refresh. This usually involved spending time on the beautiful Agonda beach which is just on the doorstep. We also arranged activities and meals out with the group and it was nice to try different places to eat in the area.
I have written a separate article about things to do in Agonda and the nearby area. These are good things to do on the day off.
My personal experience of week 2
By the end of week 2 I was exhausted both physically and mentally but in a really satisfying way! We had learnt so much this week and I had managed to tackle some new poses! The day off was just what I needed and I was then feeling excited for another week.
Further reading:
This blog post explored week 2 of the training course you might want to look at further blogs in the series where I have written up my experience throughout the remainder of the course:
1. Considerations before taking a yoga teacher training
2. 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Before the course
3. 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week 1
4. 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week 2 (Current article)
5. 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week 3
6. 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Week 4
7. 300 Hour Yoga Teacher Training – Final Thoughts
8. Agonda, Goa, India
Sarah Williams is a Qualified Yoga Teacher based in London with an online presence @sarahlucyyoga on Instagram and Facebook. She also blogs about yoga and health & wellbeing topics on her website. Sarah’s focus is Vinyasa Flow, Hatha and Ashtanga styles of yoga and she completed part of her training in India.
As well as being a yoga teacher Sarah is also a Chartered Accountant. She fell in love with yoga as it was a release from the office, it taught her to value her health and improved the attitude she had towards life and herself. As a teacher she is able to pass on the benefits of yoga to her students and finds the job incredibly rewarding.
She has completed her 300 hr advanced teacher training from