6 Ways to Know if You’re ready to go to a Yoga Workshop
In the summer before we got married my husband and I chatted about goals while on a day hike. He wanted to take his first race car driving lessons. I wanted to go to my first yoga workshop.
It was huge to say that out loud. I felt like I was taking a big step in my yoga life. I was also worried. I’d only been practicing a few years; who was I to take a yoga workshop? Surely, I needed to know more before I went. I figured people would think I didn’t belong there. All of that scared me.
I wish I knew then that you are always invited to yoga workshops no matter how long you’ve been practicing. You don’t need to know any more than you know. And it’s almost always the right time to go*.
Workshops and trainings are the way that yoga teachers share more than what you’d normally get in a 60 or 75 minute class. They help you expand what you know about what yoga is and how you can apply it to your life. If the workshop includes yoga philosophy, it can transition your yoga from just an exercise experience into a holistic and spiritual experience.
While workshops may seem exciting or boring depending on the program. Sometimes it can be hard to tell if you really want to go. Besides the normal fears we all have around not fitting in and not knowing enough, other doubts may come up. When they do, they try talk you out of going. Then you miss out on growing or deepening your practice.
The good news is there are definitely ways to know if you’re ready to go to trainings and workshops. Here are six ways I help students figure it out:
How are you?
You’re nervous-cited
When you think about the workshop, what happens in your body? Do you feel lightness? An upward moving energy? Maybe you start to smile, giggle or even dance around a little bit. That’s the excited part of nervous-cited. It feels great. But for most of us, when we’re considering something new we don’t just feel excited, we feel nervous. Butterflies, sweaty palms, a tight neck and even a slight quiver are all ways your body lets you know you’re headed into unfamiliar territory.
It’s easy to stop when you feel the nerves. You’re wired to talk yourself out of danger and stay safe. But if you’re feeling the excited part too, then you can trust yourself and take a little leap. Yoga workshops are a great place to build that muscle, especially if you’re working with a teacher you already know and trust. The key is to TRUST YOURSELF. If you’ve only got nerves and it seems like a terrible idea, it probably is. But if you’ve got nerves and excitement then you may be ready to nudge yourself to go for it.
2. You’re in a Rough Patch
Yoga students always look serene and peaceful when we see them in magazines or social media. But that’s not how life or practice always go. Wouldn’t a more accurate photo show folks with hair sticking out in all directions, tears pooling on the mat, buckets of sweat, and mismatched non-designer yoga wear? I think so.
Life can be so difficult. Sustaining a yoga practice can be difficult — especially in times when life is difficult off the mat. Difficult times may seem like exactly NOT the time to come to a workshop. But really, what else is yoga for if not for teaching us how to cope with being human, both as individuals and as members of community?
The people who received and codified yoga were also human. They dealt with loss, tragedy, challenge, and anxiety. Yoga at its roots teaches us how to deal with all of that and to recognize our greatness in the process. Coming to a workshop or training when you’re struggling can affirm you because your experience is reflected in the teachings. It also reminds you that your challenges are NOT all of who you are. In that way, deeper learning can be quite uplifting while giving you a roadmap for how to cope with life in all it’s life-y-ness.
3. You’re a different person at yoga
When you come to yoga do you feel like this whole other side of you comes out? Maybe you’re more playful, maybe more patient, or you’re calmer and more settled. It’s like you’ve found a magic pill and you take it as often as you can. A friend of mine used to call that person YogaKatie because she was so completely different when she practiced. The problem was, YogaKatie would disappear after class. The magic pill wears off when we step out of practice.
We want yoga to bring out the best in us. But did you realize it’s possible for that ‘best of you’ to get off the mat and come back into your life? Yoga is not just a physical practice - in fact the physical side came MUCH later than yogic thought.
Yoga started as a philosophy, a vision for seeing the world and living in it. When you deepen your studies you give yourself the chance to become YogaYou in your everyday life. And how great would it be if your patience, calm, playfulness weren’t just on your mat? Workshops can help you narrow the gap between your YogaYou and LifeYou… eventually you won’t even know the difference.
4. You’re trying to do what your teacher does
Sometimes students come to me and say “I was having (challenging situation) and I thought: What would Sarah Fischer do/say about it?” Flattering as this is, it’s pointing to something important - these students realize that living with yoga in mind changes your response to life. If you’re thinking that way, you’re ready to learn more and bring it into your life.
If how your yoga teacher teaches inspires you to want to handle challenges the way that they do, then that person has probably been through some stuff. And, most likely, they relied on yoga’s guidance to help them through it. Being around people who live their yoga helps you realize that you, too can live with intention. Your teacher didn’t start out this way, they had to learn and practice. So, if you’re thinking that you should copy your teacher’s example that’s great. The place to start is not by trying to become your teacher, but by LEARNING and APPLYING the yogic teachings.
5. You’re a yoga teacher
I know, you’ve already been through a bajillion trainings. Or you really don’t love learning. But if you’re gonna ask students to show up for classes week after week it’s important to continue to grow as a teacher.
There are some areas of teaching where I think you can reach a saturation point. Then it’s important to take breaks and build your skills before you take another workshop. But, I don’t think yoga philosophy is one of those areas. It’s such a broad topic. There are so many approaches and so much literature. Your 200 hour training was just the beginning. And if you’ve studied more after that then you already know that you’re just scratching the surface.
Learning from different teachers and different darshans (yoga viewpoints) makes you a well-rounded, well-informed teacher. You become someone who can see and explain nuances in yogic thought. Hopefully this will serve to protect yoga and move it forward with less appropriation / colonization. At the same time it helps you serve a wider audience of students because you can speak to different views and life experiences.
I also think the more we learn, the more we respect the differences in yogic thought. I personally, enjoy learning non dual Tantra more than Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. But, the more I learn about one, the more I appreciate the other. Studying multiple views with multiple teachers helps us teachers stay fluid and open. It creates connection rather than division. And if we can start to connect despite differences in viewpoint in the yoga world then there’s hope for that to happen out in our larger culture.
6 - You’re feeling safe enough
This one will be a very different experience depending on who you are and how the world responds to you. If you are part of a marginalized group or have had significant trauma, showing up at a workshop could bring up big challenges; ones that are way stronger than the things I deal with as an able-bodied white woman. Unfortunately, no matter how great the event is it’s not a good fit if you don’t feel safe. Only you know what will help you feel safe enough to go. Maybe you have a relationship with the presenters. Or you trust the studio and know that they will only bring in folks who are in right relationship with you, your community, and your greatness.
Your feelings of safety and peace of mind directly impact your learning and growth. It should be in the hands of the studios and presenters to create an environment that supports learning for every student. I know that often falls short. I can say for myself that as a teacher and presenter the more I learn, the more I am refining how I share yoga. As I go through that process, I welcome all feedback. That includes walking out of my class if I ever say or do something that makes you feel unsafe, unseen, unheard.
It All Comes Back to You
Reading down this list, what do you notice? Maybe you match almost every situation here. Maybe there’s only one. But when you go through the list, it’s not about checking off boxes or taking my advice because I’m an “expert.” What I really hope you do with this list is consider how you feel and what you really want and need. When you do that you’re leaning into your deeper ways of knowing. By tuning in to your authentic response to the workshop invitation you’ll be confident to make your decision.. These are guidelines that can point you back to your own knowing. Truth is, only you know if it’s the right time. But YOU DO KNOW. Trust yourself. I hope to see you in a workshop soon — but only when it’s right for YOU.
*if you’re in the middle of a tragedy or you’d have to go into debt to pay for a workshop - it’s not a great time to go to it.