200 hour Yoga Teacher Training - Not bendy? Brilliant. You’ll be a better teacher for it.

“You Don’t Need to Be a Contortionist: What 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Is Really About”

(Or: why being able to bite your toenails is not a requirement, in fact, please don't.)

Let’s have a little moment of truth.

So many people tell me they’d love to do a 200 hour yoga teacher training—…but:

“I’m just not flexible enough.”

“I can’t do a headstand.”

“My balance isn't great”

HONESTLY IT DOESN'T MATTER! Did I say that loudly enough?

In truth, being bendy is not the same as being ready. You don’t need to have a Cirque du Soleil-level asana practice to join a 200-hour training. Honestly, you don’t even need to be able to sit cross-legged for long without your legs going numb (sitting cross-legged doesn't make you a better yogi - you can get enlightened standing up or lying down).

Yoga teacher training ≠ gymnastics boot camp

There’s a myth out there that teacher training is basically an extended audition for yoga Instagram. Endless arm balances, picture-perfect backbends, glowing, freshly oiled skin, and green juice in hand.

But real yoga teacher training is about delving into what we love about yoga and learning to put all the pieces of this vast practice into a frame that shows your own unique picture of what a yoga teacher and practitioner looks like.

We do in-depth study into asana (an intuitive, embodied approach on our course) but it is not in any way performative and I often encourage you to move slowly and gently so you can feel and understand more. Those who are drawn to complex asana will be supported to find their potential, and those drawn more to the interiority of a somatic practice will also be supported.

Our 200 hour training course is holistic

You’ll also dive deep into:

• Why we breathe the way we do in class (and how it calms the nervous system)

• What yoga philosophy has to say about modern life (for many, this is the bit that will really change your life)

• How to teach clearly, safely, and compassionately

• What your own personal practice really needs (which might not be more chaturangas and will probably be more gentleness)

  
  

  

  
  

The real curriculum goes far beyond the mat

In fact, some of the richest parts of training happen off the mat. We read, we reflect, we share stories. We learn how to hold space for others—and ourselves.

One past student told me she’d been worried that she wasn't "advanced" enough to do the course.

What surprised her most?

We have had people successfully complete the course with knee replacements, frozen shoulders, ME, CFS, hypermobility and various other conditions. I can't say this enough - it really doesn't matter if you are not physically adept. It matters that you show up and it matters that you care.

Not bendy? Brilliant. You’ll be a better teacher for it.

Here’s a secret: the people who’ve struggled, who’ve worked with stiff bodies, injuries, or self-doubt, often make the most compassionate teachers. They know what it’s like to be the one who can’t quite “get into” a pose. And they know how to create an inclusive space where others feel safe, seen, and enough.

Encouragement for the “not-quite-ready” yogi

If you’re feeling unsure, here are a few truths to take with you:

• Yoga is a practice, not a performance.

• You do not need a perfect body—just a curious mind and an open heart.

• Flexibility isn’t the goal. Awareness is.

• You are allowed to learn, grow, and wobble. That’s the point. I make a point of wobbling - if I'm not wobbling I'm not learning.

  
  

Still wondering if our North Somerset 200 hour Yoga Training is right for you?

I’d love to talk it through with you and we can find out together whether 200 hour teacher training might be a fit.

I teach a mindful, empowering approach to yoga where you will become the unique teacher you were meant to be. Find you own voice and be with a group of kind, like-minded people who share your passion.

Curious to find out more? Take a look at the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training page where you can find out all you need to know and download the prospectus.