How becoming a Yoga Teacher allowed me to step into my favourite version of myself – so far!

Written by Rebecca Manankil - instructor & resident creative at The Aura House

For a long time, I was focused, maybe even obsessed, with becoming the “highest version of myself”. I have come to realize this is an unrealistic thing to aspire to be 24/7 and can actually be exhausting. Personally, becoming a yoga teacher and sharing my love of yoga with others completely changed the trajectory of my life. It is what has lead For many years, I felt like something was missing from my vocational path. I began my 200 HR certification with no intention to teach. Fast-forward 4 years and I am now guiding The Aura House community 5 days a week! Every day I step on the mat in front of my classes, I feel so grateful with a full heart that this is where that choice to get certified took me.

Your Yoga practice is a never-ending journey with no destination. While the concentration on the physical aspect of yoga can often lead us to believe that accomplishing a new challenging pose is always the next step, this is only one of many paths. Obtaining your 200 Hour Yoga Teacher certification is a wonderful and deeply life changing way to elevate your life. Even if you have no interest in teaching others, there are still many benefits to the certification. You can check out some of them in this blog post here.

Here are my reasons why getting your YTT might make this next move, your best move:

connecting with a community

After years of isolation, being part of community is so necessary. What I love about teaching yoga is the relationships I’ve built through my role as an educator. Teaching yoga can help you build meaningful connections with your students, other teachers, and the yoga community. Yoga is also a valued offering that allows you to give back to the community by sharing your knowledge. As a teacher, you can inspire and motivate others to build their yoga practice. You are giving folks the opportunity to take what they learn with you not only into their mat practice but in their day to day life.

a renewed definition of Autonomy

What I love most about being a yoga teacher is the freedom it has given me in my life over my time. In my teaching practice, I can choose when and where I want to teach, how often and the types of classes I want to offer. My practice has allowed me to do private sessions, group and corporate sessions; both in person in some of the most beautiful spaces but also virtually, allowing me to connect with folks all over the world. All of which was in alignment with my time and energy!

Opportunities for Financial Abundance

In my own journey, I wouldn’t be honest if I said Yoga isn’t necessarily the highest paying occupation – not in the beginning anyways. When I first got certified, I offered private classes in my home on a donation basis or for free virtually, which still inspired folks to donate out of their own kindness. As I grew my practice and student base, becoming more confident in who I am as a teacher, I started to align the dollar value of my abundance exchange with my offerings. What I appreciate the most is the ability to exchange my time & energy doing something I loved for a monetary amount, allowing me to always feel beyond grateful when I am compensated for teaching. When I started, Yoga was a supplementary income, but has now become one of my primary sources of income – which allows me to live a very comfortable and fulfilling life. In looking at yoga as a way to support you, my best advice is to know your worth and work towards crafting your offerings in an authentic way to attract those who will see that value!

Professional growth and development

My yoga practice has allowed me to grow so much as a professional. I’ve bounced around between many careers before I landed in my role as a guide, from fashion to finance to event planning and aviation, but working in the wellness industry has given me a space to transmute everything I’ve learned into a space that helps others. I’ve learned the importance of public speaking, customer service, diversity and inclusion while learning how to showcase who I am as a teacher to the world. Most of the incredible opportunities that I’ve aligned with were through my ability to effectively build my brand. As a teacher, people are attracted to who you are and are enticed to come learn with you. In being a one person show, as most yoga teachers are, I’ve learned how to create pitch decks, write proposals, produce workshops, facilitate experiences, run promotional campaigns and negotiate my pricing through this path.

Finally finding my self discipline

I stand firm in the belief that as a teacher, you can only teach what it is you know to be true. From Tuesday to Saturday at The Aura House, I stand among my students with the confidence that I’ve never had before this chapter of my life. I know that I have taken the time, energy and effort to take the principles & teachings of yoga and apply them to my own practice. Through trial and error, I am able to share my knowledge to help them deepen their own practices. This all comes from a very authentic place of discipline where I’ve utilized Yoga as the medium to create a regimen that supports my most optimal well being. By teaching others, you are also teaching yourself.

Positive shift in your life - off the mat

While Yoga is often believed to be a purely physical practice, this is a common misconception in the Western world. There are many aspects to Yoga and paths in which you can practice without a mat being necessary. Read about the 5 Traditional paths of Yoga here.

Since Yoga is such an expansive ideology, I find myself demonstrating what I’ve learned not only on the mat but also off of it. The philosophy, ethics, core values (which I could talk about all day and it still not be enough!) in my day to day life is where I practice Yoga the most. From a physical stand point, I am much more aware of my body than I was before my training. Through various techniques I’ve learned, I am able to apply my expertise in self healing to my own life. I am able to self soothe and regulate my emotions when I am stressed through certain poses or breathing practice. When I have to encounter a difficult situation, I am able to recall wisdom from the sacred scripts or chant certain Mantras to give me the mental strength & clarity to stay grounded. From the way I see the world and others to the way I see myself, Yoga is the school that teaches me what it means to live a full and happy life.

Finding a space to allow creativity to flourish & thrive

I never considered myself a “creative”. I often assigned that title to painters, dancers and musicians; believing that that just wasn’t me. When you are a yoga teacher, you are given the authority & responsibility to create safe space for students to explore self-study of what it means to be at peace. I love curating my classes because this is my art. From the sequence I design, the music that I choose, even the oracle cards, essential oils & sound healing instruments I incorporate and right down to the passages I’ll share as a thought from my favourite texts – I allow the studio to become the incubator for the creative energy I have in me to shift into knowledge shared through an immersive healing experience. I am able to teach the classes that I would love to be a student in. My creativity has a soft space to land in the lived experience of my students.

Are you ready to learn how to live your life divinely through the principles of a certified Yoga Teacher?

Come to our free information session on September 9th at The Aura House’s Grand Re-opening!

The Divine Aura Yoga School is a recognized yoga school and registered under the Yoga Alliance. The 200 hour program is based and rooted in Hatha Yoga Traditions. We focus on ensuring the highest educational standards, quality, integrity and professionalism. This program has a hybrid version to accommodate those who would like to learn from home and in person! Our goal is to honour the traditions of yoga and provide a safe space to grow in your yogic journey. This program is open to students aspiring to deepen their practice and studies, it is not limited to future yoga teachers only.

We also now offer a hybrid version of this program. Achieving your goals has never been easier! Now you have the option to learn in person or from home. Come and learn more about this incredible program that has the potential to be the introduction for you to meet your favourite version of yourself. Our Fall intake begins September 30, 2023, visit the Divine Aura Yoga School website to register!

We hope that if you’ve been feeling the calling to become a 200 HR certified Yoga Teacher that you leave this post a little bit more inspired to take the next leap to live your life, divinely.

We hope you see you soon in the studio, come home to yourself at The Aura House.