When COVID hit in March 2020, one of the first things the Mind the Mat team addressed was, "What in the world are we going to do about the 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program?" Normally, participants in this six-month program meet in person every other weekend to learn about many aspects of yoga, including history and philosophy, anatomy and yoga poses, creating classes, business aspects, ethics, and so much more. We decided we would have to teach most of the program online and potentially meet in person if Virginia governor's regulations would eventually allow. We called our program "HYFLEX," meaning hybrid virtual and in-person, and very flexible. No pun intended! 

Pre-COVID hands-on-assist by Mind the Mat owner, Sara VanderGoot, e-RYT 500, PRYT, CMT

 Honestly, we wondered how many people would actually sign up. Our guess was that students would prefer being in person for a yoga teacher training; they would be overwhelmed with the adjustments they were having to make in their own lives due to COVID (like having school kids at home) or may have lost their jobs and wouldn't want to invest in education. Also, we wondered how well our curriculum would translate well over Zoom. Fast forward to October 2020, at the start of the Yoga Teacher Training Program, we had a full class of students registered! In fact, there seemed to be even more interest in yoga teacher training than before COVID (and there was a lot even before COVID). This was a hopeful trend to see! 

Anatomy lecture with Mind the Mat owner, Dr. Megan Brown PT

Here are some of the reasons why now is a good time to do the 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program from current students over the last six months:

• Students feel that more time at home and no commute allows for extra flexibility.• Students have a desire to engage with other people in a meaningful way during lockdowns.• The ability to do yoga classes virtually from home supports a more frequent and dedicated yoga and meditation practice (enrollees get unlimited free virtual yoga classes upon registration!).• Much of the content translates really well over Zoom, and Mind the Mat was able to hire an expert in yoga history and philosophy who lives in New York!• Mind the Mat added extra mentoring in small groups over Zoom. This gave students a forum to get to know each other more intimately and work more closely with the instructors.• Students from other states had the opportunity to join, who would not have had the opportunity if they were required to come in person.• Mind the Mat's outdoor classes gave them a chance to soak up the yoga vibes in person (enrollees get unlimited free outdoor yoga classes throughout the program!).• Mind the Mat offered students the option to take 30 Hours of Foundations for Yoga Teacher Training before committing to the entire 200 hours. Find more about that option here. If you are interested in finding out more about our upcoming 200 Hour HYFLEX Yoga Teacher Training beginning October 2021, click here.  Also, to sign up for one of our upcoming Q & As with the director of the Yoga Teacher Training Program, Caroline Deitch, click here. 

Director of Yoga Teacher Training, Caroline Deitch RYT 500, PRYT

Upcoming Dates for Q & As:

Monday, April 26th at 7:45p via ZOOM

Sunday, May 16th at 10:30a Outdoors at Mind the Mat Del Ray

Monday, June 7th at 7:45p via ZOOM

Questions about training?  Email Caroline Deitch at mtmteachertraining@gmail.com