Take Your Yoga Practice to the Next Level

So right from the start we were thrown into the deep end in the best way possible, teaching from the very start of the course, and so by the end of it I just felt so confident and so prepared to actually take what I had learned and offer it in a real life class environment. So for me that was really important because I want to teach yoga and I wanted to invest my time and my money wisely so that was really important to me. I think that type of training attracts a particular type of person as well, so the people who did the training with me were like-minded, they wanted to learn, they wanted to become the best yoga teachers they could be and they really cared about their students, they wanted to be able to offer them a really great experience, they wanted to know the anatomy, they wanted to intelligently sequence their classes and offer their students a really well-rounded experience that was not only enjoyable and took them to their edge, but also offered in the safest way. So for me they were really important aspects and left me feeling prepared to not only be a great yoga teacher, but to offer a unique point of difference that a lot of people who do yoga teacher training don’t get to experience

I loved starting the day or the evening with a two hour practice that seemed to just fly, I don’t know where the time went, so I loved it all. I loved how it ran, I loved what I learned, I loved the anatomy alignment body focus, I was terrified by it, I was intimidated by it, I felt less than in a sense compared to the other people in the room that I felt knew more than I did, and I’ve left the program with an enormous awareness of anatomy all the time – when I stand, when I sit, obviously when I practice, when I teach, and that keeps evolving, so I feel like through doing the YTT I’m relearning every time I go to class, so that focus was I think brilliant for me and Amelia’s energy is incomparable. I loved that everyone could open up, and did, including the teacher, and we were all humans together, and the fears dissipated and we were not competitive. We helped each other, we assisted each other emotionally when it was challenging for any or all of us. It was very much we were all held but not mollycoddled, so we were forced to be uncomfortable and to grow and to learn how to teach this thing that we do.

We would often run overtime because she just wanted to keep sharing, and that really impressed upon me that you would always show up 100%, even 110%, you were always there for every second of that 200 hours and you held space for every single person in that room for all of that time. And it takes real skill and ability to be able to do that and I really recognise and respect that you do have a natural gift to teach, so that definitely impressed upon me. And I think when I was making the choice of which program I wanted to do, and it’s probably true for everybody, that it really matters who the teacher is. What I loved about you was that you’re real, you’re so real, and when you show up there’s no pretending to be something that you’re not, and that really spoke heaps to me and really reached right into my heart and soul, and it just made me really want to be here. I think that that’s definitely why I chose the Axis YTT 200 and I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, just because it was a magical journey and it was made all the more special by everything that you bring to it, so I highly highly recommended the Axis YTT 200 to anybody thinking about doing a Teacher Training. One of the other really valuable parts of the Axis YTT 200 program is that you come away with the experience and confidence to teach immediately. Right from the start Amelia throws you in the deep end and has you teaching from the get-go.

Initially it was a big decision for me, the main driving force behind it was my passion for men’s mental health, and originally I just wanted to add it as a feather in my cap, essentially to be able to take men’s retreats and help men realise there is an answer in Yoga ….other things outside drinking alcohol and drugs, that Yoga does change your life … and then through your persistence and telling me that I would actually be a good yoga teacher and instilling confidence in me… I thought “yeah, I’m going to jump in and do it”. From that point on there was no looking back really, it was meant to be..

I didn’t think I’d come across a teacher that had values that aligned with mine when it comes to movement and rehab, to make sure you’re nice and safe in a yoga practice. But I’ve been practicing with Amelia through the Axis Yoga Studio and got to know her and really understood that she was different, and she really valued quality movement and strength based practice that balanced out lots of flexibility, mobility and what you’d expect in a traditional yoga practice. So I found Axis Yoga, not just the teacher training but also attending the studio as a student….a modern version or variation of yoga, … it wasn’t as intimidating or overwhelming as it would be stepping into a traditional yoga studio. So when it came to deciding to do my 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training I thought it would really help compliment what I already do with my clients. I loved the fact that I could reach out to other students I was learning with and talk to them about things that I found challenging, and also to help them with aspects they found quite difficult or overwhelming so I enjoyed that part. I also really liked the alignment and anatomy based aspects of it, I don’t think you’d get such a detailed teaching or base of knowledge and it comes to the human body and human physiology in many other yoga teacher training… that’s what really resonated with me, and I think it matters for teachers, I loved the fact that it was different and it was relatable and it was a modern spin on yoga but we still learned all the traditional philosophy, …breathing and so forth…

I love all of Amelia’s classes, and the beauty of this course is that I can pick and choose the flow to suit my mood, energy levels and daily needs. If I’m time-poor, I can choose an express flow. Or if I’m in the mood for a real challenging class, I can attempt something in the inversion series. Then there’s yin and myo-facial if I need to slow things down before bed. It’s my one-stop-shop for all my yoga needs! Thank you Amelia for creating this absolute gem. $15 a month is an absolute bargain

I’ve come from a dancing background and so for me it was that awareness around the body and intelligent practice incorporating not only just the flexibility side of things and … the spiritual side things, there was everything holistically in terms of the strength … the lengthening, the mobility, the strengthening of joints, doing it in a very intelligent way and putting it in not just theory but practical aspects. So yes, we could sit there and read and listen to you all day, but we also were able to practice it. Even reading out loud, that was starting to get us to be okay with projecting our voice and projecting ourselves, and doing it in our own way, and I think Amelia being so authentic always encouraged us to bring our own self to it as well and not just being a carbon copy of Amelia. It was more around understanding the fundamentals, doing it in a very intelligent way but also bringing yourself to both the practice and also teaching, so for me it was a very emotional journey. Being quite new to yoga, I didn’t have the solid X number of years of understanding of yoga, so Amelia planted seeds along the way and … from the start I was like “how am I going to learn all of this, how is it going to sink into this old brain of mine when I’ve also got a full-time job and life is pretty crazy, always busy”… but the seeds were certainly planted and well sometimes I probably wasn’t watering them because of my self-doubt, well eventually it all came together and they grew into some pretty healthy plants and here I am and it … all came together and I was able to teach my own class at the end which was incredible