Guest Author: Emma Jaffe

I recently participated in a 40-hour Airo Yoga Teacher Training that took place at OurBodySpace in Kuala Lumpur. I honestly learnt so much, made a ton of new friends, and had so much fun. I’ll go more into detail about the training itself but let me start off by saying that I never (ever) thought I would take part in an aerial yoga teacher training. And let me also say that I am so (so) glad that I did. I have been practicing yoga for a few years now and have taken multiple yoga and meditation teacher trainings over the last couple of years. In my first 200-hour multi-style teacher training, there was an aerial yoga component, and I absolutely HATED it. It was uncomfortable, boring, and I didn’t consider it yoga, therefore I swore it off completely.

Fast forward a couple years and I decided to give Airo Yoga a try, even though I already had it in my head that I would dislike it. BUT I LOVED IT. The swing didn’t hurt me, the sequences were super fun, and I actually left the class feeling better. I was no way going to give up my “regular” (i.e. without the swing) yoga practice, but I was now totally open to letting a little bit of aerial yoga into my life.

I am always on the path of self-improvement and I’m always on the hunt for new skills to add to my repertoire. So a couple months after trying my first Airo Yoga class, I decided to sign up for the 40-hour teacher training. I wasn’t sure whether or not I would want to teach Airo Yoga, I just wanted to learn more about this new aerial yoga, and the only aerial yoga I’ve ever enjoyed. The training changed my mind about Airo and made me appreciate it so much more, that now I do actually want to teach Airo Yoga! There are so many things that make an Airo Yoga teacher training unique from other teacher trainings that I’ve done, so let me break it down for you.

Part-Time for the #moderndayyogi

Airo Yoga is truly for the modern day yogi. Natalie has designed the training schedule to to allow those who work 9-5 jobs to actually participate, and not have to take any time off or quit their jobs! This meant that the training was about five to six hours on the weekends, and then 6pm-9pm on weekdays. How cool is that?! Stay in your home city and keep your job, WHILE getting a teacher training under your belt. This was such a cool concept to me, because all of the trainings I’ve done in the past have required such a big commitment, as they were full-time and super intensive. It was also nice because we never really got burnt out, which tends to happen in some teacher trainings. It was actually perfect! (I have absolutely nothing against full-time retreat style teacher trainings, but this was such a nice change and allowed me to work during the days, so I also didn’t have to quit my job…)

Small Class Size

Airo Yoga teacher trainings are always super small groups, on purpose. My group was 10 people, including me. The entire group also becomes very close and we all got really comfortable with each other, very quickly! The small class size was really beneficial, as it allowed us all to get help and support when we needed. It’s makes such a difference to know that you’re not just a number in another teacher training.

Teaching Practice

Another thing that makes the AY teacher training unique was the amount of time given to teaching practice. We started practice teaching from day one! Every day, there was about an hour (or more) set aside for us to practice teaching sequences and poses to partners or to a small group. Natalie truly wants her teachers to feel comfortable teaching Airo Yoga from the day that they walk out of the training. I think giving this much time to teaching practice is SO important, and I think that we were all pretty comfortable teaching the sequences and poses at the end of the 10 days.

Post-training support

Unlike many teacher trainings where you are unlikely to hear from your teachers after the last day, Airo Yoga offers post-training support. Natalie is dedicated to the growth of Airo Yoga teachers and actually REALLY wants us all to do well! She offers post-training support so that you can find your feet out there in the teaching world. You will not be left all alone! Whether you need help with approaching studios, with additional training and tips, or with creating marketing material for your classes, Airo Yoga is there for you!

I would 100% recommend an Airo Yoga teacher training to anyone who is even slightly interested in furthering their teaching, deepening their Airo Yoga practice, or even just learning something new and having a good time! You will walk out of there a confident teacher, with a huge support network behind you. Basically, all this to say, if you’re thinking about it, DO IT.