About a month ago, I started an online yoga teacher training course with Briohny Smyth called Aligned Yoga. I was originally supposed to do this training in Thailand in July 2020, but due to Covid-19, it was cancelled. I spoke to Bri after she made the important and responsible decision to cancel the training and she asked what my thoughts were on taking it online instead. To be honest, I was REALLY disappointed to not be able to do a training in person. I felt like I wouldn't get as much out of the course because it was online. But this was the only option that was available to take this training with her in our current world state. The 200hr immersive in-person training I did back in 2016-17 gave me the ability to really tune into what I was learning and I wasn’t sure how I would do with an online training while working in the city.
It took me a while to even start the training because I felt I needed to get into the right mindset where I could live what I was learning. Well… after waiting longer than I anticipated, over the holiday season I finally had some extra time and energy to start the course. I have to say, I was IMMEDIATELY blown away by the information that I was receiving. I have been sharing and creating yoga pose alignment tutorials for the last 4 years and I am always searching for the best, most accurate content to share with other yogis. The amount of information I learned in just one week of Bri’s training has filled in a lot of missing pieces to my years of learning from how-tos and tutorials on Instagram and through other websites. I was pleasantly surprised and wished I had started sooner!
Part of the reason why I chose to do Briohny Smyth’s training was because of her ability to explain concepts with easy in her Instagram tutorials. She is always so clear and concise- and her alignment is always PERFECT. I also felt as though she was really down to earth and I liked the vibe she gave off on her Instagram account. She was not showy, she did not wear a ton of makeup, and she never contorted herself into poses that just looked painful. Her kindness spoke through all of her posts and stories. She was the person I knew I needed to learn from. After speaking with her about the training, I got to know how authentic she actually is and how much she truly cares about all of her followers individually (she has a lot) rather than thinking of them as just numbers.
So back to the training….
This training has been like a book I couldn’t put down. It started with learning how to properly engage the body in different, foundational areas. Then it went into detail on how to apply these body engagements into all of the foundational poses. I thought I knew all about foundational poses and that this would just be a review for me. Instead, I found that with every lesson, I learned at least one new tidbit of information that I could immediately implement into my teachings. The information that was presented was so simply, yet so clear and concise. And so easy to understand and apply. This is another reason why I chose Bri. Every day of the course, you learn also learn about pranayama, kriya or philosophy.
Now, would it be better if I learned this information in Thailand? Yes and No.
YOGA CLASSES:
I really love my self-practice but I think it is really important to also be a student taking classes to continue to grow. In-person classes are so amazing because of the energy and sense of community with the instructor and fellow teacher trainees. But online classes were the next best thing, and I love that I can do her classes when it is suitable for me. During an in-person training, sometimes you need to really dig deep and maybe even force yourself to do the 2 classes that were offered in a day. If you aren’t able to partake in classes during an immersive training, you would not be able to retake those classes in the future. So when I didn’t feel up to it, I ended up missing out. Having online classes gives me the ability and flexibility to do the classes at my own pace. However, I would have also loved to get the physical adjustments and experience the feeling of practicing as a group.
LECTURES:
I actually much preferred online. I found in previous trainings that there is only a certain amount of time to convey all the information that needed to be conveyed. So, if the teacher got off topic because of questions, there would end up being information that was missed or skimmed over. During lectures in person, I found myself frantically taking notes and listening as intently as I could all at once. For online: I can stop, pause the video and even go back a minute or two if there was something I missed or wanted to watch again. This has been the best thing about this training. I really feel that all of the information is conveyed to its fullest extent and that I can take proper notes at my own pace. People can still ask questions and those are also answered by Bri, but it is separate from the actual lecture. This is my favourite part of the training by far!
I liked having the option to print the manual. I chose to print most of it but there are A LOT of pages. I knew that I would be taking rigorous notes so printing the main pages was absolutely necessary.
COMMUNITY:
There are also live sessions (I missed some of them due to my schedule for work), where we can ask questions and even practice all together virtually. This has made me feel like a part of a community, and feel like I am being seen. It is nice to see everyone’s faces and hear other voices from attendees in the training. Bri has also encouraged us to get to know each other over Instagram and social media. I do miss the community feel and getting to know individuals in person, but I know I can still connect with these teacher trainees in other ways. There is also a Facebook group where you can ask questions, connect and share with others in the group.
TO SUM UP:
For me, the information I am receiving from this training is SO VALUEABLE and the most important reason for why I decided to take this training. I never thought I would enjoy an online teacher training, but I do, I REALLY do.
Bri stayed true to the person she portrays herself to be on Instagram throughout the training and continuous to blow my mind with her positive attitude, kindness and clear communication. Mathieu is the co-teacher who focuses on teaching pranayama, kirtan, kriya, yoga philosophy, etc. Its nice to have another voice to listen to and another perspective to learn from. Regardless, I could listen to Bri all day- her voice is very soothing and easy to listen to.
So would I recommend this Online Yoga Teacher Training?
The short answer is: YES!! Absolutely!
If you are wanting to become a teacher trainer, but can't afford or attend an in-person training, I would highly recommend this online training. You have a year from the date of purchase to complete it and you have access to the entire course throughout that year. I would recommend taking diligent notes, and paying as much attention as you can, asking questions whenever you can, and connecting with others in the training.
I also think it is important to eventually take an in person training of some sort in the future. You could do the 200HR online and then your 300HR in person somewhere you’d like to travel to (or with Briohny, once the world re-opens again). Or if you already have your 200HR, this 300HR training is an excellent way for you to improve your own practice and teaching. And for the price, you can't beat it! There is so much information and golden nuggets of info that are SO worth it. I will continue to enjoy my time with this course as I learn am learning SO much more than I thought I would. I am so grateful to Bri for making this training accessible online and really glad I went this route. Its been an amazing experience so far and I'm only a few weeks into the actual course. Looking forward to posting more about my experience with this training.
Here is the link if you are interested:
www.alignedyoga.com
Her instagram is Yoga With Briohny
xx
Yoga Alignment