How much yoga experience should I have before beginning training?

We get this question all the time. There is no set amount of required yoga experience you must have before beginning this training course. Students come into this training from widely different backgrounds, with experience levels varying from beginner to advanced; with knowledge drawn from a variety of different styles and traditions; and with fitness levels all across the board. We have had students walk through the doors who had never practiced yoga a day in their lives and signed up because they wanted to learn it correctly the first time. These students were dedicated and driven and therefore incredibly successful despite their lack of prior experience. We have had students come in with 30+ years of yoga experience under their belts and they were equally successful as well as mind-blown by how many new things they learned and the tremendous ways in which their practices and lives were benefitted even after having already practiced for so long.

At True FLOW Yoga, we believe that if your desire to learn is strong and your intention to grow and advance is pure, you will be successful! (And Brynn, your trainer, will be there to help you every step of the way.) We begin our studies with the simplest and most basic of postures and methodically build and grow from there. We believe that yoga is for everyone, so although later in the course there may be postures that are beyond the reaches of some students in the group, modifications and learning opportunities will always be there for everyone. And, who knows, you might just surprise yourself with what you are able to do by the end of the course!

While there are no required prerequisites before beginning training, it is helpful to have at least 6 months of regular weekly practice under your belt and practicing yoga at least 2x/week in the couple months leading up to the training will help you to build your stamina, strength, and flexibility.

Am I strong enough/flexible enough/advanced enough to pursue yoga training? (Am I ready?)

If you are here reading this, then you are ready! It doesn’t matter how strong or flexible or advanced you are. Yoga is so much more than that! We will be learning about yoga postures but we will also be learning anatomy and about how to carry your body with more health. We will be learning about yoga philosophy and exploring spirituality. We will be exploring breath work and meditation. In this course, you will learn about yoga but more importantly, you will learn about YOURSELF and how to live in your highest vibration, how to embrace all the parts of yourself, and ultimately, how to move in the direction of your highest life purpose. If you found this website and are reading this, something is already calling you to start this journey and do this work. The time is NOW!

What if I don’t want to teach yoga?

That’s okay! A lot of people sign up for Yoga Teacher Training courses without any desire to teach yoga. After all, where else can you learn the correct alignment and form for hundreds of yoga postures as well as the anatomy and injury prevention associated with them? Where else can you learn about all of the spiritual and philosophical aspects of the practice? It would take many years of hand-picking excellent workshops with master teachers to receive the amount of knowledge and wisdom that you will gain from this one training course.

Ultimately this course is for you to learn about yourself and the practice of yoga. You will also learn the skills necessary to design and lead your own yoga classes, but whether or not you choose to do so after the training is up to you. Some students enroll in the training with no desire to teach but find by the end of the program that they do want to teach in some capacity after all, whether it be to family members or by donation to their community. We have no doubt that what feels right will present itself to you.

Fun Fact: Brynn (our lead trainer) enrolled in her first 200hr Teacher Training with no desire to teach. She was young and shy and the thought of standing up in front of a group of people felt terrifying to her! However, after completing her training course, she did feel called to teach. It started as one class here and there and gradually built into her full-time job and career.

What happens if I need to miss a day of training?

It is ideal to be physically present in every class, because nothing compares to a live, in-person experience. With that in mind, we ask students to do what they can to make these classes a priority for the brief 3.5 month commitment of the training. However, we also recognize that life is busy and even with the best laid plans, oftentimes unexpected situations will arise. As such, we try to make it as easy as possible to make up hours and missed information by offering the option to record missed classes for students to watch back. If you let us know ahead of time about the dates you will need to miss, we will do our best to record the sessions for you and if you end up needing to miss more than a few days, we can always schedule private lessons as well.

Where are classes held?

All classes are held at True FLOW Yoga located at 3848 Campus Drive, Suite #114, Newport Beach, CA 92660. We are conveniently located right off the 55/405/73 freeways.

Is True FLOW Yoga a RYS (Registered Yoga School)?

Yes! True FLOW Yoga is a Registered Yoga School with Yoga Alliance, the only globally recognized credential for yoga schools.

Will I be a RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) upon completion of the training?

Upon successful completion of True FLOW Yoga’s 200hr course, you will be given an official certificate stating that you have completed a 200hr Teacher Training at a Registered Yoga School. At that point, you will be a “certified yoga teacher” which will be a recognized credential when searching for many yoga teaching positions. In order to become a “Registered Yoga Teacher,” the only additional step will be to register yourself with Yoga Alliance by uploading your certificate to their site.

What style(s) of yoga will I be certified to teach after training?

The main style of yoga taught at True FLOW Yoga is alignment-based vinyasa flow. We will also explore several other styles of yoga during the course of the training including Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, and more. Most styles of yoga are not trademarked and do not require a specific certification to teach them. In other words, you will be certified to teach yoga classes upon completion of the program, and you may teach whatever style(s) speak to you so long as they are not specific trademarked styles (like Bikram Yoga or Iyengar Yoga). In essence, you could actually still teach those styles so long as you don’t use the trademarked name.

How do the payment plans work?

Our traditional payment plan structure works like this: You will begin by paying your $600 non-refundable deposit to hold your space in the training. Your remaining balance due will be split into 5 even payments that will be due each month beginning with your first payment due 1 month prior to the start of training. We do not charge any interest and we do not charge an additional fee for paying on credit card.

For example, if you sign up with Early Registration pricing of $3750 for a training that begins Sept 5, you will begin by making your $600 deposit. Then you will make a $630 payment on the 5th of each month beginning in August (Aug 5, Sept 5, Oct 5, Nov 5, Dec 5).

If you require a special extended payment plan or a slightly different structure, please contact us at Brynn@TrueFlowYoga.com. We love to do what we can to help you make your dreams a reality!

Will there be any additional expenses beyond the cost of training?

Other than the cost of the training, the only additional cost to you will be for the 3 required books. All 3 books can generally be purchased for under $50 total. Your training manual will be free of cost and given to you on Day 1 of training. All props will be available for your use at the studio throughout the training, but we do require you to bring your own yoga mat.

Will I be offered free yoga classes at True FLOW Yoga for the duration of my training?

Unfortunately the answer is No. True FLOW Yoga is a specialty studio specifically designed for leading 200hr Teacher Trainings which means that we don’t have a weekly schedule of in-house classes.

While we understand how tempting free yoga for the course of your training sounds in theory, we ask you to consider this. We will already be meeting and practicing together 2-4 times per week (every Tuesday and Thursday night as well as some Saturdays and Sundays). We will do physical practice on each of those days. In addition, as part of your training, you will be asked to find a little time each day to do “self-practice” (without the guide of a teacher). With this in mind, we have found that for most people, there isn’t much additional available time to take other classes even if you wanted to!

That said, if you are someone who likes to take a class every day, the cost of buying an unlimited package of classes for 3 months at a studio or paying for a drop-in class from time to time when you are available during the course of our training is not very expensive and gives you the freedom to practice wherever you want, with whomever you want.

How do I know if this is the right training for me?

Of course that is a question that only you can determine the answer to, but there are a few key things to pay attention to when choosing a training course. After you get past the essentials of cost and scheduling, here are the most important things to consider:

-        What is the experience level of your lead trainer?

This is not a question of how many years your trainer has been practicing yoga or what kind of impressive postures they can perform. This is not even just a question of how many years the trainer has been teaching yoga. This is a question of how much experience this person has with leading a teacher training course. Practicing yoga is one thing. Teaching yoga is another. Leading an organized, thorough, and cohesive training course is quite another. No matter how long your trainer has been teaching yoga, if they don’t have a lot of experience leading a training, you are not going to get the best training experience.

At True FLOW Yoga, our lead trainer Brynn has been practicing yoga for 30 years, teaching yoga for 22 years, and leading trainings for 16 years. She has independently run 40 trainings at this point, and they just get better and smoother each time. Experience is key!

- Do you “vibe” with your lead trainer?

There are many different styles of yoga and many different styles of teacher out there. It’s a great idea to try a class with your lead trainer before you make a final decision on where to train. If you are interested in taking a class with Brynn prior to signing up, just contact her at Brynn@TrueFlowYoga.com and she can either guest you into one of her classes at Equinox or invite you to one of her pop-up classes that she leads at True FLOW Yoga from time to time. If the timing doesn’t work to take a class, just schedule a phone chat with her instead. You can sense a lot about a teacher by talking with them!

-        What is the class size?

If a training has a lot of students in it, you are not going to get a lot of personalized attention, physical adjustments, or have the time to ask all of the questions that you want to ask. There also won’t be much time for students to practice teaching yoga and receiving feedback. True FLOW Yoga guarantees that your class will have no more than 12 total students in it which allows your trainer the ability to see and guide each student on an individual basis and gives the opportunity for every student to have real time practicing teaching.

-        Does the course focus on the things that are important to you?

While we believe that practicing postures and learning good alignment is incredibly important, we equally believe in the importance of learning the philosophy of yoga and relating the principles of yoga into your own daily life. We believe in deep self-exploration and healing through discussion, meditation, and journaling. We also believe in the necessity of learning how to sequence a well-balanced class and the importance of having time to practice teaching and receive feedback. We highlight all of these things in our training course.

What if I have already completed a 200hr Teacher Training course?

Beginning in 2024, True FLOW Yoga has decided to start offering our 200hr training at a highly discounted rate to those who have already previously graduated from a 200hr training program (at True FLOW Yoga or elsewhere.) We are offering this because we believe in the importance of being a lifelong learner and we want to make it affordable for you to do so. Perhaps you took a 200hr training 5+ years ago and feel that you could use a refresher course. Maybe you are in a totally different place in your life now than you were when you took your first 200hr training and think you would benefit from taking one again. Or perhaps you took your 200hr training at a different yoga school and didn’t get exactly what you had hoped to gain from the experience and want to explore the training at True FLOW Yoga with our highly experienced trainer.

We sympathize with the fact that you already spent a lot of money taking your first 200hr training, so True FLOW Yoga is now offering 3 spots in each of our training sessions out to 200hr graduates at a discounted rate of 40% off. This comes to a total of just $2250 with Early Registration pricing and our payment plans are available to you as well.

What happens if I have to drop the training?

Your $600 deposit is non-refundable, but if you give us at least 1 month notice prior to the start of training, we are happy to hold your $600 deposit as a credit towards a future teacher training session.