We feel incredibly fortunate to welcome students from all corners of the globe to our location. It's been a while since our last Student Spotlight interview, and we believe it's crucial to share the insights and advice of our graduates. These interviews provide valuable perspectives and challenge any preconceived notions about who can and should pursue yoga teacher training.

Through the upcoming Student Spotlight series on this blog, we hope you'll see that our yoga teacher training course is for everyone that has a passion for yoga and a commitment to growth. Regardless of whether or not you can do a handstand! 

In this edition, we feature Grace, a recent graduate of our 200-hour Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga teacher training course from April of this year...

When and why did you decide to train as a yoga teacher?

Taking the Yoga Teacher Training course was one of the most meaningful decisions I made as I prepared for retirement. For me, retirement meant a chance to reset my life, and this time, I had the freedom to choose how to fill my days. 

Staying physically active has always been crucial for my physical and mental health, and I knew I wanted yoga to be a significant part of my new chapter. Yoga would give me purpose and daily structure.

For years, I had taken various yoga classes with different teachers at different levels. My career and family life often got in the way of dedicating the time I wanted to yoga and meditation. As soon as I set my retirement date, I booked my yoga teacher training. What better way to kick off my retirement, my life reset? I wanted to deepen my practice and acquire the tools to enhance it. I recognized there were aspects of yoga I hadn't fully explored or understood. I wanted to solidify my foundation and set a more regular daily yoga practice.

I also knew that retiring from a career I loved meant I would be grieving a little, and four weeks away from home with something else to focus on would do me good. I was not wrong! This training also allowed me to discern what to look for in a good yoga teacher and what qualities to seek out.

Becoming a teacher was secondary for me; my primary goal was to deepen my own understanding and practice of yoga. The skills I gained for teaching yoga have been a wonderful bonus from this experience.

If you could describe your time with Wild Warrior Yoga in 3 words, what would they be?

a - Inspiring

b - Challenging

c - Reflective

What did you most enjoy about your 200 hour course?

What I liked most about the course were the actual yoga classes, where I could fully immerse myself in the practice. I cherished meeting the other students and feeling a special connection with all of them. The bond with our teachers was also incredibly meaningful.

I loved the feeling of being free to be ourselves (something often repeated by the other students), knowing we were totally accepted and cared for. Surprisingly, I also enjoyed the philosophy classes. Morwenna's passion for the subject was truly inspiring and infectious.

What did you find the most challenging?

Learning Sanskrit names of the postures: I realized my memory skills aren't what they used to be. Anatomy classes: I had never taken anatomy classes before, and better memory skills would have helped. Sitting still during meditation: It took me well into the third week to be able to stay seated for the full meditation class without feeling pain!

If you could give someone advice that is thinking of signing up for a 200 hour yoga teacher training what would it be?

If you can, start learning some Sanskrit names of the postures and the sequence of the Ashtanga series before the training. But, don't stress about the written exam—you'll do well just by attending all the classes. Have fun and explore new things as you prepare and give your yoga classes. Everyone is incredibly supportive!

And what is your favourite posture from the Ashtanga Primary Series!?

My favourite posture is Parivrtta Parsvakonasana, or the Revolved Side Angle Pose! I love the incredible full-body stretch and the powerful sense of strength it gives me. And for me practicing breathwork in this pose feels amazing!

Thanks so much Grace for sharing your words of wisdom we really appreciate it. And if you want to read more from Grace you can also check out the gorgeous review she wrote us on google here (it's the latest one!). 

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