Course Review of 200 hour yoga teacher training - Chiara's experience

In this article you will read a review (testimonial) from our 200-hr YTT ex student, Chiara Maurino.

My arrival at Evia Silence retreat center wasn’t quite how I had imagined because I missed my flight and landed a day later than everyone else. Terrified that this might be a bad omen for the three and a half weeks to come, I stumbled into an alignment class as quietly as possible.

Martin, the co-founder of Alpha Yoga School, was leading the lesson and greeted me warmly as I crept in. As a result, my fear and embarrassment immediately began to fade.

What happened over the next few weeks already feels like a blur.

I simply couldn’t have hoped for a better experience. The teaching, the people, the food, the glorious view we would get every morning as we practiced ashtanga in the shala, all of it was just divine.

I booked a place on the Alpha Yoga 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training in Greece hosted in September 2020 teacher training at the end of June, uncertain as to whether it would even happen due to COVID.

Reasons for me joining the 200-hour yoga teacher training

Much like many others there, I came primarily because I wanted to expand my yoga practice, gain the tools necessary to teach, but also because I really needed to escape the stress and horror of the past few months.

The 200-hour yoga teacher training schedule was intense, both mentally and physically.

How our days went by

After an hour of meditation and breathwork, known as “pranayama”, shortly followed by two hours either of Ashtanga or Vinyasa practice, we would finally sit down for a delicious Greek breakfast facing the coastline.

The day would then be followed by philosophy and anatomy lectures, and alignment workshops which helped us finetune our asanas and teaching methodology, where we were given the invaluable opportunity of teaching fellow students.

The classes, workshops, and lectures helped me to gain a much more in-depth understanding of  Yoga.

What had been a great way to keep myself in good physical and mental health blossomed into a much more self-reflective practice that allowed me to be inquisitive and question my preconditioned expectations and limiting beliefs.

Blending yogic philosophy and anatomy with technical knowledge from alignment classes made every self-practice more meaningful. Thanks to Joanna’s expertise and warmth, I now feel confident enough to teach a class and have a qualification to show for it!

Above all, Alpha Yoga School taught me that the best teachers are those who never stop being students, and it is with this intention at heart that I hope to keep advancing as a yoga student as well as a Yoga teacher.