Ever had your heart say one thing and your mind say no? When it comes to feeling ready for Yoga teacher training this is exactly how many of my teacher trainees felt. I have also experienced this feeling and here is my story for you…

Several years ago I signed up to a 200-hour training on how to lead Kirtan — a form of chanting used in yoga.

To apply, we had to submit an audio of ourselves singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. I was absolutely terrified. I was convinced I would be rejected. But I knew in my heart that I really wanted to do this.

I had been thinking about joining that course for at least four years before I finally found the courage to apply. Every year I looked at the dates, watched the testimonials and wrote it on my New Year’s resolution list. Every year I found a reason not to do it. But deep down I knew the truth — I was just scared. Scared of applying. Scared of being rejected. And if I did get accepted, certain I would be out of my depth.

Then one of my yoga students mentioned she was joining the course that year. I took it as a sign from the universe. Enough was enough. It was time to take that step.

So I applied. And to my surprise, I was accepted.

The course turned out to be one of the most important experiences of my life. The things I learned on it will stay with me forever. And shortly after finishing it I got pregnant — something I had been wishing for a long time. I always feel that the magic of that course had something to do with it. It is clear to me that I was always meant to do it.

Looking back, I recognised that same old pattern in myself again. Every time I want to take a big step forward, I hold myself back. I tell myself I’m not good enough, not ready, out of my depth. But 99.9% of the time, after I finally take the step, I realise how much I have been underestimating myself. I have attended loads of courses, workshops and retreats in my time and I always have this familiar feeling. It’s the same in my yoga business and teaching too. I always have doubts, some louder than others. But every time I leap before I “feel ready” it has been the right decision. In fact, if I never did anything before I felt fully ready, I wouldn’t have done half the things I have. Even writing this now, I am making a note to myself!

So if there is something calling you that you feel in your heart is right but your mind is saying no, or maybe later, or giving you too many reasons not to — listen to your heart. Taking a leap before you feel ready can be just the right thing to do.

Can you relate to this?

You are not alone in feeling this way

If you’ve been thinking about becoming a yoga teacher but holding yourself back, I want you to know something: almost every single student who has ever trained with me felt exactly the same way before they signed up. Feeling ready for yoga teacher training is something very few people experience before they actually take the leap.

Sandy had been a stay-at-home mum for almost eight years when she finally found something she wanted to do for herself. But she nearly didn’t take the leap into yoga teacher training:

“When starting the course I was absolutely full of imposter syndrome, I felt anxious and I was petrified. I actually couldn’t believe that someone believed in me and I was accepted onto this course.”

By the end she was teaching a full-length class in a London studio to a room full of strangers — and thoroughly enjoying it. Her advice to anyone hovering about yoga teacher training?

“Don’t worry if you don’t feel ready. I don’t think any of us felt ready. No one comes into it already being a yoga teacher. You all come into it just being somebody that enjoys yoga and wants to be a teacher.”

Caron had done my foundation course and then spent a whole year hovering before she finally committed to yoga teacher training. She was honest about why she delayed:

“I just couldn’t see myself as a yoga teacher. I couldn’t really understand how I would have the confidence to do that.”

She went on to complete the full training and says it changed the way she lives her life.

Asha joined yoga teacher training at the very last minute, held back by doubts about her health and deeper fears that so many people feel but rarely say out loud:

“The normal worries — will I be good enough? Am I skinny enough? All of those kind of thoughts I think that we all have because of the typical image of a yoga teacher that exists on social media.”

By the end of the course Asha was preparing to teach at Age UK — something that was never in her life plan but came about entirely because she took that leap. Her advice:

“If you have got those doubts about yourself, about whether the course is right for you, I would say just jump in two feet first and do it. You honestly won’t regret it and it will open up paths to you that I think you may not even be aware of right now.”

Sandy, Caron and Asha are just three of the many women who nearly didn’t take the leap — and did. You can read more of their stories on my HERE.

Who comes on the course?

One of the things I love most about my teacher training is the people who come on it. Women from all walks of life, all backgrounds, all ages — from their twenties to their late seventies. Some work full time. Some are mothers, grandmothers, carers. They come with different bodies, different levels of experience, different conditions and injuries. Some have been practising yoga for decades. Others are relatively new to it.

What they don’t have in common is a certain look, a certain flexibility, a certain life situation. What they do all have in common — every single one of them — is a love of yoga and a desire to share it.

If that sounds like you, you are exactly the kind of person this training is designed for.

The truth about feeling ready for yoga teacher training

Here’s what I’ve learned after 17 years of teaching yoga and training teachers: nobody feels ready. Not one person has ever arrived on my yoga teacher training course feeling completely confident and prepared. They all arrive with butterflies, self-doubt and a quiet voice asking whether they really belong there.

And every single one of them surprises themselves!

The journey to becoming a yoga teacher can seem daunting, maybe even impossible, at first. But once you take that first step it is completely achievable, possible and — yes — fun!

What if I’m not good enough for yoga teacher training?

This is the question I hear often from people considering yoga teacher training in London and online. And my answer is always the same: good enough for what?

You don’t need to be the most flexible person in the room. You don’t need to have been practising for decades. You don’t need to look a certain way or fit a certain image. You don’t need to have everything figured out before you start. You just need a love of yoga and a genuine desire to share it with others. Everything else is learned — together, on the course, at whatever pace works for you.

You will be supported every step of the way. You will start teaching early on, in a safe and encouraging environment, with a group of people who are all in exactly the same boat. You will grow more than you expect. And you will look back, like so many of my graduates have, and wonder why on earth you waited so long.

Ready to take that next step?

If you’ve been sitting on the fence about becoming a yoga teacher, this is your sign. Just like that conversation with my student was mine.

My BWY Level 4 yoga teacher training runs in London and online over 14 months, designed for people with full lives who need a flexible, part-time pace. If you’re already a qualified teacher looking for ongoing support and guidance as you build your teaching life, my yoga teacher mentorship might be exactly what you need.

Either way, I’d love to hear from you. You can find out more about the teacher training HERE and simply get in touch for mentorship details.

Take the step. I’ll be there to support you all the way. 🧡

Hana Saotome has been teaching yoga for over 17 years and runs a British Wheel of Yoga 300hr, Level 4 Certificate yoga teacher training in London and online, as well as a yoga teacher mentorship programme for qualified teachers.