Exploring the Scientific Benefits of Yoga Teacher Training

Yoga teacher training can be a major milestone in the development of one’s practice, whether you use it to become an instructor yourself or just want to deepen your knowledge and experience. The educational and career-oriented benefits of yoga teacher training are relatively self-explanatory. But is that all they have to offer?

According to one study from The Scientific World Journal, yoga teacher training can provide numerous other benefits, extending beyond basic yoga training and career skills into mental and emotional wellness.

How Research Reveals the Benefits of Yoga Teacher Training

Researchers for the Scientific World Journal wanted to gain a better understanding of the long-term behavioral outcomes of yoga teacher training. To assist in this study, several voluntary participants took part in a four-week yoga teacher training course. Participants were assessed three separate times for a variety of wellness factors—once before the training, once immediately after the training, and once three months after the training. By comparing the average difference in responses from beginning to end, the study was able to link yoga teacher training with numerous improvements in psychosocial and emotional health.

While there is plenty of room for future research to further define the benefits of yoga teacher training, this study gives us an incredible foundation to work with. To help you assess whether yoga teacher training is worth it for you, let’s dive a little further into this study by exploring four of the most significant outcomes it reveals. Along the way, we’ll discuss what related studies have to say about these benefits to paint a more complete picture of the positive influence of yoga teacher training.

#1: Optimism

Participants in the study reported significantly higher feelings of optimism immediately after the training, compared to at the beginning. Furthermore, when surveyed again three months after the training, these feelings of optimism had increased further.

There are a variety of possible explanations for this. Physical exercise, in general, can provide a major mood boost, primarily through the release of endorphins. Spending time in yoga teacher training can also help people connect with a positive, encouraging community, and allow them to focus on their own growth, possibly boosting self-esteem in the long run.

Research has indicated numerous correlations between optimism and positive effects for both physical and mental health, including:

• Inverse relationship with depressive symptoms
• Lowered risk of cardiovascular death and other adverse outcomes
• Easier time managing stressors of varying intensity
• Easier transition to daily routine after hospitalization

By channeling this optimism back into yoga practice, yoga teacher trainees can also continue to fuel their growth long after the training has ended.

#2: Self-Transcendence

Self-transcendence is a term referring to one’s ability to connect with meaning outside of one’s own self. In other words, it means seeing things from a broader perspective that is less self-focused. The Scientific World Journal’s data showed notable increases in self-transcendence among yoga teacher training participants.

One way in which yoga teacher training might improve self-transcendence is by encouraging an open mind. As trainees open themselves to education and feedback from instructors, they may also have the opportunity to interact with other trainees from different walks of life.

A study on the impact of certain values on mental health found that tendencies towards self-transcendence were inversely correlated with depression and loneliness. The outwardly-focused nature of self-transcendence might help one find greater meaning in social connection or the world around them. Self-transcendence might also decrease negative rumination, or overthinking, which is linked with depressive thinking.

Self-transcendence, of course, is also incredibly valuable in yoga practice, and many may call it one of their primary goals in practicing. Thus, many might find yoga teacher training to be worth it on this basis alone.

#3: Mindfulness

Another benefit of yoga teacher training, as noted in The Scientific World Journal’s study, was increased mindfulness post-training. Yoga itself can be an excellent way to practice mindfulness, so this should come as no surprise.

However, you may not be aware that mindfulness is also strongly linked with psychological health, including associations with positive outcomes like agreeableness, self-esteem, and autonomy.

Neuroscience research has established that mindfulness practice improves emotional regulation by reducing activity in the amygdala (part of the brain that primarily processes fear and stress responses). Mindfulness can also strengthen the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for executive function and problem-solving, and increase connectivity with the brain’s default mode network, which can lead to better attention and less mind-wandering.

All in all, the data indicates that mindfulness develops and strengthens important skills for communication, processing, and expression, which not only benefit yoga instructors in their teaching ability but can also help all kinds of people develop a healthier lifestyle.

#4: Empathy

Lastly, participants in the study also demonstrated a significant increase in empathy after yoga teacher training. If you’re familiar with how yoga teacher training works, you might know that it is not just about learning asanas or developing educational skills. The curriculum includes training on human anatomy as well as humanities like philosophy and ethics and how they tie back to yoga. These studies can be invaluable in helping humans connect with each other and empathize on a deeper level.

The ability to empathize with others is not only a valuable social skill that allows you to foster stronger relationships, but also can benefit your own individual wellness. For example, one study found a connection between empathy and volunteering, and the same study suggested that volunteering was positively related to benefits for overall mental health. Increased levels of empathy are also considered to help reduce stress and burnout.

Final Takeaway: Is Yoga Teacher Training Worth It?

Though science aims to be as objective as possible, it can’t provide a one-size-fits-all answer to every question. Is yoga teacher training worth it for you? Research suggest a number of powerful benefits, but there is no guarantee. However, we hope that this blog has helped you gain a better understanding of how yoga teacher training naturally encourages positive habits and healthy interpersonal skills. We believe that anyone who goes into yoga teacher training with an open mind and a readiness to grow can emerge with a deeply impactful experience they won’t soon forget.

Sources

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