Back to Bali and off into the Yoga Bubble again! As an assistant at Yoga New Vision’s YTT in Ubud!
I came back to Bali in March 2024 to assist at the Yoga Teacher Training of Yoga New Vision, my teacher’s own Yoga school here in Bali. And the best thing: Not only did I get the opportunity to go back to Bali, but I went back to assist at the same Yoga Teacher Training where I did my YTT in 2018! And, I had already assisted once before at this training in August 2019. Now, after 5 years, I get to meet my teachers again and spent 3 wonderful weeks with this YTT group of awesome humans!
The most authentic YTT in Bali – with genuine Indian Master Teachers
Yoga New Vision’s teacher team consists of the Master Yogi Deep ji, who will mainly teach you Yoga asana, critical alignment and safety in yoga postures. He has been leading teacher trainings since 2009 and is, in my humble opinion, one of the best yoga teachers in the world. Feel free to look at some of his videos on IG to get a better understanding of how and what he teaches.
Then there is my philosophy teacher Swami Atma ji, whom I meet in 2019 while assisting at the YTT for the first time, who is now also part of Yoga New Vision’s core teacher team. He is very knowledgable and funny, he shares his insights of yoga philosophy and how to apply them in our modern world, and also leads most of the meditation classes, which are one of a kind.
In addition, there is the amazing and inspiring Sadhana Om ji, who is the co-founder of Yoga New Vision school. She will guide you through excellent and sometimes challenging yoga practices, the asana lab/revision sessions and also share her wisdom on modern topics like the business side of yoga. Then there is Anurag ji, a doctor who has his own clinic in India, and is also trained in Yoga Therapy, who will teach you anatomy and other important topics along with it. You can read more about the teachers here.
This means that you will be able to experience and learn from different teachers, and each teacher has their own way, experience and approach to teaching, which I think is beautiful and extremely valuable to get to learn from so many great teachers!
A New Perspective – Experiencing the Yoga Teacher Training as an Assistant
It is super interesting to experience the Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) again, but from a different perspective and after such a long time. As an assistant, I take care of a few things, and am mainly responsible for holding space for the students, as well as making sure everything is set up properly and, I am there in case any student has a question (and there are naturally always many questions).
And, when the whole class is practicing the poses they just learned, in the “asana lab”, I walk around the room – in addition to Deep ji, Sadhana ji and Anurag ji, of course – to help the students, correcting them and their alignment and answering their questions. So exiting and rewarding! Also, being able to observe my teacher in this scenario, I keep learning new details myself and am able to refine my knowledge on this subject.
I still remember that in 2019, I was a little nervous and didn’t know if I would be able to answer all the student’s questions and if I would still remember everything I’ve learned in my teacher training. But to my relief, I quickly realised that I could 🙂. So, I guess I really did learn a lot during my YTT in 2018 and did NOT forget!
And after more than 5 years since my YTT graduation and having gained teaching experience along the way, I am naturally much more confident now than in 2019. But after all, you never cease to be a student, do you? Especially when it comes to yoga. I can’t possibly know everything that my teacher Deep ji knows after almost 20 years of experience as a teacher. Plus, I’m also here to ask questions myself and learn more. And I think it’s wonderful. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (or twice-in-a-lifetime, in my case).
YTT in Ubud – with Kirtan night!
This March 2024 YTT had something my 2018 YTT back then did not, it was an evening of Kirtan with cacao! Kirtan is a kind of collective chanting Mantras with music, alongside traditional instruments, like the Indian Harmonium and drums.
Chanting Mantras is a devotional practice, hence it belongs to the path of Bhakti Yoga, and it helps to open the heart, and bring a deep sense of inner peace and joy. Bhakti Yoga is the path of cultivating and expressing loving devotion towards the divine.
I LOVE Kirtan! In fact, through the last years of experiencing more and more Kirtans, here in Bali and elsewhere, I am now in the process of learning to play the Harmonium myself! More on that maybe in a future blog post 🙂
YTT March 2024 group – 27 beautiful new Yoga Teachers!
The group consisted of 27 beautiful humans, from all around the world. What was different to my YTT group from 2018 was that many of this class’s students actually came here with the intention to become a yoga teacher and to go on teaching after graduation. While in my 2018 class, most of us (including myself) did not come with this intention.
Intention or not, I still ended up teaching, because I realised at the end of my training that this brought me so much joy and a loving feeling in my heart. So it does not really matter if you take the training in order to become a teacher or because you want to do it for other reasons, like to deepen your practice, to get a better understanding of yourself, to deepen the relationship with yourself. You might end up a yoga teacher regardless 😉
The March ’24 group stood out, as they were so supportive of each other, cheering each other up tirelessly, being there for one another and being so open-minded and curious about everything. Not saying that my group was not supportive, but this group was really special. I also need to mention that since I am not the same person I was in 2018, I naturally get to experience and perceive this YTT differently, because I am now more open towards life, beauty and deeper connections myself.
Another thing that is worth mentioning is that the training was nothing short of joy, laughter, dance & celebration! However, I do not want to spoil your potential experience or give too much away, it’s best to experience this by yourself and let this training and some details surprise you!
YTT Assistant – Recommendation & Conclusion
I am happy and sad at the same time that the Yoga Teacher Training has now come to an end. I wish the training would have gone on for another three weeks! I have learned many things. And I met new, wonderful people. In addition, I have also learned a lot about myself again and have become more aware of some things, again. I am very grateful for that.
I can wholeheartedly recommend this experience to anyone. And, I cannot recommend Yoga New Vision (YNV) School in Bali enough. If you have done your training with YNV, then go for the opportunity to be an assistant at one of their future trainings. Maybe get some teaching experience first so you can apply your knowledge out in the world, then come back to assist and see in which areas you still can learn more.
If you’re looking into joining a YTT, then go for the most amazing teachers and choose Yoga New Vision YNV Bali, it will be one of the best experiences of your life! In case you miss the early bird deal, you can use the code “Sofia” for a $50 discount on the training tuition!
I seriously do not know what I did right in this life or another, but I am forever grateful to have been given Deep ji as my teacher. Love and devotion ❤️