Jenny's Holy Yoga Teacher Training
Donation protected
Hi, I'm Jenny and I've been practicing yoga since 2003. My journey toward fitness can be found in Part 1 and Part 2 on my blog. More than just fitness, yoga taught me how to stop and listen, and greatly facilitated my recovery.
I've spent the last year (2014) examining where my yoga practice is taking me. I've been teaching Pilates since May of 2012 and have strong desire to serve my clients and friends with yoga, too. The next step toward that is Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) . There are dozens, even hundreds of choices when it comes to getting certification. I set out to experience as many kinds of yoga as I could afford in the area to help me decide.
It was this summer while dropping my kids off at VBS in my yoga clothes that another mom asked me if I did "Holy Yoga". I think I laughed. Was that a thing?! It totally was. And although I wondered if "holy yoga" was like "Testamints" or "Christian waffle mix" (something I think Jesus might have thrown out of the temple, if you know what I mean), I was also committed to having an open heart and mind.
After following Holy Yoga Ministries on Instagram (where I do my yoga challenges ) for a while, I finally attended a class. It only took a few for me to realize that THIS is what I am being called to do. I have reached out to all the other Holy Yoga instructors in the area for advice and encouragment, and they have been amazing. Please do read Holy Yoga Instructor Amanda Dean's guest post on my blog about her Holy Yoga journey. I don't think I could have phrased it better, and her story is SO much like mine!
I started out on this path viewing teaching yoga as a part time job (like Pilates has been). But now I see that it is service. Nowhere am I shown more humility by a virtual stranger than when I attend a yoga class and the instructor adjusts me, encourages me, and gives those head/shoulder massages! :-)
My main concern when it came to Holy Yoga was whether I can use my certification to teach "traditional", non-religious yoga. For example, at Ultimate Pilates where I currently teach Lagree fitnesss. Holy Yoga is the equivalent of the Yoga Alliance RYT 200. I will be fully able to teach both Holy Yoga and non-Holy Yoga-style classes upon completion.
This training is super flexible! There are 9 weeks of 3-hour online classes (during a time of day when my children are in preschool), followed by a 1-week on-site intensive in Arizona. Throughout, there are weekly prayer calls with the team and 25 total hours of bible study (making the training 225 hours rather than the traditional 200).
The scariest thing about this is the investment. As you probably know, I'm a stay-at-home-mom of two sweet kiddos: almost-4-years old and 5. We have only one income and we believe that debt should be avoided, as the Bible speaks of it only with caution.
I would love for you to join me in this journey. Typically, when a potential yoga instructor opens a GoFundMe account for their YTT, they are "pre-selling" classes. As in, you donate $20 and you get X amount of classes when the instructor is trained. However, with Holy Yoga, classes are often free or under $10. It's consistent with the principle of serving and giving back. So there really won't be much chance for me to compensate you for your investment. This is an investment in the women I will serve with my teaching in the upcoming years. It's a donation. I am grateful to you for considering this ministry opportunity. Please let me know how I can pray for you as I meditate on this opportunity.
You will find a breakdown of the costs that I am funding below, so that you can know that I am being responsible with your donations. There is a possibility that I could receive a $500 scholarship from Holy Yoga when I register for training, and if I do I will adjust the total goal amount accordingly. I do not plan to officially enroll in the training until I have more than half of the required amount, so that I am not committing more funds that I can deliver. Please feel free to contact me directly at any time with questions: jenny(dot)[email redacted](dot)com.
Peace, love, and namasté,
Jenny
Cost breakdown (UPDATED 2/20/15)
Holy Yoga Certification and Licensing fees - $2,395 (minus $500 scholarship)
Plane ticket to intensive week - ~$250
Extra childcare for children during online training, 9 weeks - $162
Required Textbooks (Amazon, cheapest pricing) - $0 (paid for by blog income 2/19/15)
GoFundMe fees - $200 (actually more, but I'm only adding this to defray some of the cost)
NEW Total (as of 2/20/15): $2,938
I've spent the last year (2014) examining where my yoga practice is taking me. I've been teaching Pilates since May of 2012 and have strong desire to serve my clients and friends with yoga, too. The next step toward that is Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) . There are dozens, even hundreds of choices when it comes to getting certification. I set out to experience as many kinds of yoga as I could afford in the area to help me decide.
It was this summer while dropping my kids off at VBS in my yoga clothes that another mom asked me if I did "Holy Yoga". I think I laughed. Was that a thing?! It totally was. And although I wondered if "holy yoga" was like "Testamints" or "Christian waffle mix" (something I think Jesus might have thrown out of the temple, if you know what I mean), I was also committed to having an open heart and mind.
After following Holy Yoga Ministries on Instagram (where I do my yoga challenges ) for a while, I finally attended a class. It only took a few for me to realize that THIS is what I am being called to do. I have reached out to all the other Holy Yoga instructors in the area for advice and encouragment, and they have been amazing. Please do read Holy Yoga Instructor Amanda Dean's guest post on my blog about her Holy Yoga journey. I don't think I could have phrased it better, and her story is SO much like mine!
I started out on this path viewing teaching yoga as a part time job (like Pilates has been). But now I see that it is service. Nowhere am I shown more humility by a virtual stranger than when I attend a yoga class and the instructor adjusts me, encourages me, and gives those head/shoulder massages! :-)
My main concern when it came to Holy Yoga was whether I can use my certification to teach "traditional", non-religious yoga. For example, at Ultimate Pilates where I currently teach Lagree fitnesss. Holy Yoga is the equivalent of the Yoga Alliance RYT 200. I will be fully able to teach both Holy Yoga and non-Holy Yoga-style classes upon completion.
This training is super flexible! There are 9 weeks of 3-hour online classes (during a time of day when my children are in preschool), followed by a 1-week on-site intensive in Arizona. Throughout, there are weekly prayer calls with the team and 25 total hours of bible study (making the training 225 hours rather than the traditional 200).
The scariest thing about this is the investment. As you probably know, I'm a stay-at-home-mom of two sweet kiddos: almost-4-years old and 5. We have only one income and we believe that debt should be avoided, as the Bible speaks of it only with caution.
I would love for you to join me in this journey. Typically, when a potential yoga instructor opens a GoFundMe account for their YTT, they are "pre-selling" classes. As in, you donate $20 and you get X amount of classes when the instructor is trained. However, with Holy Yoga, classes are often free or under $10. It's consistent with the principle of serving and giving back. So there really won't be much chance for me to compensate you for your investment. This is an investment in the women I will serve with my teaching in the upcoming years. It's a donation. I am grateful to you for considering this ministry opportunity. Please let me know how I can pray for you as I meditate on this opportunity.
You will find a breakdown of the costs that I am funding below, so that you can know that I am being responsible with your donations. There is a possibility that I could receive a $500 scholarship from Holy Yoga when I register for training, and if I do I will adjust the total goal amount accordingly. I do not plan to officially enroll in the training until I have more than half of the required amount, so that I am not committing more funds that I can deliver. Please feel free to contact me directly at any time with questions: jenny(dot)[email redacted](dot)com.
Peace, love, and namasté,
Jenny
Cost breakdown (UPDATED 2/20/15)
Holy Yoga Certification and Licensing fees - $2,395 (minus $500 scholarship)
Plane ticket to intensive week - ~$250
Extra childcare for children during online training, 9 weeks - $162
Required Textbooks (Amazon, cheapest pricing) - $0 (paid for by blog income 2/19/15)
GoFundMe fees - $200 (actually more, but I'm only adding this to defray some of the cost)
NEW Total (as of 2/20/15): $2,938
Organizer
Jenny Bradford
Organizer
Richardson, TX
