The Dark Side of Yoga Teacher Trainings: What They’re Not Teaching You

Yoga changed your life. Maybe it helped you heal, reconnect with your body, or find purpose. So, you took the leap into a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training — ready to share that transformation with others.

But once you started teaching… something felt off.

You were confident with sequencing and cueing, but when students opened up about anxiety, trauma, chronic illness, or grief — you froze. Or you felt you needed to be their counsellor!?
You weren't trained for this.

Here’s the truth:
The yoga industry has a shadow side.
And it’s time we talked about it.

The 200hr Training Gap No One Talks About

The 200hr YTT is an incredible initiation. But let’s be honest — it’s also:

• Rushed

• Standardised

• Performance-focused

• Often lacking in lived, embodied wisdom or space for integration 

Most trainings don’t prepare teachers for:

❌ Working with trauma, mental health, or neurodivergence
❌ Supporting those living with disabilities or complex bodies
❌ Teaching outside of studio settings
❌ Communicating ethically, sensitively, or inclusively
❌ Understanding the nervous system, consent, or scope of practice

You leave certified — but underprepared. And that gap can feel like imposter syndrome, burnout, or self-doubt.

What Today’s Yoga Students Actually Need

We’re not teaching yoga in a vacuum.
We’re teaching in a world where:

• Anxiety is at an all-time high

• Trauma is common — and often unspoken

• Students come with lived experiences that require deep presence, not just polished sequencing

• More and more people are seeking yoga as a form of mental health and nervous system support

If your training didn’t prepare you for this — it’s not your fault.
But it is your opportunity to grow.

What a Trauma-Informed Training Actually Teaches You

A 350hr trauma-informed training like ours at Jala Yoga® doesn’t just stack more hours on top of your 200hr — it completely changes your lens.

You learn how to:

• Read the nervous system, not just alignment
• Teach from presence, not performance
• Create safer, inclusive spaces for all bodies and minds
• Work ethically with referrals, scope, and professional boundaries
• Integrate somatics, yoga therapy concepts, and real-world application
• Collaborate confidently with Medical & Allied Health professionals

And most importantly — you stop winging it.
You start teaching with depth, intention, and the confidence that you’re genuinely helping (not accidentally harming).

Introducing the Jala Yoga® 350hr Trauma-Informed Yoga Teacher Training

Over 10 months, you'll learn from a faculty of Allied Health professionals, yoga therapists, and senior yoga teachers who walk the walk.
We combine Eastern tradition with Western science — and hold space for you to evolve into the teacher this world actually needs.

• Hybrid & remote options

• Trauma-informed, neuro-affirming, and evidence-based

• Culturally aware, inclusive, and real

• Small group mentoring and real-world integration

• Sold out 5 years in a row — 2026 intake is now open

Book a free discovery call with Mollie

Feeling the pull? Book a discovery call to see if the 350hr is the next right step for your teaching journey. Let’s have a real conversation — no pressure, just presence.