To be completely honest, what drew me to TYM for their ytt was social media. Jessica Sinclair, founder of the studio, is known to be a social media star. The studio is beautiful, and makes for great photos. This has become important to fresh ytt students who are striving for those killer insta pics.
The second reason I chose this studio was simply the abundance of options. TYM is constantly holding ytt trainings. I'm a somewhat of an impulsive person, and I wanted to start my yoga training immediately. I was beginning the class one week after I had started my search.
So, let's get into more information on the ytt itself. I signed up for a weekday course. This is a more intense course and is usually smaller in class size due to it not being compatible with most work schedules. It was great for me, since I got to know the people in class very well and also got plenty of personal attention.
Jessica was our instructor for the duration of the course. She is an excellent teacher, and very easy to get along with. It was like having your own personal coach, but shared with a few other people who are all along for the same journey. In their larger weekend courses I believe that there are two instructors, so if weekend is better for you I think a similar level of attentiveness can be expected.
Jessica's course focuses primarily on the spine. She puts a lot of emphasis on identifying alignment problems and addressing how to help students better their bodies. Jessica has scoliosis, so she is a life expert on alignment and the advice she gives is very insightful.
I entered this ytt course primarily for my own practice. However, the course structure sets students up to be excellent teachers. By the end of the course I was passionate about yoga and I wanted to teach. Of the three ytt200 courses that I've taken so far, TYM has been the best for preparing students to teach due to their incorporation of practical teaching hours. Each student taught portions of sequence throughout the course, and at the end everyone held three 1hr community classes. Unlike other studios that expect you to bring your own students for practice classes, TYM expected the fellow students to support each other and fill all vacant mats.
Also worth noting, students in this ytt WILL learn Sanskrit. Everyone graduated confident in their use of Sanskrit and understanding of poses and assists.
Overall I would highly recommend TYM for anyone interested in getting certified to teach, or to deepen their own practice. The ytt was safe, fun, and informative.
Pros:
Many options on course and dates
Small class size (weekday)
Excellent instruction
Photogenic
Abundant practical teaching hours
Excellent Sanskrit instruction
Excellent instruction of Pranayama and Chakras
Cons:
Spiritual - Depends on your comfort with Ohm and Chakras
I was very happy with my experience at The Yoga Mandala. I would encourage anyone looking for a ytt option to consider this studio. But don't take my word alone. Ask your favorite yoga teachers where they had their ytt and what they recommend. Always go into the studio you researching to speak to someone about the course. And perhaps ask them for contact info from previous graduates who are willing to share information about their experience.
I hope that this information is useful for you. To learn more, check out their website.
*note: at the moment there seems to be a problem with their website. You can also check their instagram @theyogamandala
