Yoga Movement - YMTT Singapore - My ytt200 review

    Yoga Movement is a very popular yoga studio in Singapore with many locations. The classes are frequent, accessible, and always have music. Yoga Movement bridges the gap between the gym and yoga studio, with most classes building up a nice sweat even if they aren't hot classes.

It's a nice studio. I highly recommend going for their classes.

I don't particularly recommend the ytt.

As a disclaimer, this is my own personal review. I have a lot of respect for Yoga Movement as a studio and I think their business structure is great aside from the ytt. It's unfortunate that this is a negative review, and I debated posting about it or not, but in the end this was part of my ytt journey and I include the good and the bad since they both lead to the teacher I am now.

I'll start by pointing out that I took this ytt for the wrong reasons. I had just finished my first ytt, which I took to deepen my own practice, and realized I wanted to teach. I was afraid I would lose my progress and the skills I had just learned. Also... I wanted to improve my instagram.

The timing was perfect, the ytt was starting right away. The studio is beautiful and perfectly situated above Common Man Coffee which partners with YM and has a little cafe in the studio upstairs. The cafe also caters breakfast and lunch for the ytt - a great insta opportunity. Yoga Movement is trendy and cool. It has a large expat community. Their ytt is pricey, but I figured that with everything included it's not so bad. I quickly swiped my credit card without much of a sales pitch needed.

If you are looking for a ytt, then do the things I tell other people to do: Research, attend a class, ask to contact previous students. Also, ask your favorite teachers about where they learned.

I walked into the class feeling very confident. After all, I had just completed a ytt200 course. But it became clear pretty quickly that things were done differently at Yoga Movement than at The Yoga Mandala (where I had done my other training). There was no ohm. There was no teachers mat. There was no consistent instructor. And Sanskrit was discouraged. That being said, there was reasoning behind YM making those decisions. The chanting is excluded so that everyone can feel included when they come to classes (since some people can find it offensive). There is no teachers mat so that the teacher is walking around instead of participating in their own class. The teachers rotate since they all have different expertise.

I get the reasoning. But it was such a contrast to the incredible experience I had only one month prior. Rather than feeling passionate about yoga, I finished the course feeling underwhelmed and questioning if I should teach or not. I stayed in touch with one or two of the other students for a month, before losing touch with them all. Which is unusual since both my other ytt groups regularly chat and exchange information.

Why did I feel that way in the end... I think the biggest factor was the teacher rotation. No one was there who knew the progress of every student. No one was aware of what had been covered, so previous modules couldn't be incorporated as the course continued. It felt touch and go. If I hadn't had the previous ytt I wouldn't know what a huge difference it makes to have someone cheering you along.

*However, the teacher in charge of anatomy was phenomenal. I feel bad because I've forgotten her name, but she really had a passion for yoga and for healthy practice. All her classes were thoroughly planned with slides and printed handouts. She previously worked at a hospital and knew what she was teaching. She went above and beyond what was required and brought some real value to the course. If there was one way for YM to make a great ytt it would be to simply put her as the instructor for the entire course.

What you can expect:

Classes start each morning with a yoga class taught by the instructor in charge of that day's module. Come on time, you cannot enter the class after it starts. After class the group breaks for breakfast which is waiting in the common area (reserved for the ytt group). The group meets again for that day's module, often reviewing the morning sequence but not always. Each week you will be told which books to bring for which days. After the morning module the group breaks for lunch, which is waiting in the same area (each week you choose your meals). Then the group meets back up for some further discussion and/or for adjustment practice. The day finishes with an evening practice taught by that day's module instructor (sometimes there are two instructors for the day, one morning and one evening).

There are no practical teaching hours, which I find so important for actually learning to teach. There is a 20 or 30 minute mock class at the end of the course which you need to pass to get the certificate. You get some practice teaching during the class, breaking into groups and teaching each other, which is common for most ytts. To prep for the final mock class you are able to reserve studios in any of the YM locations as long as they are not scheduled for classes. You do this practice on your own time, mostly with your fellow ytt students. You are required to attend YM classes during the week as part of your total 200hrs (you have unlimited access, it doesn't cost extra).

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

Food included
Nice studio and facilities
Large class
Good anatomy teacher
Books are included (Ray Long) and YM tote bag

Cons:

No chanting
No teachers mat
No practical teaching hours
Multiple teachers
Location far from MRT and bus
Large class
Little focus on safety
Food is repetitive



All in all, this was not the ytt for me. It could be the ytt for you, but do your research and make sure you really enjoy the style of YM classes. Do not take this ytt as an attempt to build your instagram. The lighting in the studios is not good - all the studios are windowless. The mats are glued down and not easily rearranged for photos. The food is not instagramable since it's packaged for takeaway. The coffee is put in your own container so not photo worthy either. And you can expect the menu to be on repeat for the entire course. A better option might've been a 'credit' to be used at the cafe... the catered food was great the first week but I honestly lost my appetite for 'healthy' style cafe food for a good two or three months afterwards.

I hope that this information is helpful. Attending a ytt is expensive, a large time commitment, and also a huge personal investment. Be extra mindful of your own safety during a ytt, since you can't expect the instructor to take on that responsibility for you. Do your homework and find a ytt that can really benefit you. These yoga courses can be a huge inspiration and the source of many cherished memories, so you owe it to yourself to selective. Enjoy your journey and I wish you the best of luck!

If you would like to find out more about Yoga Movement Academy and their upcoming courses, please follow this link:
https://www.yogamovement.com/academy