My Yoga Teacher Training in Berlin at High on Yoga
I’d been wanting to do a second yoga teacher training since moving to Berlin to fully immerse myself into what had been my lifesaver since my arrival. I couldn’t quite figure out the best way to go about it or which school to pick. Then I started practicing with High on Yoga, and it felt like the perfect fit: the studio teaches intense sequences heavily inspired by Ashtanga and I felt like I had found the best of both worlds between my love for Ashtanga, missing the guidance of a teacher’s voice, and my need to have a sense of community and belonging in a studio. At High on Yoga, I found exactly that and was excited to join their 300-hour teacher training program last October.
As the course is now winding to an end, I wanted to share a bit more about it and let you know what you can expect if you too decide to enroll in it — which I can only highly recommend.
If you’re looking for an English-speaking yoga teacher training in Berlin with the highest standard of teaching, are also an Ashtanga or Rocket Yoga practitioner (even if you’re not, you might find something really amazing here!) and would like to remain within this classical form of learning and teaching, then this might be the perfect thing for you too. The program at High on Yoga was incredible and we learned in the Ashtanga style which is what I prefer. It was a tough but rewarding journey that I would recommend to anyone wanting to become a yoga instructor or just deepen their practice and knowledge of this wonderful discipline and tradition.
My Experience Doing a Yoga Teacher Training in Berlin at High on Yoga
My yoga teacher training in Berlin at High on Yoga was an amazing experience overall and I’m so glad I did this for myself. I had previously done my first yoga teacher training in India in 2015 back when I lived in Asia and it was a completely different style of learning. Not that it was bad. But High on Yoga was next-level good.
The program at High on Yoga spanned from October to January across many intensive weekends, and, in between, plenty of time to let the knowledge be assimilated. Most importantly for me, I was able to continue with my busy schedule through it. For reference, I and several other students have a full-time job and managed to do both the training amidst busy work schedules.
For me, this time structure worked so much better than an intensive 30-day course format, because there was no cram-in-your-head and forget-it-all-afterward involved. We spent intense weekends learning, then spent the following week going through it all over again, discussing together in a Whatsapp group, and really taking the time to digest and process the new learnings. Nice side effect: I made new friends that share my love for yoga — a non-negligible aspect to consider. It can be hard to make friends in Berlin!
Physically, also, this schedule made so much more sense than the 6-day schedule I experienced on my first Yoga Teacher Training. You’re not off the hook from practicing on weekdays, however! The teacher training comes with an unlimited pass to the High on Yoga studio and you are required to practice six days a week. Just not all day long like it was the case on my first YTT!
Daily schedule
We met on weekends at around 7am on Saturdays to start with meditation and Mysore practice, followed by taking the beginner-level class with Mateusz, which was super helpful. Observing him teach and give adjustments to other people was vital to the learning experience, once he shared his awesome tricks of the trade with us. When all you have to practice on in your teacher training is other bendy advanced-level students, there’s a big part of reality missing, so it’s helpful to see how he does it with less experienced students. It’s also been helpful for me to practice what I learned on some friends who have less experience with yoga in between classes. This, you definitely do not have access to in an intensive month-long retreat.
Following that was a long lunch break and then we’d meet again around 1pm for asana study with Miriam (breaking down a single pose over a very long period of time to fully understand its proper alignment and mechanics), theory and philosophy, and hands-on assists, my favorite part.
On Sundays, we met a bit later, around noon usually, and studied sequencing, mantra and chanting, sometimes more asana break down, and ended the day with the Intense Level class from Mateusz, which is my favorite class of all time and likely the most advanced yoga class you’ll find in the city.
Towards the end of the training, we also had anatomy classes with Songül which were mind-blowing. It really helps to understand and teach others once you have a grasp on the mechanics of the body. I loved that.
Learning hands-on adjustments
We spent hours learning how to adjust different poses, which is, in my book, an essential skill for any yoga teacher, and one that is often ignored by many yoga teacher training schools. Learning hands-on adjustments with Mateusz was my favorite part! I love receiving hands-on adjustments in my practice (one of the many highlights of practicing at High On Yoga!) and learning how to give them back feels like really learning how to be able to help people in their practice and like I’m doing something good for them.
Hands-on adjustments feel like receiving a wonderful deep stretch/massage and like you are really exploring each pose/your body to its full potential. They are amazing and Mateusz is the king of yoga assists. When I say you’ll be learning from the pro, I’m not exaggerating.
Learning from the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras
A big part of the training revolved around yoga philosophy and its most important texts. We were given the opportunity to read and discuss texts from the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali including the eight limbs of yoga, which I was already familiar with and loved diving deeper within. We all had slightly different translations from the texts and it was actually fascinating to compare translations and discover a deeper meaning to some texts. You’ll definitely want to get yourself a copy of these two books.
We also chanted some of my favorite mantras mostly on Sunday evenings, which I absolutely loved. To a point that I decided to buy a floor harmonium for myself! Mateusz was nice enough to teach me a few chords so I had a nice starting point. Chanting has an integral role in the teacher training at High On Yoga, which is right up there in my favorite elements along with the adjustments.
Even if you are not an Ashtangi or do not plan to teach an Ashtanga-based style of yoga, for me, there is something so intrinsically important with the type of training offered at High on Yoga — for perpetuating the tradition of yoga in its purest form. With so many yoga schools having popped up over the years and yoga being somewhat bent out of shape (pun intended), learning the tradition first and foremost is a way to ensure that the quality of yoga that will be taught in years to come will retain its wholeness. And I definitely want to be a part of that.
All info regarding YTC at HOY can be found here.