Universe has aligned. Spirit has spoken. And you have seen the signs. It’s time for a yoga journey. Whether it’s a yoga retreat or a Yoga Teacher Training, something is propelling you forward. And it’s thrilling, full of life-changing energies. However, that same feeling could force you to book with haste. When it comes to yoga, the slow and steady method reigns, therefore taking your time to find the right yoga experience is worth the wait.
Not all Yoga TTC fee go to school
Yoga retreats and training booking websites promote yoga experiences. They offer plenty of filters, competitive prices, and a variety of locations to help you locate your dream yoga TTC experience or yoga retreat. What you might not know, though, is that these websites sequester 15-30% of any booking. Why does this matter? Because the school, the place that is actually providing the service, should earn their fair share. Since this is not public knowledge, most people who book believe that the fees paid to go directly to the yoga institute. Using a booking website means yoga schools don’t receive full funds, hence schools often struggle to provide the type of service that they would normally give had you booked directly with them.
Yoga school details are kept secret
One of the beauties of embarking upon a yoga journey includes forming relationships. When using a third-party website, you do not have direct contact with the school. Actually, it’s forbidden. These Booking websites refuse to include yoga school websites and threaten to remove schools from their listings if they contact students directly or vice versa. The stifles the organic flow of energy between teachers and student. Founders and yogis alike value building connections with yoga enthusiasts. Without that direct link, energy is lost from the beginning.
Destroy integrity of all that is yoga tradition
Of course, the internet has allowed humans to connect invaluable ways. Before the internet, yoga students would go out into the world and spread their knowledge. Through word of mouth, yoga followers and devotees were created. What was once a natural form of sharing information has now become a lost art. Since internet users trust ratings as truth and/or rarely take the time to locate former students of a particular school as a source of authenticity, indirect bookings are on the rise. Many of the ratings are based on yoga novices or people who love to see the cup as half empty rather than half full. And this sort of backlash is hurting the integrity of the yoga tradition. Additionally, yoga institutions can pay a commission which will put them at the top of the search list. Where is the integrity in that?
Lack of focus on learning aspect
The primary focus of the Yoga booking website is on accommodation more than anything else. Rather than placing attention on yoga teaching style or yoga philosophy, these sites offer a generic list of amenities as if you are booking a hotel. But a TTC or yoga retreat is so much more than a stay away from home. Whether it’s a month-long yoga journey or an intense yoga experience, surely it requires more than just general information. With little to no focus on criteria or pedagogical measure, these websites miss areas of evaluation that are vital to a proper yoga study such as teacher knowledge and support, materials and resources, course quality, pedagogy, and practical application of knowledge. While room and board are seen as an important aspect, the real path of the yogi sets aside all comforts to become a seeker.
Authentic yoga centers are closing
Sadly, some of the oldest yoga schools or centers are no longer running. Highly qualified and skilled yogis are getting put out of business because newer schools are taking over. Fresh, new, hip yoga schools are willing to pay commission for first-page search results and reduce pay to new teachers, leaving old teachers without space where they once had a home. Replacing the old with the new suits in some instances, however, when it comes to yoga this goes against the laws of nature. Without the esoteric knowledge that only a true yogi transmits, yoga schools from booking websites fail to take into account the stature and status of teachers and simply distribute a service at a very high cost. At the cost of losing the art of yoga.
Benefits of Booking Yoga Retreats and TTC with Yoga Center
You are ready to deepen your yoga practice with a yoga retreat or Yoga TTC. The first steps of your yoga journey are fuelled by truth and an internal flame, a passion for exploration. This is a lifelong pursuit of yourself. And the location and institution should reflect your intentions. What you seek is seeking you, so there is no settling on anything less than what your soul craves.
Build a relationship with gurus and founders
When booking a yoga retreat or TTC, having the proper contact matters. Making an informed decision happens when you can speak directly with the founders and gurus of an institution. Not only will you be able to ask questions that go beyond what a website can provide, but you’ll also build connections with mentors and yogis. As you communicate with gurus and founders, you’ll quickly be able to access which location and experience will serve you best. That is not possible through a third-party website like BookYogaRetreats.com.
Maintain sustainability
Yoga itself supports sustainability in mental, spiritual, and physical ways. That same format is translated into the school’s yogis and gurus manage. These institutions spawned from a seed of love, compassion, and the desire to share a wealth of knowledge. When you contact and book directly with a yoga TTC or retreat, you are supporting a dream planted decades and centuries ago. And you project longevity that will be a part of an old tradition for new generations.
Preserve tradition
Traditional yoga schools are becoming harder to come by. Newer, trendier schools are taking over, leaving the esoteric knowledge of yogis and yogis themselves without any room to flourish. Sites like BookingYogaRetreats offers a service, they do not offer a yoga experience. When choosing to book directly with a yoga TTC or retreat, you are affecting change in ways that you might not realize. You maintain the yoga tradition. You uphold yoga values. You build upon yoga foundations that deserve to be a part of our future. You ensure that true yogis and their legacy continue well into the future.
Ensure yoga center and yogis thrive
If you opt to book a yoga TTC or retreat through BookYogaRetreats.com, you are doing a great disservice to the practice of yoga in general. Centuries-old and still thriving, yoga was founded upon certain principles like compassion, truth, and healing as vehicles to reach the masses. By going through a third-party website, you fail to connect to a yoga source. Instead, you promote a system that seems to be on the path of yoga destruction. If you wish to study yoga and later become a yogi, then it is your duty to ensure that the entire yogic way of life thrives.
Support yoga community and teacher philosophy Yoga is not just a practice or a course, it is a way of life. The study will last at least a few lifetimes. Therefore, finding the right place to start your yoga journey matters, a lot. Rather than focusing on amenities, the goal should be on fostering the yoga community any way you can because as a student of yoga, you are now part of a family. And in the very near future, you, too, will be a teacher. Yoga teacher philosophy supports truth. Booking directly through a yoga school is true, it is human to human connection, and it is love.
