With the recent announcement of our new Studio Park (Downtown Grand Rapids) Funky Buddha location, we have gotten a lot of inquiries about how our Funky Buddha teachers are hired/trained.
[nectar_dropcap color=”#ff4629″]W [/nectar_dropcap]
here Do Funky Buddha Yoga Teachers Come From?
What an excellent question! Where do the amazing Funky Buddha Yoga Teachers come from?!?!? A magical garden of yoga-awesome? Well….kinda…..if by magical garden you mean a magical training program of passion, dedication, commitment, and amazing work ethic!
Where Funky Buddha Yoga Teachers Come From (the quick answer):
The Funky Buddha teachers are an elite group of highly-trained ultra-committed yoga teaching ROCKSTARS. They are trained via the Funky Buddha’s one-of-a-kind Teacher Mentorship Program that is unlike any other training program in the yoga industry.
What IS the Funky Buddha Teacher Mentorship Program?
The Funky Buddha Mentorship Program is a rigorous training program that prepares candidates to work in specifically in the world of Funky Buddha Yoga.
The Funky Buddha Mentees are selected through a vigorous interview and application process and are selected based on a wide variety of factors including, but not limited to: coachability, cultural fit, communication skills, & current staff dynamics.
Those selected to participate in the FB Mentorship Program will train in a small cohort (2-6 people) for 9-12 months in anticipation of a future career as a Funky Buddha Yoga Teacher.
More FB Mentorship Details (for those of you that are interested):
Program Prerequisites:
Completion of the Funky Buddha 200-Hour Teacher Training. This training is fully compliant with Yoga Alliance’s (the national governing body of professional yoga) standards for 200-Hour RYT certification. Completion of another quality Yoga Alliance Certified 200-Hour Program. More details about our next 200-Hour Teacher Training in August can be found HERE.
FB Mentorship Time Commitment:
The beauty of the FB Mentorship Program is that it is customized to each participant. While every individual Mentee and Mentorship class is different, generally mentees will train for 9-12 months before being offered a staff position at the Funky Buddha.
We like to compare the FB Mentorship to going to grad school – in terms of weekly time commitment. Each week, mentees will be required to complete 6-10 hours of structured in-studio training (contact hours). Additionally, participants should expect to commit another 8-12 hours of additional “brain space” (this includes things like home practice, reading, studying, practicing, various other homework).
Employment at the Funky Buddha:
While an employment offer is not guaranteed, FB Mentorship participants are selected with the express purpose of eventual employment at the Funky Buddha. We are proud to report an EXTREMELY high rate of hire from our Mentorship Program.
Why Mentorship? Why is a 200-Hour Certification Not Enough?
The Funky Buddha Mentorship Program is a program unique to the Funky Buddha. It is time intensive and requires incredible investment and commitment from both sides of the relationship (the trainers and the mentees). So why?!?!?
A quality 200-Hour Training Program is a wonderful and necessary first step on yogi’s journey to becoming a teacher. However, it is our belief that 200-Hours simply is not enough time to become proficient and comfortable in a new professional field – any field, including yoga.
The Funky Buddha Mentorship is designed to build upon the foundation of a quality 200-Hour program. Through strategic and guided practice, the FB Mentorship program will provide the skills necessary to becoming a confident, effective, agile, and skilled yoga teacher. Additionally, it focuses on the cultural and systematic structures that are specific to working in a Funky Buddha Studio.
Ever wonder why our Funky Buddha teachers are so consistently AH-MAZING?! Well, they ALL are working through or have been through the Funky Buddha Mentorship program…….AND the training doesn’t stop there. Our staff teachers are all engaged in continuous training and education. Each teacher is working on a customized curriculum of continuing education. At the Funky Buddha we live, eat, breathe, and sleep our mission: Growth Through Practice.
So, whether you are one of our amazing students that was just curious about what happens behind the scenes with our amazing teaching staff, or if you have been casually or seriously been considering a future that includes teaching yoga – we hope that this post has been helpful in providing information and context.
Think you have it what it takes to become a Funky Buddha Yoga Teacher?
If you have any additional questions about either our Funky Buddha 200-Hour Teacher Training or the Funky Buddha Mentorship Program, feel free to reach out to Michele, our Director of Operations (michele@yogahothouse.com). She would love to get you more info.
Yoga on friends! See you on your mat.
