VIKASA GRADUATE STORIES
Every year at Vikasa we certify around 200 yoga teachers, either in our Foundation 200hr Yoga Teacher Training, or in our 300hr Advanced Yoga teacher Training. Our graduates continue to inspire us as they bundle up all the wisdom, lessons and practices they gained through their time at Vikasa, and take yoga out into the world in their own unique way. Our graduates are running yoga studios, offering retreats and workshops, teaching at global events and festivals, providing private yoga classes or have their own digital yoga studio platforms.
Each month we are excited to feature one of our graduates in a ‘where are they now’ series so that you too can witness their ongoing transformation and get an idea of where a Vikasa Yoga Training can take you.
This month we introduce you to Anna Hauschild. Scroll down to read more about Anna’s journey and how yoga continues to shape her daily life.
Meet Anna Hauschild
When did you do your Vikasa Yoga teacher Training?
I did my 200 hours in October 2023 and am now booked in and ready to do my 300 hours next year in August 2026.
What drew you to Vikasa in the first place? And how did the experience of being here shape you personally or professionally?
I first saw Vikasa on instagram and was mesmerised by the views and its more superficial beauty. For months, I had it in the back of my mind that this was a place I should go to. I finally pulled the trigger and signed up for my YTT when my divorce was finalized (even though it somehow took me literal months to realise that that was the reason I was ready to take this step).
When I started reading about Vikasa’s philosophy in preparation for my YTT (yes, I’m a nerd and I “studied” before the course even started), one thing really struck me and stuck with me: happiness is a choice. I wanted to know how, of course. I had always experienced happiness as a result of external factors, never as something I had full control over. So this search for internal happiness was the second, and less superficial, thing that made me feel like Vikasa was the right choice for me.
Some of my fellow students had big breakthrough moments where their hearts cracked open completely and the way this experience had changed their lives was almost tangible. I didn’t have a moment quite like that and came home having had an incredible time but not feeling much different. The transformation I was expecting seemingly hadn’t happened. What I failed to see, though, were the more subtle shifts and changes. This training put me on a different trajectory without me even realising it. I learned to choose a life that was more aligned with my values, to find more balance and grace in the everyday struggles, and to judge myself a little less.
I still haven’t quit my day job (barista, dishwasher, smoothie maker and everything in between in a sometimes very, very sleepy, sometimes incredibly busy tourist town on the Great Ocean Road in Australia) but I was lucky enough to start teaching yoga straight away when I came back. I started with free classes in the park and moved to a hired room in the local community centre when winter came and I had also gathered enough confidence to start charging people. I think it’s important to note at this point that teaching hasn’t been as glamorous and lucrative as I might have hoped. I can’t burn incense before the class because the community centre guidelines don’t allow it; the red leather couches in the corner of the room wouldn’t have been my aesthetic choice; sometimes no one shows up to class because everyone is busy serving 20,000 hangry tourists; sometimes I am exhausted from a long day at work and the class I teach lacks the pizzazz I’d like it to have. The list goes on. I think it is also important to note that sharing my classes with my little community has enriched and brought value to my life in ways I didn’t even think was possible. What a joy it is to see people leave a class more grounded, calm and centred than they entered it. What a gift it is to have an impact, a positive influence on someone’s life. To me, that is worth more than being successful in a traditional or monetary sense of the word.
You came back recently as part of our teaching assistant team on our April 200hr YTT. What new skills or perspectives did you gain while supporting the YTT students?
On a very practical level, I learned so much about assisting and adjusting students in class. I got more confident with my physical touch and truly enjoyed being part of someone’s asana practice. Every body finds the same shape in a slightly different manner so having thirty different people to work with and observe was an eye opening experience. Had I done nothing else and just attentively watched every morning practice, I would have walked away with a mountain of new knowledge and perspective. Luckily, I got to do a lot more than that.
On a more elusive and spiritual level, I find it hard to articulate what I’ve learned, even though I know I’ve absorbed a lot.
Maybe it could be summed up in saying that I have become more present. Maybe I just need to be okay with not being able to express myself in this regard.
How did it feel to hold space for others as they went through the same transformational process you once experienced?
I don’t consider myself a very maternal person so I never expected how fiercely protective I could feel about someone (or thirty someones) who were, in a way, placed into my care. I felt a real sense of purpose, making sure that every student had the best experience possible. It was so easy to deeply care about this group, who in my highly biased opinion is the best group Vikasa has ever seen.
A beautiful thing that Kara said about teaching yoga is that it is not about you. In a similar way this training wasn’t about us TAs. Of course we had our own experiences as well but the overarching intention was always to make sure our little ducklings, as we liked to call the students, got safely and happily to the other side of 200 very intense hours. I like to believe that we helped in making that happen. This brings me back to the joy I experience when teaching a regular yoga class: you gain so much by doing something for others. Even though it wasn’t about me, my heart feels so full and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful journey.
A YTT is an intense, immersive experience and watching people go through the same emotional rollercoasters that I encountered only a year and a half ago is quite special. I felt so proud, impressed, in awe, astounded. It’s not easy to show this amount of vulnerability to others, to be open, honest and raw. And at the same time it isn’t always easy to accept that vulnerability when you are presented with it. To me, gaining that outside perspective of this process and interaction, witnessing rather than experiencing this situation was so… I don’t know how to say it differently… special! The other TAs and I had our eyes filled with tears of joy and love more than once.
How has your experience as a Teaching Assistant influenced your current teaching style or the way you hold space for students?
I am more confident that what I have to offer has value. My teaching style itself hasn’t shifted all that much but I say things with more conviction now, not giving into imposter syndrome. I did however steal little phrases I heard in morning practice or snippets of a sequence I saw in the students’ practicums. Every time I heard something that really resonated with me, I wrote it down so that I could potentially make it my own and integrate it into my own personal practice or my teaching. It’s a nice reminder that you always have something to gain and learn.
What are you up to now? Whether it’s teaching, creating, traveling, or something else entirely!
From an outside perspective, I’m simply back to my regularly scheduled programme: working, teaching, getting ready for a winter in poorly insulated beach houses. I do however feel like I have learned one very important lesson which is to do those things with intention.
Inspired to take the next step of your yoga journey?
If you’re ready to take the leap from student to teacher, or deepen your existing yoga practice and teaching skills, join us at Vikasa for a Yoga Teacher Training. We offer our 200hr and 300hr training several times a year. You can also join us for a shorter 100hr Yin Yoga training, or 100hr Refresh Yoga training once per year.
Check our training page here for all upcoming dates and details.
If becoming a successful yoga teacher is a goal or dream of yours- we’re here to support you to ensure that becomes a reality.