Sometimes yogis just want to have lunch and a nice catch-up (about yoga :)) – so that’s what Deddou and me did one beautiful December day. I had met the founder of POP UP YOGA before, in or after class, but now I really wanted to sit down and talk about her yoga concept, 2020 plans and yoga training outlook.

But first, I got to really know the woman behind this fun and exciting yoga “brand” rather than studio. Deddou completed two teacher trainings at the Laughing Lotus in New York, incidentally where the Lotus Flow concept I tried out in Madrid originates from (small world!). The yoga classes in New York flipped her focus from dancing to yoga, but she took the time to observe an important but often neglected aspect of the vinyasa yoga practice: injury prevalence. Deddou noticed how some long-term teachers in NYC were suffering from repetitive strain injury, compromise on alignment to keep up with the vinyasa pace, and even end up with artificial hips or chronic joint issues.

Deddou used her additional training in yoga therapy as a catalyst to adapt the vinyasa-based “Lotus Flow” for more sustainable practice. Seven years ago, she started teaching in Zurich and set up POP UP YOGA, at a time when the city was nothing like the yoga jungle you see these days 🙂

After the first years, as the pop up project expanded and teachers were needed to cover the expansion demand, Deddou found it difficult to recruit the right quality instructors she hoped for. Yoga Alliance RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) certifications may look “legit” but a very mixed bag of teachers carry the label, and it’s practically impossible to tell how well prepared they are to guide a yoga class.

This led to the development of the POP UP YOGA Vinyasa Teacher Training a few years ago, which aimed to bring consistency in the quality level and set a high teaching standard. Ok, this does not sound completely new, right? This should be the aim of every TTC. Still, what I really found great about the POP UP YOGA TTC is the use of multimedia learning, combining classroom sessions, teaching challenges and online learning. With all the resources available online for pre-, post- or in-between-reading, the face to face sessions during the weekends are structured more like seminars, with targeted Q&As and in-depth discussions.

I really like the concept and I’d certainly recommend it to anyone interested in a fulltime-worker-friendly vinyasa yoga teacher training in Zurich! You can check out more details here: popupyoga.ch/250hplus-teachertraining

As a newly minted yoga teacher, I was more interested in learning about advanced teacher trainings, and I was glad we’re on the same page on this: Deddou agreed with me that the modular concept is the most suitable offering, and introduced me to her 350hr training plan: popupyoga.ch/350h-advanced-teacher-training

As each teacher has a different area of interest and demand for specialization, the advanced 300+ hours should not come as a “big bang” learning block. With various dedicated modules, teachers can double-click on sequencing skills, yin/restorative yoga, or even the business of yoga. I know there’s a lot of work behind setting up each of these modules, as one needs the expert teacher, the right setting, and so on … but count me in as interested in at least a few of those specializations! Join me in registering online to find out when the modules launch 😉

The regular classes and the teacher trainings are just the two set pillars of the POP UP YOGA offering. Into the new year Deddou has some exciting new ideas about “yoga events” that combine the practice with a cause or a special project, such as a local start-up or social enterprise. To me, there’s no better place than Zurich for such ideas – with a strong and open-minded yoga community, lots of budding entrepreneurs and start-up energy, I can’t wait to see what POP UP YOGA has in store for us in 2020!!!

My chat with Deddou was just a testimony of the beauty of this yoga community and the powerful connections it can create.

Looking forward to an exciting new year of (POP UP) yoga practice and sharing! ♥