Become a Yoga Instructor: Know these 6 things before you start
Have you ever wanted to be a yoga instructor but do not know where to start? It can seem like a mind-boggling task at first, but the training process is relatively straightforward. Becoming a yoga teacher usually consists of 200 hours of training in various areas, including anatomy, physiology, instruction techniques, and ethics. Before deciding if this profession is right for you, you should know six things.
So, you’re considering becoming a yoga instructor.
Becoming a certified yoga instructor might seem complicated, but it’s not. It can be an exciting thing for you to do in your life.
Getting a yoga instructor certification can be good for you, even if you don’t want to teach. Going to training will help you learn how to do yoga, and it will also help you grow.
I promise that this is a good experience and you will like it.
Before starting any coursework to become a certified yoga instructor, make sure you know what it takes.
You can deepen your yoga practice by exploring the areas you want to grow. And you can do that with a yoga teacher training program. You can pick one that fits your life.
You can use your certificate in many different ways. For example, you can teach yoga to people in your community or give prenatal yoga classes. You could also do other workshops or become an online yoga instructor like me!
Each certification program is different, and they all have their requirements. Most of them will follow the rules that the Yoga Alliance has put forth. To be successful in the field of yoga requires knowledge and experience. Certification from an accredited Yoga Alliance program may offer you a firm grasp on the following concepts:
- There are several different types of yoga. Some people do Ashtanga yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Hatha Yoga.
- This course teaches you how to do yoga, what techniques are best, and what best teaching styles are.
- Yoga postures and positions
- You can learn about yoga from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, or other related texts.
- Basic anatomy and physiology
- Meditation is when you focus on one thing, and your mind becomes calm.
- How to accommodate postures for special groups
As you start learning about yoga, your yoga practice will change. You might feel happier about your life.
Yoga certification courses can change your life. They can help you live a healthier life.
What does It take to Become a Yoga Instructor?
Getting your Yoga Teacher Certification is not just about choosing a program at a well-known school. You also need to pay for it!
To become a credible yoga instructor, you need to have skills and know your asanas well. You also need to know how to teach.
If you want to be a yoga teacher, here is my list of everything that I think you should know.
#1 - Yoga Isn’t Just For The Professionals
Being a yoga teacher is not about fancy poses. It is not about being able to do all of them, like headstand or forearm stand. It’s also not just about the arm balances, but it’s more than that.
It is about how people use their voices to tell other people what to do. This can be done with compassion.
So be kind and caring.
So don’t get down if you can’t do all of the fancier things. It’s essential to be a good teacher and really caring with your students.
After all, yoga is a type of healing art.
Different people learn in different ways. This is okay. You can get better at it with experience, and if you do teacher training, you will understand this too.
#2 - Learn about the Yoga Alliance
In the yoga world, it is not really clear what certification means. There is no system for regulating or certifying yoga, and it is not done nationally.
So you can pay Yoga Alliance to use their RYT trademark after your name. But it does not really mean anything to the government or other groups.
To hire a yoga instructor in the US, it is mostly for fitness studios to make sure that they have completed a minimum level of education as a yoga instructor. This does not mean that you will actually practice yoga or that your training program was of high quality.
It is helpful to take a class at a yoga studio before you apply to work as a teacher. But it is not necessary for other jobs like being an online yoga instructor.
Knowing what you want from your training program will make it easier to decide if a RYT certification is necessary.
#3 - Choose a Teacher Training Program
Number three, you need to do some kind of training.
Yes, you might want to do a yoga teacher’s training. The most common type is 200-hour training. You’ll learn how to teach yoga and help people have a better life.
You can do research on where you will get 200 hours of training. The training will teach you all that you need to know about being a good teacher.
Most yoga studios focus on vinyasa yoga or vinyasa flow. But you can choose a yoga instructor training that focuses on the style of yoga and meditation that most interests you. There are several types of yoga, including restorative yoga, prenatal yoga, and yin yoga. There is a type of yoga for every person, no matter what they want.
You can do a two-hundred-hour training at once, in a month-long intensive, over the course of many weekends, or you can also do it online. You can choose to train with yoga that is focused on one area like:
- Hatha Yoga Teacher Training
- Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training
- Yin Yoga Teacher Training
- Ashtanga Yoga Teacher Training
- Kids Yoga Teacher Training
If you want to do something online, make sure that it is interactive. Do this with a teacher at a video conference.
#4 - Get Some Experience Teaching Yoga
Step four is to practice yoga. But, if you don’t know how to do some poses, you should teach them. Many people think they will be good at yoga when they get their 200-hour certification.
The reality is it takes a long time to build up your confidence and to have a strong voice.
So you’ve decided to practice teaching everyone you can.
You should teach your mom, your dog, and anyone else you know. You can offer free yoga classes and then do yoga both on the mat and off the mat.
Just start logging your teaching hours. The more teaching you do, the better you will get.
You might learn how to teach in training courses, but that doesn’t mean you are ready to teach. Just like knowing yoga postures doesn’t make you able to do them, learning teaching methodology does not make you ready.
#5 - Start Teaching Yoga to Make Money.
This is the fifth step. You need to charge people money to take your classes. This could mean that you teach in a studio, or you could host events in your home.
Maybe you’re teaching in places like companies and schools. Or perhaps you’re teaching at restaurants and having yoga and wine nights.
You could organize retreats.
Teach yoga online, as I do.
There are many opportunities to find success as a yoga teacher, and you can do it in a way that you love.
#6 - As Soon as Possible, Create a Mailing List.
Step six is to create a mailing list.
It’s a great idea to have a way to stay in touch with the people who come to your classes.
I think this is the most important marketing tactic of all. It will help you keep your mind on teaching yoga, and when someone needs a yoga teacher, they will know to come to you.
Get Yoga Insurance
Finally, don’t forget to get yoga insurance. Once you’ve got it, you’re in the game.
If you are looking forward to become a yoga instructor, you can visit this site to learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions: Becoming A Yoga Instructor
Once you decide to be a yoga teacher, there are many things to think about. Besides the thing that you need to do some serious thinking inside yourself, you also need to choose the right teacher training program. Here are some typical questions about becoming a yoga instructor.
This depends on the training courses you want and who the lead trainers are. Some yoga companies make new training courses, but they don’t offer much hands-on experience, personalized guidance from the trainers, or even good education. These yoga classes are often less than $500, and you can get a certificate. The courses are not for people who want to know the history of yoga, how to do asana properly, or learn about breathing techniques.
It depends. The Yoga Alliance is the most popular organization that gives you an RYT certificate (it’s like a diploma). But they don’t give out certificates to people who graduate from an online program. The YA (Yoga Alliance) traditionally requires contact hours (where someone teaches in person) to get an RYT certification, but they recently let yoga schools offer online courses.
If you are looking forward t to becoming a certified yoga instructor, you will need to do your training with a registered yoga school. You can also get your certification from Yoga Alliance. It is not necessary to get it from Yoga Alliance, but they are just an organization that does not have anything to do with government requirements for teaching yoga.
Otherwise, find a long-standing yoga school with a good reputation. Join their 200-hour yoga teacher training program. It will teach you about the history of Yoga, Yoga Sutras, teaching methodology, human anatomy and physiology, and the postures of yoga.
This completely depends on the type of yoga you want to do. There are many styles and lengths. The course could be 200 hours or 500 hours, and it could be in a certain location. There are different types of certifications that come with different prices.
The Yoga Alliance is the most well-known private organization for yoga instructors. But a YA certification does not mean that you received quality training or that you are ready to teach yoga. And outside of your local yoga studio, few people will ask for a YA certification.
This depends on how much training you get. It also depends on where you go for training. A 200-hour immersion course will be about one month long, but when you do yoga, it is over the course of 6 months.
If you want to teach yoga, the pay depends on your experience and the studio. If you are teaching at a yoga studio, then it can be anywhere from $20-$80 per class. Private Yoga classes can be up to $150 per class. Some teachers teach online and get paid more because they do not have any time or place restrictions on when they practice their yoga.
Yes, but it depends on how you make money and what you want. If you like teaching yoga and want to make a decent living at it, then I recommend teaching yoga online.
Anyone can do yoga teacher training. Women over 50, people who have never done yoga before, college students, and many other people go to these training.
To start a yoga teacher training program, first, decide if you want to register with the Yoga Alliance. Next, build or buy a manual and curriculum. Set your schedule for your training sessions. Decide how you will protect your intellectual property with copyright protection. Figure out how much money it will cost to run the program with financial planning—set expectations for students with contracts. Finally, set up an instructor schedule that is consistent throughout all of the training sessions so that students are not confused about who their instructor is on any given day.
As yoga classes are hard and sometimes challenging, we recommend that you have a good yoga practice for at least four months before coming. Check out our prerequisites page if you’re interested in our course.
You don’t have to be a certain size or look to do yoga teacher training. You can teach people if you are not that size or shape. This is important because when you are teaching, you want to teach people of all sizes and shapes so that if someone comes in with any kind of body, you know how to give them different kinds of adjustments and variations.
You will know if you passed or failed right after the exam. There’s a written test at the end that combines questions from quizzes throughout the training. If you fail this test, then you need to retake it before giving your final class.
You can make decent money as a yoga teacher. There is a lot of competition, and it isn’t easy to get clients, but some people are being paid up to $400K per year.
Some of the best yoga certifications in the world are in Portugal, India, and Rishikesh, India. There are 200-hour certification courses in Algarve, Portugal, and Ashtanga/Vinyasa in Rishikesh, India. There are 300-hour courses for advanced Ashtanga Yoga in Rishikesh.
A 200-hour yoga teacher training will cost between $1000 and $3000, but it depends on what kind of training you want. You can pay more or less if you get your training in one place or in another.
I would say yes if you want to teach and are open to whatever salary. But for the record, yoga teachers make good money. You should be realistic about your time and money. If you’re looking for yoga teacher training, it might not be worth it unless you have plenty of time and money for it.
Teachers in RYT need to report 45 hours of teaching and 30 hours of training every three years.
Completing a 200-hour course takes about 3 to 5 months, but most teachers want to be students for life and so take the 500-hour course too. It can take approximately six months or a year.
Do research about the different types of yoga. Try each one out. Figure out which you like best and what kind of teacher you are.
If you do yoga twice to four times a day, you can burn up to 1050 calories each week. If people do it only one time a day, then that will be a loss of 1050 calories a week.
Yoga can help you lose weight. Yoga can make your muscles stronger and more flexible. You might want to do yoga if you want to be more flexible or have a strong body.
