How To Become A Yoga Teacher: Check Courses, Eligibility & Colleges
Want to kickstart your career as a yoga teacher? Read this article to learn how to become a yoga teacher. It includes the steps to becoming a certified yoga teacher or instructor and the details that you need to make a career in the yoga field.
How to Become a Yoga Teacher?
Wondering "How to become a yoga teacher?" If you’re passionate about yoga and want to turn that passion into a rewarding career, becoming a yoga teacher could be your ideal path. This article will guide you through the essential steps to becoming a certified yoga teacher or instructor. This page covers everything from the necessary qualifications to potential career opportunities in the yoga field. For many, a career as a yoga teacher represents a chance to work in the health and fitness industry while promoting personal well-being. Whether you’re looking to start your journey or seeking certification details, this guide will provide you with the information you need to embark on this fulfilling career path.
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The Job of a Yoga Teacher/ Instructor
Before knowing the steps to developing a career as a yoga teacher or instructor, aspirants need to know who a yoga teacher or instructor is. Yoga teacher and yoga instructor are interchangeable terms, but there is a slight difference between the two.
Who is a Yoga Instructor?
A yoga instructor is a yoga professional who guides his or her students in learning physical yoga exercises, such as Yoga Asanas and breathing exercises, Pranayams.
The main responsibilities of yoga instructors are to help their students perform all yoga exercises safely, teach them correct postures while performing exercises, and facilitate their process of achieving excellence at each level of yoga learning. A yoga teacher may or may not offer some basic knowledge of yoga philosophy, but generally delves less into the deeper meaning and spiritual aspects.
Who is a Yoga Teacher?
A yoga instructor is the yoga teacher or guru who takes a more holistic approach, including both the physical and the mental/spiritual aspects of yoga. The teachings of yoga teachers are not limited to Asanas and Pranayamas. They also share the physical practice but also the philosophy, history, and principles of yoga.
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Types of Yoga Teachers
If you want to become a yoga teacher, you also need to know the types of yoga teachers. There are a variety of yoga teachers, each with their own unique approach and expertise. Some commonly encountered types include:
- Hatha Yoga Teachers: Emphasize physical postures and alignment.
- Ashtanga Yoga Teachers: Provide Ashtanga Yoga training based on eight limbs of yoga philosophy and techniques mentioned in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.
- Vinyasa Yoga Teachers: Focus on flowing sequences of postures linked with breath.
- Yin Yoga Teachers: Guide students into long-held, passive postures for deeper tissue release.
- Restorative Yoga Teachers: Utilize props to support the body in restful postures.
- Prenatal Yoga Teachers: Adapt postures and sequences for pregnant women.
Skills Required to Become a Yoga Teacher
To become a yoga teacher, individuals need two types of skills: physical skills and interpersonal skills. Some of these skills may be innate in aspiring yoga teachers. If not, they can learn these skills through formal yoga education and training.
Check out the skills required to become a yoga teacher here:
Physical Skills:
- Strong understanding of yoga postures and alignment
- Good flexibility and fitness
- Ability to modify and adapt postures
Interpersonal Skills:
- Excellent communication skills
- Empathy and compassion
- Motivational and encouraging
- Positive and enthusiastic attitude
Eligibility to Become a Yoga Teacher
Candidates who meet the following eligibility criteria can become a yoga teacher:
| Particulars | Eligibility Criteria |
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| Qualification |
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| Age |
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| Health-related eligibility |
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How to Become a Yoga Teacher?
To become a yoga teacher you will have to follow these steps: learn yoga through a professional course, recieve yoga teacher training, earn RYTT Certificate, decide the type of yoga teacher you want to become, start your classes or apply for jobs, and continue learning.
1. Learn Yoga
The first step to become a certified yoga teacher or instructor is to enrol in a professional yoga course, such as BA in Yoga, BSc in Yoga, MA in Yoga or MSc in Yoga.
Some of the best colleges to pursue BA in Yoga and MA in Yoga have been recommended here.
BA in Yoga Courses
Check out here the list of best colleges that offer BA in Yoga:
MA in Yoga Course
The best colleges and courses for MA in Yoga have been mentioned below:
2. Yoga Teacher Training
After earning a professional degree in yoga, you need to pursue a yoga teacher training course to become a certified yoga teacher or instructor. To do so, you need to enrol in a 200 hour yoga teacher training course. Rishikesh is the prominent location in India where 200 hours yoga teacher training courses are taught.
The next levels of these yoga training courses are a 300 hour yoga teacher training course and a 500 hour yoga teacher training course.
There is no restriction on which yoga training course you want to pursue first. You can enrol in 500-hour yoga teacher training courses first instead of a 200-hour yoga teacher training course or a 300-hour yoga teacher training course, and vice versa.
On completing of one of the mentioned yoga teacher training courses, you will get certified as a yoga instructor or teacher.
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- Top 10 Yoga Destinations in India: Places to Learn Yoga in India
- Top Private Yoga Colleges in India: Yoga Jobs
3. Earn Registered Yoga Teacher Training Certificate (RYTT Certificate)
When you complete a yoga teacher training course (200 hour to 500 hour yoga teacher training courses) from a recognised institute, you will recieve the Registered Yoga Teacher Training Certificate. This certificate is mandatory if you want to become a certified yoga instructor / teacher.
RYTT Certificate signifies your completion of a registered yoga teacher training program (YTT) from a school recognized by an organisation, such as Yoga Alliance.The Yoga Alliance is a U.S.-based nonprofit membership organiSation representing the yoga community. Founded in 1997, it's the largest such organiSation globally, with over 7,000 Registered Yoga Schools (RYS) and 100,000 Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT) as of 2020.
4. Decide Your Specialisation as a Yoga Teacher
Once you meet all the educational requirements to become a yoga teacher and yoga instructor as well, you need to decide your specialisation as a yoga teacher or instructor. Here, specialisation refers to the types of yoga you want to teach your students, such as Hatha Yoga, Ashtanaga Yoga, Kundilini Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, and one of the yoga forms, or a combination of two or more yoga forms. This will help you understand the yoga practices that you need to strengthen to become a successful yoga teacher.
In this stage, you also need to decide the targeted population, such as children, elderly people, young adults, or pregnant women, to whom you need to teach yoga. Doing so will allow you to achieve the expertise in yoga practices that you need to teach a particular population or group of people.
5. Start Your Yoga Classes/ Search for Yoga Teacher Jobs
This is the stage where you can start your own classes to become a yoga teacher. These classes can be offline or online. But before starting your yoga classes or institute, you need to receive a business certification from the concerned local government authority. Running your own yoga classes also requires business knowledge and skills. Thus, you need to develop these knowledge and skills.
The alternative option to becoming a yoga teacher or instructor is to search for a yoga teacher or instructor job. Build an attractive resume, add your strengths as a yoga teacher, and apply for jobs. Fitness centres, yoga institutes, schools, colleges, and big corporations (business organisations) recruit yoga teachers and instructors.
6. Continue Learning
Once you become a certified yoga teacher or instructor, you need to enhance your yoga knowledge more because, to teach your students well, you need to improve your knowledge continuously. Continuous learning can help you achieve this goal.
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