How to Become a Yoga Instructor
By Robyn Parets, Founder of Pretzel Kids
Do you love yoga? Have you ever wondered whether you should enhance your yoga education and look into a yoga instructor training?
You’re not alone.
According to The 2016 Yoga in America Study conducted by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance, yoga is indeed gaining in popularity. In fact, “the number of American yoga practitioners has increased to over 36 million in 2016, up from 20.4 million in 2012.”
And, “28% of all Americans have participated in a yoga class at some point in their lives.”
Yet, while yoga is growing in popularity, loving yoga and teaching yoga are two very different things. So, before you ponder the question how can I become a yoga instructor, read on to learn more.
Why become a yoga instructor?
We get it: Your yoga education is important and it should be! Yoga has countless physical and mental benefits. And, a consistent yoga practice will help you gain strength, flexibility, balance, and focus.
Yet, if you want to teach yoga, it’s important that you understand that teaching anything, including yoga, is a skill that is developed over time and with dedicated practice.
With that said, many yogis decide to teach after experiencing their own life-shift after practicing yoga for a period of time. When they see how their practice has improved their own physical or mental health, they often want to help others. Still others have a passion for helping a specific niche segment of the population get fit and healthy, such as seniors or children with special needs. And yet others want to teach yoga in schools, specialize in yoga for young people, or work with runners or other athletes.
You likely have your own personal reason for why you want to become a yoga teacher. Right?
Whatever your particular reason is for seeking a yoga certification, first things first: You’ll need to find a yoga instructor training. While your first thought might be to do a Google search for ‘yoga instructor training near me,’ it’s important to recognize that during the COVID-19 pandemic many yoga teacher training certification courses have moved online. And we have no doubt that many of these trainings will remain online. Therefore, you should broaden your search and focus on finding the teacher training program that most aligns with your needs and interests.
Is online yoga teacher training worth it?
Wondering how to get yoga certified? For the most part, if you want to teach yoga to adults, you’ll need to enroll and graduate from a 200-hour teacher training certification course (other specialty yoga certifications like a teen yoga teacher training or the immersive Pretzel Kids certification course can take only 10-12 hours!)
In-person 200-hour training programs break these hours apart differently. Some trainings are run via weekend modules for four to six months, whereas others meet once or twice weekly over the course of a year.
Yet, with many studios offering yoga instructor training online, we could write a book about the pros and cons here (#1 con in my opinion: Doing anything online for 200 hours!) And, while you likely won’t learn as much as you could if you took a yoga certification in-person, an online yoga certification course might be your best option.
The bottom line: Do you research to determine whether an online yoga teacher training is worth your time, energy and money. And, consider this: What does it take to be a yoga teacher? Will an online teacher training course, even if it’s at a bargain basement price, be what you need for your yoga training certification?
What is the best online yoga certification?
When it comes to choosing the best 200-hour online yoga teacher training course for you, it’s important to set yourself up for success by researching available courses from reputable studios and companies.
For starters, read student testimonials and reviews, sign up for a free webinar with the TT course leaders, learn about whether graduates are teaching successful classes, and delve into the program’s teaching and learning philosophies.
Some other things to consider: the cost, a support system during and after the training and job placement opportunities. Make sure you ask questions before committing to a yoga instructor training.
How much does it cost to become a yoga instructor?
The cost to become a yoga instructor can vary greatly depending on various yoga instructor certification requirements, the amount of support offered by instructors in different training courses, and whether the yoga certification is offered via a newby program or if it’s run via an internationally recognized brand.
Some of the online 200-hour courses that launched during the coronavirus pandemic are running deals for as low as $375 for the entire training, whereas a 200-hour course at well-known and reputable YogaWorks will run you about 2,800-$3,350 – the going rate for most in-studio 200-hour teacher trainings.
Can I teach kids yoga?
Whether you want to teach yoga for young people or 2 year old yoga, you’ll need to specifically learn how to teach kids yoga.
This means more than doing fun videos with toddlers doing yoga. It means you should research various children’s yoga teacher training courses because a 200-hour yoga instructor training will not teach you the skills you need to teach yoga to toddlers, run yoga classes in schools, or become a teen yoga instructor.
Instead, if you want to become a yoga teacher for children, you can do one of two things:
- Take a kids yoga certification course after completing your basic requirements of yoga via a 200-hour teacher training.
- Skip the 200-hour course entirely and enroll in a children’s yoga certification program.
Companies like Pretzel Kids, for example, specialize in kids yoga certification and helping teachers grow successful businesses teaching youth yoga. No prerequisites and no lengthy 200-hour training program necessary!
So, if teaching children is what you really want to do, consider this: You can become a yoga instructor in 12 hours with Pretzel Kids! No lengthy 200-hour training program necessary!
In fact, the Pretzel Kids Method offers much more than just a yoga teacher training. It offers a fully immersive children’s yoga business-in-a-box opportunity. For example, you’ll get a license to use the awesome Pretzel Kids brand name for your own classes, an immersive private community, ongoing lesson plans and teaching resources, Zoom lunch and learn training courses regularly, marketing support, and more. Plus, Pretzel Kids offers ALL of its member teachers the opportunity to teach directly for one of the many new Pretzel Kids online partner platforms, giving you the chance to practice your digital teaching skills and teach young people from your living room.
Are you ready to become a yoga instructor? We’ll be with you every step of the way!?
