Becoming a yoga instructor is more than just teaching yoga to students. The process begins as, and continues to remain, a journey. It's an exciting experience and a great opportunity to ultimately facilitate and increase your own personal growth and your knowledge of yoga.
You learn not just about the different ways in which you can use your yoga training and certification, but as a yoga teacher, you can also advance your asana skills, teach workshops, lead prenatal yoga, and much more. While it may seem like a daunting task to get your yoga certification, we assure you that it's worth all the work and, ultimately, is a tremendously rewarding achievement.
What to do before you begin your training to get yoga certified?
Before you begin your journey in yoga teacher training, it's essential to understand and explore the ways in which you'd like to deepen your yoga practice. Becoming a certified yoga teacher requires you to take the first step to knowing what kind of instructor you want to be, what specialisations you want to opt for, and what kind of training programme fits your lifestyle.
Research the ways in which you can utilise your certificate. For instance, whether you’d like to teach at your local yoga studio, conduct workshops, or more. Look for programmes that'll give you the knowledge you want to specialise in.
There are different types of yoga: Ashtanga yoga (eight-limbed yoga), restorative yoga, and Hatha yoga (the discipline of force), among others. Make sure that the training programme you choose trains you in teaching methodology, teaching styles, and creating yoga sequences, postures, and poses. You should also ensure that your programme includes teaching the yogic philosophy, such as the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, and training in practising mindfulness, and meditation techniques.
How to become a certified yoga teacher
To become a yoga certified teacher, you must first be a student. Mastering the knowledge of yoga that allows you to master the practice is the first step. The second, and most essential step, is learning how to convey that knowledge to your students.
- Learn to teach
While memorising yoga poses and sequences is an important part of the job, what's more important is the way it's conveyed to those learning under you. Apart from the certification and training, the art of effectively telling people what to do with their bodies is what you need to become a good yoga teacher.
- 200-hour yoga training
200-hour teacher training to become a certified yoga teacher is the most common format for yoga instructor course. In these 200 hours, you cover everything from anatomy and philosophy to teaching methodology. If you're looking for a holistic yoga teacher training course, this is it.
Most programmes will cover Vinyasa yoga or Vinyasa flow. You can opt for a training programme that focuses on meditation styles that are of interest to you. You have a lot of options for training, depending on the style of yoga that you are interested in learning and teaching. A 200-hour training course can be completed in either in-person sessions or online sessions.
- Practise makes perfect
After deciding the kind of yoga that interests you, and finalising a programme, it's important to train practically. Time to put the training to the test! Find yourself opportunities to start practising teaching yoga. It takes time to build up the confidence, the command, and the mastery of the mind and body needed to be a good yoga teacher. Teach wherever, and whomever, you can, and pick up chances to sharpen your teaching skills. Eventually, teaching will start coming to you naturally!
If you’re looking to become a Yoga Alliance-certified yoga teacher, we can help! Ohmayoga is an accredited academy offering online yoga teacher training courses in different styles. We train students to gain, sustain, and advance in their yoga practice by delivering authentic yoga education with the help of certified gurus from Rishikesh. Let's connect!
