How to Be a Yoga Instructor: 6 Things You Must Know Before You Begin

11 Apr How to Be a Yoga Instructor: 6 Things You Must Know Before You Begin

Thinking of changing your career? While going to yoga classes, you felt like you want to do something like this? If you wanted to know more started researching on it. There were so many articles giving so many details which overwhelmed you. Do not worry, I totally understand that it can be a daunting task. I am here to simplify things for you.

Here we will give you all the details needed to understand how to become a yoga instructor.

Like any other Career becoming a yoga instructor also needs it’s certification from a government-recognized or accredited institution.

In India, the government has setup a yoga certificate board (YCB). This board is basically setup to keep the parameters of yoga practice or yoga teaching in check and there was a need to develop a certain kind of level of quality in the teaching s of the yoga teacher training course. The main aim of this board is to bring about a certain consistency a certain quality in which the courses are conducted across India and abroad. The Yoga Certificate board not only certifies yoga instructors but also provides accreditation to the institutions which teach yoga.

Yoga is still known to be an unorganised career option. And one can teach yoga without a certificate that is for sure. But doing a certificate course in Yoga helps yoga professionals to get better job opportunities in India and in other countries as well.

So in simple terms to become a yoga instructor do yoga teacher training course from a recognized institution get certified and BAM!! you are a yoga instructor. Currently, there are 6 levels of certifications under YCB, you can opt for any of the below-mentioned levels depending on your learning and skills-

• Yoga Protocol Instructor
• Yoga Wellness Instructor
• Yoga Teacher & Evaluator
• Assistant Yoga Therapist
• Yoga Therapist
• Yoga Master

The Yoga Institute Goa is an accredited institution by the Ministry of Ayush. They provide 200 hours yoga teacher training course upon completion of the same you eligible to appear for examination for YCB level 1 Certification.

This is RYT 200-hour Yoga Teacher training course, fully accredited with the Yoga Alliance USA and the participant is eligible to apply on Yoga Alliance site as Register Yoga Teacher.

6 things you must know before you begin-

1. Why do you need to do yoga teacher training course?

Doing the teacher training course is of utmost importance because it gives a strong base to the practice of yoga. Someone without proper training will only be able to give superficial knowledge. And a person who has completed proper training from a recognized institution will have a good foundation of knowledge which is required to teach the proper history, philosophy, anatomy, various styles of yoga, methodology of teaching, the practice of teaching, assisting senior teachers, volunteering in various camps, etc. All these aspects help in moulding a yoga teacher in such a way that they are able to teach the core knowledge of yoga and can practice themselves. As you become a Yoga Teacher your teaching has to be twofold one being the superficial knowledge of the human body and its movements to come into a correct posture and the second would be a further deeper level where you’ll be teaching students to live a mindful and meaningful life.

2. Which Style of Yoga interests you?

There are many styles of yoga that have different styles, approaches, and different ways of achieving goals. Decide for yourself which style you want to learn, and which style you feel you want to teach others. There is no one style that is good but there is that one style of yoga that speaks to you and that’s the kind of language you want everyone to hear.

There are very many different types of Yoga, for example

• Ashtanga Yoga
• Hatha yoga
• Vinyasa Yoga
• Iyenger Yoga
• Yin Yoga
• Bikram Yoga
• Aerial Yoga
• Acro Yoga, and many more.

3. Whether to do 200hrs, 500hrs or 900hrs Course?

The bare minimum Training hours needed to become a Yoga Instructor is a 200-hour training. You can think of 200 hours yoga teacher training as the foundation course or the basic level course to become a Yoga Instructor. After doing 200 hours course you can start Teaching Yoga.

Doing the 500 hours is like doing an intermediate-level course which will include the foundation course and additional know-how about yoga and it’s techniques. The teachings in 500 hours go further in-depth about everything.

Last but not least 900 hours course is the advanced level course, wherein you learn everything about yoga, technique, practice, philosophy, anatomy, etc. in depth. This is the course where you learn from basic to advanced level.

And which level of course you choose depends upon what you wish to do after completion of the course or upon the reason to do the course.

4. Which Yoga Institute to join to do the course?

The most important thing to consider when deciding on the yoga institute is by checking out the curriculum and the experience of the teachers. Do a background check as to how old is the institute. What are the educational qualifications and experience of the teachers?

Always consider that Institution where your curriculum is designed in such a way that it covers all the aspects of Yoga. Check out the reviews of the Institute. Also, seek out people who have already cleared out from that institution and learn more front them.

5. What to do after completion of the yoga teacher training course?

The most important thing is to practice what you have learned. Without self-practice, your teaching won’t have that strong emotion to support teaching. Every teacher should be passionate about what they are teaching, that passion comes with self-belief and self-practice. Believe in what you practice and believe in what you are teaching.

Next, once you complete your Yoga teacher training course, try to figure out which aspect or which stream of Yoga you want to teach. So far example do you want to be an Asana teacher? Or do you want to teach philosophy? Or do you want to take up teaching pre and post-natal yoga? Once you have decided what you want to do, then you work towards learning everything related to that particular aspect.

6. Decide where you want to teach.

Where do you want to teach yoga, do you want to join some yoga institution or do you want to take it up as a job do want to work as a freelancer, or do you want to start up your own studio? Also, where do you want to teach, Do you want to teach in India or Abroad?

If you plan to stay in India, after doing the teacher training course, appear for the YCB examination. This Certificate is recognized by the Ministry of Ayush, hence it has a lot of weightage in job opportunities.

And if you plan to teach abroad, there is another body known as Yoga Alliance USA,  governing the standard of the yoga instructor in the international community. Once you are a Certified and Registered Yoga Instructor from a Recognised institution you can apply to register yourself with the Yoga Alliance post which you can take up job opportunities related to Yoga Abroad and you can also start your own studio in abroad.

The YCB Certification validity is for Five Years and Yoga Alliance registration needs to be renewed every year.

Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming A Yoga Teacher

1. Is there any prerequisite to becoming a Yoga Instructor?
   • There are no prerequisites to becoming a Yoga Instructor, anyone can become a Yoga Instructor. 200hours Course doesn’t have any prerequisites as the course is of basic level.
   • But to learn the advanced level one needs to have knowledge of the basic level. So the prerequisite for the Advance Teachers Training Course requirement is a Basic level course or an equivalent course depending on the choice of Institution.
2. What is the cost of the yoga teacher’s training course?
   • The cost of a Teachers Training Course is like any other career-based course.
   • The Basic level course fees can be anywhere between Rs. 20,000/- to 50,000/-, depending on the services you opt for like residential or non-residential courses, etc.
   • The Intermediate level course fees can be between Rs. 55,000/- to 75,000/-
   • In the same manner, Advance Teachers Training Course fees range from Rs. 1,00,000 to 1,50,000/- may be more depending upon the choice of Institution and services you opt for.
3. What is the duration of the yoga course?
   • Teachers’ Training Courses duration is determined by the level of the course. 200hrs is the Basic Level, so the duration can be of one month or two months.
   • At The Yoga Institute Goa the 200hours Course duration is of 26 days. The session would go on for almost 12hrs in a day these are contact hours and then there are noncontact hours where you will do self-study and practices etc.
4. How will you be assessed?
   • At the end of the course, there will be an examination conducted by the Institute which is most MCQs.
   • After successful completion of the examination conducted by the institute, you can appear for YCB Level 1 examination.
   • Your Certification at The Yoga Institute Goa is accredited by the Ministry of Ayush as well as Yoga Alliance USA.
5. Job opportunities and Salary?
   • With regard to jobs opportunities, sky is the limit. After successful completion of the course you can start your own studio, start taking home tuition, take up corporate classes, become a Yoga Instructor at any Institute, become a Yoga Instructor at any School or College, become a celebrity yoga instructor, take up online classes, etc.

The salary of a Yoga Instructor depends solely on the skills of the teacher. The Institute from where you did the course will equip you with all the knowledge, implementation is up to you. The salary of a Yoga Instructor ranges from 10,000/- to 50,000/- depending upon the type of classes you are conducting.