If you want to become a yoga teacher, you will need to go through an accredited yoga teacher certification program. Not all yoga teacher certification programs are the same, so make sure you check out a number of them before spending any money.
Check with a favorite yoga teacher to see where he or she went to school. You may like that school as well if you like the instructor’s way of teaching. Make sure that any school you choose has a yoga teacher certification that is accredited by the Yoga Alliance. If it’s not, your diploma will be worthless.
Most yoga teacher programs cost upwards of $ 3000. If you are prepared to spend that much money on a program, then continue your search for the right one. A good yoga training program will look at the whole person. You won’t spend all your time on a yoga mat or all your time in the classroom. You need a mix of both practice and book learning in order to be the best yoga instructor possible.
Yoga instructors, in order to get certified in the US, have to take either a 200-hour or a 500-hour course. These courses can meet intensively during a month-long retreat or several evenings over the course of a year. Do what fits your schedule. Not everyone can leave their day job to go on an extensive yoga retreat. But if you are lucky enough that it fits your life’s schedule, go for it.
Most places will require you to be a seasoned yoga practitioner. This means that you’ve been practicing yoga for a year or so and that it has become a part of your life. This helps ensure that you are a good candidate for the course. It will be a great deal of work and you will want to know about job prospects when you graduate.
Not every yoga teacher can support him or herself on yoga teaching alone. Many take part time jobs to help with the bills. But if you are eager and determined to make your way strictly as a yoga teacher, no one should stand in the way of your dream. Just be prepared to pay for your own medical benefits or go without them. You will also be starting a career that has no retirement plans. But if that sort of thing isn’t of great concern to you, head forward into your dream career full force and enjoy every minute of it.