How to Become a Certified Yoga Instructor – Career Guide

How to Become a Certified Yoga Instructor – Career Guide

To become a certified yoga instructor provides the qualification to be able to train other people in the use of yoga.

You will need to go through specific training programs and pass the required certification exams, which have been covered in this post.

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Who is a Yoga Instructor?

A yoga instructor is a fitness expert who teaches yoga, which is a form of exercise that uses measured breathing and controlled postures to improve strength and flexibility.

Becoming a yoga instructor or teacher involves passing through all the specialized and comprehensive training requirements approved for training, and where necessary specialize in any of the available disciplines that you desire.

Educational Requirements and Training

The educational requirement that qualifies you to become a yoga instructor involves completing the requisite vocational training, or a certificate program in yoga instruction.

Often times, it may be required that yoga instructors possess a bachelor’s degree in fitness or in the bio sciences, although it is not compulsory for yoga certifications.

The yoga certification is required to be able to teach yoga, and such training can last from a few weeks of course work to over two years, depending on the methods employed in the course work.

Yoga training is physically demanding and also requires that you take sessions in yoga exercises like in the Iyengar style.

Prospective teachers or instructors are advised to select programs depending on the style they would prefer to teach.

A number of accepted teacher-training paths exist, like the 200-hour option accredited by the Yoga Alliance, which qualifies graduates to become Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT).

This program exposes the students to traditional yoga techniques, teaching methods, anatomy and physiology, yoga philosophy, and history.

Usually, in a yoga Instructor training program, the participant may opt for:

Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT)- 200
Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT)- 500
Experienced- Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT)- 200
Experienced- Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT)-500, etc.

With specialty designation in areas like:

Registered Children Yoga Teacher (RCYT)
Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT)

Yoga Instructor Certifications

Certifications are given by a number of institutions. ExpertRating Yoga Certification contains 75 essential yoga asana and stretching exercises, developed for those who will prefer to venture into yoga instruction as a career.

The online instructor certification training package contains over 120 animations and explained exercises at $69.99 and requires that the individual has an Internet access, an email account, an Internet browser, and familiarity with medical and anatomy terms.

Yogafit also offers a Yogafit yoga Certification which is in a 200-hour and 500-hour Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) program.

Institutions and Schools for Yoga Training

Among the various institutions and schools that teach Yoga is the Vancouver School of Yoga and School of Sacred Arts, which has institutes in four countries, including Peru and Canada.

Roles, Duties, and Responsibilities of Certified Yoga Instructors

The various roles, duties, and responsibilities of yoga instructors include:

Teach yoga techniques and provide assistance to others to achieve both physical and mental well-being
Impart the knowledge of yoga techniques in a safe and harmonious environment and manner so as to achieve the best results
Follow all the required procedures for teaching and learning yoga techniques; from the warm-up exercises to the relaxation exercises, and encourage the students not to miss any
Communicate clearly in a classroom environment so that the students will grasp the important concepts of yoga
Assist the students in the realization of the importance of yoga, and offer explanations properly where necessary
Make inquiries about the physical and psychological state of students so as to enforce necessary precautions for safety purposes
Arouse the curiosity of students, and encourage them to ask questions
Follow the moral ethics of teaching yoga, and make certain that such moral code is adhered to by students.

Yoga Instructor Skills

The yoga instructor should pay careful attention in developing the following skill, which will help him/her to succeed in the career:

Should have a good understanding of the human anatomy and physiology for safety in application of yoga methods
Should be well versed in the theoretical aspect of yoga and be able to perform the yoga postures, and teach the techniques
The instructor should possess clarity of thought and patience, and be a keen practitioner of yoga; and being physically and mentally fit
Have the right temperament, such as patience; and being sensitive in other to handle any classroom situations.

Career Opportunities as a Yoga Teacher

Once the instructor has been trained, they may identify a target group to work with; children, elderly people, or pregnant women.

Some give yoga instructions as a therapy in areas of stress, asthma, depression, and anxiety, and so, employment may be sort in areas like yoga studios, health clubs, and in private practice.