Are you ready to become certified as a yoga instructor? Even those who are not ready to take on the responsibility of leading regular yoga instruction, often find that a good yoga teacher certification program can take regular practice to the next level.

Finding a good yoga teacher certification program will increase your knowledge about many of the more detailed aspects of yoga instruction and practice. During yoga teacher certification one learns a bit more about everything from yoga philosophy and sequencing to anatomy and alignment nuances not covered during basic yoga training.

If you do plan on giving yoga instruction a try, it’s very doable to fit in a couple of classes a week, while not interfering with your day time obligations. This can be a great compromise; you get more out of your yoga practice in terms of increased skill and monetary income, and your students get yoga training from a qualified instructor.

Am I Ready to Become a Yoga Instructor?

Though every yoga teacher certification program has different minimum requirements for the prospective yoga instructor trainees, many require that you are able to perform a free standing head stand and have at least generally practiced yoga for several years. Contact each yoga certification center you’re interested in attending to find out what their specific instructor training prerequisites are.

What is a Certified Yoga Instructor?

In the United States the Yoga Alliance dictates standards that member yoga instructor training programs must adhere to. There are two basic levels of yoga instructor training; a 200-hour and 500-hour program. FIrst the 200-hour training program must be completed before taking the 500-hour program. The shorter yoga instructor training program is typically the minimum requirement for teaching yoga at a yoga studio.

When a trainee completes a Yoga Alliance registered teach-training program, they may use the acronym RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) after their name. Additional specialty training certificates can then be attained as well.

Considerations When Choosing a Yoga Teacher Training Program

The main thing when it comes to choosing an instructor training program is to do a little research so you can choose the one best for you. In most cities you can find intensive courses, weekend classes, general or very specific programs so it’s worth finding out what all your options are.

Rapport

Above the necessary considerations of cost and scheduling, the quality of the relationship one has with their teacher and training program is the most important consideration. You should feel comfortable with your yoga teacher(s). Don’t settle on a yoga teacher training program until you sense good potential for ongoing respect and inspiration between you and your prospective teacher. Naturally, it would be optimal for you to already know your teacher through basic yoga training sessions, but if this is not possible, just use your intuition when talking with a prospective teacher training instructor.

Ask questions. Before signing up for a yoga teacher training course, figure out a few things you’d like to know more about. This serves double duty by seeking information you’d like to have, and giving the prospective training program teacher an opportunity to display a little about how helpful or knowledgeable they are (or are not, as the case may be). Did they answer your question? That’s a great start, because no answer is not a good sign of professional management. Oftentimes you’ll get a definite feel for a prospective teacher if you get a chance to talk a couple of times, in person or by email.

Schedule

Some yoga teacher programs are spread over several months and meet only once or twice a week, while others cover just a few weeks and meet almost daily. How quickly do you want to become a certified yoga instructor? Depending on the training programs available in your area, choose wisely from the scheduling options to custom fit your teacher training to your existing obligations.

Cost

You can expect to pay around $3000, though less is not uncommon, and some of the better schools with specialized certification can be even more. Do a little math before deciding which yoga teacher program is the best one.

How Do I Find a Yoga Instructor Training Program?

Naturally, if you have a specialty area in mind, it’s pretty easy to start by searching for instructor training programs that specialize in your area of interest. For example, if you practice bikram yoga you will want to search for bikram yoga instructor classes in your area, before broadening your search to more general yoga teacher certification programs.

Talk with your yoga instructor(s) and find out where they received their instructor training and yoga teacher certification. This is a good way to get some real feedback about the yoga instructor programs you’re considering.

A good place to start learning about yoga teacher certification standards or search for training programs is the Yoga Alliance website at http://www.yogaalliance.org/.

At Yoga Alliance you can view:

• Registered Yoga Teacher Schools
• Registered Yoga Teachers
• Official Yoga Teacher Certification Standards