3 steps to pursuing your passion of becoming a yoga instructor

Do you love yoga and want to pursue this passion as a career? This guide will offer you information on how to become a certified yoga instructor.

It is one thing to attend a class, and a far different thing to be the leader of one.

• If want to become a yoga instructor, you should be intimately familiar with nearly every pose and be ready to assist everyone from newbies to advanced yogis.
• Becoming a yoga instructor is not for the faint of heart and requires a substantial time and monetary commitment.

If yoga is your passion, then becoming an instructor could be a logical next step. However, there are more than fifty types of yoga, so it is important to decide exactly what type you want to practise.

• For example, an instructor specializing in vinyasa yoga will want to understand the importance of flow and how to perform advanced postures while a restorative yoga instructor needs to understand the stress points of the body.

The best instructors are the ones who practise the type of yoga that they are most passionate about.

Cost

• Although the cost to become a yoga instructor can vary, the Canadian Yoga Alliance estimates that it will cost between $2000 and $3000.

Time commitment

• Depending on the type of yoga that you wish to teach, you will be required to complete either a 200- or 500-hour training certification course.
• Generally done over the course of several weekends, this certification program will prepare a person to be a yoga teacher by discussing how to do the poses and a history of the exercise.

Ongoing training

• Be prepared to continually attend educational classes and be re-certified to maintain your title as a yoga instructor.

Many yoga studios will either pay a per class rate or offer free yoga in exchange for becoming a teacher.

Because being a yoga instructor opens you up to being held liable if a student in your class is injured in a pose, the studio may require that you have additional insurance to protect both you and their business.