How to become a Yoga teacher

Frequently Asked Questions regarding Yoga Teacher Training Programs

Who can become a Yoga teacher?

Yoga teaching is a rewarding and a satisfying career. Anyone with a deep desire to teach and spread the knowledge of Yoga can become a Yoga teacher. The most important requirements are sincerity, integrity, compassion, patience and an open mind and an open heart to learn the principles of Yoga. It is a myth that to become a good yoga teacher one needs to have a perfect, strong and flexible body and one should have mastered all the asanas. Yoga is not restricted by physical limitations because the asanas are only one of the many aspects of Yoga.

How to become a Yoga teacher or certified Yoga instructor?

There are many Yoga teacher training courses and Yoga certification programs available to become the certified yoga teacher training these days. The duration of these courses range from 2 weeks to 2 years. These courses are good to learn and understand the core techniques of yoga. But the first thing is to find out for yourselves which style of Yoga is most suitable for you such as Classical Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga yoga, Kundalini Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, Vinayasa Yoga etc.

Then you should also think what is the main motive behind your decision to become a yoga instructor; Are you going to make Yoga teaching your sole profession or just a part time profession? Are you interested in opening your own Yoga school or do you want to work for some other yoga school etc.

Residential Yoga Teacher training vs. Online Yoga teacher training courses?

Residential courses provide you with education under direct supervision. You also get to work and learn with fellow students from different backgrounds. Especially in how to teach classes you need a group to teach to practice teaching and a teacher who can observe you and guide you. You also get a chance to live away from your regular life and contact thus having minimum distraction.

Online Yoga teacher training courses provide information and tips on how to teach and technical details but they fail to provide you the observance while applying that information. On any level these courses don’t match up with residential courses as a good book cannot replace a good teacher.  

If you are serious about your profession of Yoga teacher than it is recommended to find a good residential course.

Which are top Yoga schools in India or top Yoga teacher training programs in India?

The most reputed Yoga schools providing good Yoga teacher training programs in India are (not in order):

• Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai

• Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, Pune

• Bihar School of Yoga, Munger -Bihar

• Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram, Trivendrum

• Yoga Institute, Mumbai

• Arhanta Yoga Ashram, Khajuraho – Madhya Pradesh

How to find the best Yoga Teacher Training course or best yoga school in India?

Well it depends on what is best Yoga teacher training program for your criteria. For someone it will be best to have exclusive Yoga school with small groups and good teacher student ratio, on other side someone might prefer a reputed Yoga school with hundreds of students with poor teacher student ratio. Thus before searching for best yoga teacher training programs one should decide what features he is looking for.

But yes it is very important to find a good Yoga teacher and a good Yoga training school. Only a dedicated teacher and an all rounded course can give you the required knowledge and skills to teach others. If you have decided to become a  certified Yoga teacher, then you must start looking for a good Yoga teacher training course (YTTC). A good YTTC should provide you a solid foundation of yogic and vedic principles along with teaching and correction skills. It should also provide physiology and anatomy to understand the effect of asanas on the body and how to prevent injuries while teaching or practicing yourselves. A good Yoga teacher training course should also include mantras, chanting, Bhagavad Gita to explore and understand benefits of Bhakti Yoga. It should also give you insights and tips on teaching prenatal yoga / postnatal yoga, kids yoga/ yoga for children, yoga for elderly people / old people and yoga for limited movement. These kind of yoga classes are getting very popular these days and will help you teach people from age and background.

A good Yoga teacher training course should also meet the International Yoga standards set by international Yoga bodies such Yoga Alliance etc. A YTTC should be at least 200 hours residential  or non residential Yoga teacher training course. An internationally recognized certificate will help you to teach all over the world and will help you reach out the students globally.  A residential TTC should be preferred over a non residential one as it has many merits over the non residential. In a residential Yoga teacher training course you live at the yoga ashram and stay in direct contact with your Yoga teacher. A residential teacher certification course also offers chance to participate in Karma Yoga (selfless service), understand the yogic lifestyle.

It is very essential to choose a yoga school and a yoga certification program which also provides regular guidance and support after finishing the course. As there will be numerous questions arise in your mind and you will face many challenges when you actually start teaching. A teacher student relation actually lasts much longer than just a course duration. A good teacher should always be willing to help you even after the completion of the course.

Arhanta Yoga Ashram organizes high quality Yoga Teacher training programs for students who are looking for in depth knowledge, small group, peaceful environment, competent  teachers and lifelong support.

To see the details of  200 hour Arhanta Yoga Teacher Training Course, please visit Yoga Teacher Training