Yoga offers many benefits for both the mind and body. If you’ve been practicing for a long time, there’s a good chance you’ve thought about taking the next step and becoming a yoga instructor yourself. Before getting a certification, many people ask, “what are the benefits of getting a yoga certification” and “is it hard to get a yoga instructor certification?”
If you have been asking yourself these questions, then you’re in the right place. In this article, we are going to discuss the benefits of becoming a yoga instructor, whether it’s hard to get a yoga instructor certification, and where you can get your yoga certification today!
Is It Hard to Get My Yoga Instructor Certification?
Let’s begin by answering this question: Is it hard to get my yoga instructor certification? Yes and no. There is no right answer because it will all depend on your lifestyle. Yoga is a practice that aids in healing, stretching, and strengthening the body as well as calming and centering the mind. In order to be able to teach these skills, you will have to master them yourself.
Dietitians, physical therapists, and psychologists are all professions that require certifications and a certain number of hours of practice. This is because they focus so heavily on helping heal a person’s body and mind. Yoga instruction has a similar focus. Because of this, the Yoga Alliance requires that before a person can be certified to teach yoga, they need at least 200 hours of study in yoga. The lessons learned in this study can include:
- Yoga teaching methodology
- Study of anatomy and physiology
- Learning the philosophy of yoga
- Yoga techniques
If you have a passion for yoga and are prepared to dedicate the time and patience needed to complete your instructor certification, then the training will be less difficult. You will probably enjoy becoming more of an expert in a field you love. But in order to know if something will be too challenging, we recommend taking these steps before deciding to get your yoga instructor certification.
Understand The Basics of Yoga
Do you have to be an expert to get your yoga instructor certification? Absolutely not! Becoming a yoga instructor will provide you with a lot of knowledge you might already know, but it’s recommended to have at least a year of yoga practice under your belt before becoming an instructor. This is just to ensure that you’re familiar enough with the techniques and type of yoga before undergoing your certification.
Know What Type of Class You Want to Teach
Before getting your instructor certification, you should think about what kind of yoga class you want to teach. This is a crucial step in order to prepare yourself for the future. If you would rather teach Vinyasa over Restorative Yoga, then you should consider taking a course that specializes in Vinyasa.
Schedule Enough Time
As previously mentioned, getting your yoga instructor certification requires 200+ hours of practice and study. In order to prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed, it’s advised that you set aside enough time before beginning the course.
Prepare For Frustration
Although you might frequent your local yoga studio often, be prepared to not know everything during your instructor courses. There will be times where you get frustrated and feel self-conscious, but remember that everyone starts as a beginner and you are there to learn! The more you practice, the more comfortable you will become.
Do Your Research
Before signing up for the first yoga instruction course you find on Google, make sure you do your research on the studio, the teacher, and their background. Becoming a yoga instructor is not only an investment with your time, it’s also a financial investment, so be sure to find a credible yoga studio that can help you in becoming a great yoga teacher. You want to learn in an environment that you are comfortable with. This is the reason that so many corporate yoga studios do not have great results. Their focus is not on creating a comfortable and safe environment.
What Are The Benefits of Getting a Yoga Instructor Certification?
If you’re thinking about getting a yoga instructor certification, you might be wondering what the benefits are. Well, there’s a lot of benefits–some you might not have even thought of before. If you already love yoga and practice it frequently, becoming a certified instructor is a great way to challenge yourself. In your courses, you will learn all about yoga from its philosophy and techniques to human anatomy and physiology. A few more benefits of getting your yoga instructor certification include:
- Improving your yoga skills
- Helping others improve their health
- Joining a community
- Gaining confidence in your abilities
- Learning more about your body
- Having job flexibility
Can I Get My Yoga Certification Online?
While it might be tempting to get your yoga certification online, we don’t recommend this. In-person + virtual (hybrid) yoga instruction classes are best, as the in-person component adds the necessary element of live classes in order to receive constructive criticism and real time help, and the virtual component allows you to review the class recordings to go over topics you would like to review. Technology is great, but an instructor won’t be able to properly correct your form, understand your personal teaching methodology, or give you feedback through the lens of an iPhone.
Getting feedback in your courses is so important! There can often be an “expert mentality” going into getting your certification and it’s important that these ideals be put aside. It’s better to go into a course with an open mind and an understanding that you don’t know everything. Getting certified to be a yoga instructor requires a lot of dedication and willingness to improve on your skills and this can really only be done properly if you are in person.
Yoga Instructor Classes Near Me
If you’ve decided that the benefits of yoga and your passion to teach is enough for you to want to get your own yoga instructor certification, the next step is finding a credible yoga studio to help get you there.
Yoga Now Chicago offers a 28 week 200 hour course that follows the guidelines set by Yoga Alliance. During this course, you will spend the time as follows:
- 100 hours will be spent on technique, training, & practice
- 25 hours will be spent on your teaching methodology
- 20 hours will be spent on anatomy and physiology
- 30 hours will be spent on the philosophy of yoga
- 15-20 hours will be spent on reading and written assignments
Contact Yoga Now Chicago today to make your dreams of becoming a yoga instructor a reality!