How to Become a Registered Yoga Teacher

Earning yoga teacher certification is a way for yoga lovers to open new job opportunities for themselves, add expertise to their resume or expand their knowledge base of physical fitness. In the United States, Yoga Alliance has created a Yoga Teachers' Registry to keep track of and promote those individuals who have gained teacher certification according to the alliance's minimum requirements. Many studios and training centers around the nation offer teacher training based on Yoga Alliance's requirements.

Instructions

    • 1

      Make sure that your background in yoga is solid enough to be considered for a teacher training course. Most teacher schools require that you have at least a year of solid yoga practice behind you and that you have a mature understanding of the principles behind yoga practice. This doesn't necessarily mean that you can do the deepest poses possible in every yoga posture. If you are unsure of your qualifications, ask your current yoga teacher or studio instructor.

    • 2

      Find a yoga teacher training center near where you live. Explore the different teacher training options they have available. (See Resources.) Most training centers offer 200-hour or 500-hour certification courses, and weekend or weekday class times. If you're a new yoga teacher, you may want to begin with the 200-hour course. Review the website or call the training center to make sure its qualifications match Yoga Alliance's minimum standards. Also make sure they offer the type of yoga you regularly practice or are interested in teaching. For example, if you want to teach vinyasa yoga, don't sign up for a bikram class.

    • 3

      Apply to the teacher certification class. Fill out the application form provided by the training center and get a letter of recommendation from your current yoga teacher, if required. You may have to schedule an appointment to demonstrate your yoga abilities and be interviewed if you want to study at a location that isn't the yoga studio you normally go to.

    • 4

      Attend and participate in every class. Yoga Alliance requires participation in 100 percent of the teacher training. If you have an unforeseeable conflict, you may be able to schedule a makeup class so you don't have to take the course over again.

    • 5

      Complete all of your out-of-class homework assignments. Complete the exam with a passing grade. Even though yoga is a physical activity, your teachers will need to know that you have a thorough understanding of the topic both on and off the mat before they can grant you national recognition as a yoga teacher.