How to Transform Your Passion for Yoga into a Career

Yoga has been around for millennia (approximately 5,000 years!) and its popularity only seems to grow with time. It is a well-established form of exercise that improves your flexibility and strength while also having a great effect on your spiritual, mental, and emotional well-being. Transforming your passion for yoga into a career is a smart choice. Becoming a certified yoga instructor can be a highly fulfilling career if you have a strong motivation to help people and enjoy the practice of yoga. In this article, you’ll find out everything you need to know about becoming a yoga instructor, how to certify as one, and facts about salaries and job outlook.

What Does a Yoga Instructor Do?

A yoga teacher guides students through the practice of yoga by helping them learn the correct form for various poses. Yoga instructors also provide their students with additional guidance in areas such as yoga philosophy, nutrition, meditation and deep breathing techniques. A yoga instructor must be well-informed on the history of yoga; as simply learning poses is not enough. A yoga teacher is also qualified to teach group classes, workshops and one-on-one personal training sessions.

Yoga Instructor Requirements

There are many job requirements for a yoga instructor. Here a few common ones:

·      Obtain certification from a registered yoga school (RYS) to become a registered yoga teacher (RYT).

·      Obtain first aid and CPR certification; most jobs in facilities will ask for this.

·      Thorough knowledge of the various yoga and mindfulness practices.

·      Strong administrative, organizational, and business skills.

·      Excellent leadership and communication abilities.

·      Powerful motivational abilities and knowledge on areas such as mental health and physiology.

·      Personal dedication to maintaining good health and physical fitness.

How to Become a Yoga Instructor

Knowing the Basics

So how do I start? First off, becoming a yoga instructor isn’t just about mastery of all the difficult postures. In reality, it’s about cuing—effectively employing your words to instruct others on how to move their bodies—as well as empathy.

Don’t be hard on yourself if you can’t perform all of the fancy poses, because successful teachers focus more on effective cuing and showing their pupils lots of love and compassion. Yoga is, after all, a type of therapeutic art.

It’s okay if this doesn’t come naturally to you. It can be developed through practical experience, and you’ll most likely study it during your certification program.

Transform Your Passion for Yoga into a Career – Learning Yoga

This may seem obvious, but before starting your path to becoming a yoga instructor, you need have a solid grasp of the discipline on a personal level. Yoga comes in a wide variety of styles, and taking lessons in each one will enable you to choose the one that most closely matches your interests. Bikram, Ashtanga and Hatha are some popular types of yoga.

The manner in which each style is taught may also change depending on your instructor and the location of the session. To help you discover your preferred practice and teaching style, you should think about trying various yoga classes taught by multiple instructors in variety of settings. Hiring a professional yoga teacher might also be beneficial.

Transform Your Passion for Yoga into a Career -Finishing a Training Course

The next step is to select a Yoga Alliance-registered school that adheres to its rules and enroll in a teacher-training course. Two levels of yoga teacher training programs are available. A 200-hour certification program is required for the first level, while a 500-hour program is required for the second. Which program level is best for you generally depends on what you intend to accomplish after receiving your certification. Both degree levels cover curriculum in anatomy, physiology, yoga philosophy, and teaching methods.

How to Certify as a Yoga Instructor

The registered yoga instructor certificate is a globally acknowledged credential that proves you’ve completed yoga training that meets the basic requirements set by the Yoga Alliance. You must complete a licensed yoga school training programme of at least 200 hours, pay a $50 application fee, and pay your annual dues of $65 in order to become a RYT.

Transform Your Passion for Yoga into a Career – Starting Your Career

Now that you’re trained, certified, and ready, it’s time to kick start your career! You can start by inviting your friends, family, and other network connections to yoga classes and activities in your house or area. Establishing your expertise and charging for your courses is going to be crucial. You can start applying for giving lessons at nearby yoga studios, gyms, or other fitness centers. It might seem like a long process, but it’s an enlightening, rewarding one.

Transform Your Passion for Yoga into a Career – Job Outlook

These days, there is a great demand for yoga instructors as a growing number of people explore ways to enhance their physical and emotional well-being.

Both of those things can be accomplished through yoga, which is also a great source of income due to growing demand. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for yoga teachers will increase by 39% between 2020 and 2030.

How Much Does a Yoga Instructor Make?

According to Glassdoor, with an average yearly salary of $56,776 in the United States, how much yoga instructors make is around $60,936. The average hourly pay is $34/hour. Depending on your needs, you can charge per class, per week or per month.

Benefits of Yoga Instructors

The benefits of being a yoga instructor are not your typical “dental and health” benefits you can get at any other job. It’s more emotional and spiritual. Getting to do something you love as a career is extremely fulfilling, and its benefits are countless. For example, you’ll get to empower others daily, meet like-minded people, and have a significantly healthier and more mindful lifestyle. You’ll also have control over your own hours and much more job flexibility than your regular 9 to 5.

Resources

If you’re in the U.S and looking for “how to become a yoga instructor” near your area, try the 15-day 200 hour yoga Teacher Training in Yucca Valley, California, or the Kripalu Center 200 hour training in Massachusetts. The Dharma Yoga Center in New York also offers a 200 hour program.

India is very famous for its’ many yoga programs, try the 200-Hour Holistic Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, or the Arhanta Yoga 200 hour program.

Online courses are also an option! For convenience and ease without sacrificing credibility, try the Udemy 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training.

For 300 hour options, try Blue Osa’s 300 hour program in Costa Rica or Yoga Six’s virtual course.

You can also try Zuna Yoga’s 500 hour program for a higher certification and a more challenging experience.

Conclusion

It is absolutely possible to start your career as a yoga instructor. Unlike a regular 9 to 5, yoga teacher jobs offer more flexibility, spiritual benefits, and opportunities to meet similar people. Are you ready to embark on a transformative career journey?