How to Start Yoga Teacher Training

Becoming a certified yoga instructor requires both knowledge, dedication, and personal experience. But with so many different types of yoga certifications and steps to becoming a yoga teacher, how do you get started on your new journey? If you’re ready to start yoga teacher training you’ll first want to find a yoga studio and yoga instructor you can trust.

At The Yoga Connection in Smithfield, North Carolina, we offer 300-hour yoga teacher training courses that will get you started on your new path. Let’s first look at what you should strive to achieve in your yoga training program, as well as how you can get started – even before setting foot in a yoga studio.

Yoga Teacher Training: Starting Out

The first step along your journey is choosing what type of yoga instructor you’d like to be. Once you’ve chosen your preferred yoga practice, you can then look into different yoga schools and yoga certification programs.

When looking for a yoga certification program, you should always be confident in the curriculum and the way the yoga teachers handle their classes. Make sure that your yoga teacher is passionate about what they do – and could even recommend some good books about yoga. This way, you can be sure that they practice what they preach! Your yoga instructor should give you the tools you need to guide a class, hold their attention, and help your students grow in their yoga practice.

You’ll also want to make sure the yoga teacher training has both hands-on practice and a traditional curriculum. As you start your journey, here are some questions to ask yourself:

Why do you want to become a yoga teacher?

Yoga is a great way to get fit, but it’s also a deeply personal and oftentimes spiritual practice. Ask yourself why you want to become a yoga teacher and whether this is a career path or a part-time hustle. Be clear on your intentions and think about your yoga journey so far. This will allow you to get a better understanding of why you want to deepen your practice. 

What style do you want to train in?

As you know, there are many different styles of yoga. From restorative to Bikram, to vinyasa, each form is entirely unique. Know what style you want to train in and follow that path.

How much time and money are you willing to spend?

If your desire to become a yoga instructor is something that you want to do in your free time, you may not be willing to dedicate as much time and money compared to wanting to do this full-time. Give careful consideration so that you are being fair to yourself and your instructor.

What do you want to learn and what do you want to teach?

Think about all of the things you would want to include on your syllabus as a teacher. Having clear intentions of your goals will allow you to find the right type of instruction. For example, if you know you’d like to teach yoga to seniors, then immerse yourself in learning how to cater to that age group.

Once you take the time to answer these questions, you also want to check to see if the program you are considering is Yoga Alliance approved. To be an approved training program with Yoga Alliance each school must meet minimum standards. These are divided into categories with a specific number of hours assigned to each. Yoga teacher training at The Yoga Connection is an approved program by the Yoga Alliance.

Yoga Teacher Training Steps

After you have a clear path and have chosen a yoga teacher training program, it’s time to get started! 

To become a yoga teacher, there are some common requirements. These include:

• Complete training with a registered yoga school
• Obtaining CPR/first aid certification
• Becoming a registered yoga teacher
• Decide what type of yoga instructor you want to be
• Gaining a thorough understanding of different yoga and meditation techniques
• Start teaching
• Maintain certifications

Yoga teachers are also highly motivated and often have a strong personal commitment to physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

Yoga Teacher Training Goals

As you embark on your journey to becoming a yoga teacher, you want to consider these goals that many teachers set for themselves.

Finding a personal routine

While you want to follow the guidelines of the yoga principles you’ve been taught, you also want to make your practice your own. This will give you authenticity to your teaching and to find your voice as a yoga teacher.

Learn how to form your class and set the pace

You want to sequence your class so that it flows and keeps your students engaged. 

Establish a relationship with your students

When you establish a relationship with your students, it makes the experience better for everyone. When you reach these goals, you’ll feel the success of your yoga teacher training and want to continue on your journey

Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Connection

At the Yoga Connection, we offer training programs to help you become a certified yoga instructor. For more information on how to prepare for yoga teacher training and how to start yoga teacher training, call us at  919-971-1431 or reach out to us online to learn more. Let us help you take your yoga practice to the next level.