Essential Qualifications to Become a Certified Yoga Teacher

Updated 11/06/2024

How do you go from a passionate yoga student to a professional yoga teacher?

If you are a dedicated yoga practitioner who finds joy in sharing the benefits of yoga with others, you may have considered becoming a certified yoga teacher. But how do you transform your passion into a professional career? This guide will walk you through the essential qualifications and steps needed to become a certified yoga teacher.

Why Experience Matters

Having at least two years of regular yoga practice is crucial before enrolling in a teacher training course. This experience helps you focus on teaching skills rather than advancing your own practice.

Minimum Qualifications

For Yoga Alliance Professionals, the minimum qualification required is a 200-hour teacher training course. This foundational training includes modules on yoga philosophy, anatomy, teaching skills, and physical asana. It is recommended that you choose a course that has what we call 'contact hours'. This essentially means you must be directly taught by the lead teacher either in person or live online.

Core Components of Yoga Teacher Training

A standard 200-hour course will cover:

• History and Philosophy of Yoga: Understanding the roots and evolution of yoga.
• Anatomy and Physiology: Learning about the human body and how yoga impacts it.
• Teaching Skills: Developing effective teaching techniques.
• Physical Asana: Mastering various yoga poses and sequences.

You should request a full course breakdown to make sure the training you choose is in full aligment with your interest. For example, you may have a specific interest in philosophy, so you will want to find a course that covers more of it. 

At Yoga Alliance Professionals, we accredit all kinds of foundation (200-hour) training courses! We are not prescriptive with the course modules, as we have faith that our Senior Yoga Teachers know what to include. It also makes for unique courses, that are tailored to student interests and avoids creating 'cookie-cutter' yoga teachers.

Continuous Professional Development and Specialisations

To broaden your teaching capabilities, consider additional training such as:

• Children’s Yoga: Teaching yoga to kids.
• Pre and Postnatal Yoga: Focusing on yoga for pregnant women and new mothers.
• Aerial Yoga: Combining yoga with aerial acrobatics.

Don't worry too much about this if you're unsure what direction you want to go in. You will always have the option of completing further training once you complete your initial qualification.

Overall, a 200-hour qualification is really just the beginning of your journey. It's worth choosing a quality training course that meets your needs, and will enable you to build a solid foundation to build on.