Yoga Certification
Yoga training for a certification to teach is a popular step for those with at least a year of yoga experience. There are lots of ways to get certified, but the easiest is to see if the studio you already attend offers a teacher training course. A good teacher training course that is worth the thousands of dollars you may spend on instruction will be approved by a national governing agency, such as Yoga Alliance in the United States. Being registered with a larger organization of yoga teachers shows future employers, if you do pursue a job, that your training is up to par with the majority of yoga instructors in your area. An added benefit of belonging to a national organization is that you will have a means of communicating and learning from other yoga instructors. You will also be informed of upcoming yoga-related events which may be of interest.
Before you make the commitment to be certified, you should make sure that you know about the different styles of yoga, and the level of dedication that may be required for your chosen style. There are hundreds of different styles of yoga developed by different yogis: while some types of yoga, like Bikram or “Hot Yoga” emphasize only certain postures as a way to increase athleticism, other styles like Iyengar yoga call for the use of many props such as blocks and straps to achieve physical alignment. You should be aware that some types of yoga require the trainee to study Buddhist or Hindu spiritualism, which may be a hurdle for those with other belief systems.
Before choosing any type of yoga to become certified in, it is important to be familiar with at least a couple different yoga philosophies and to be aware of the different opportunities for learning in your area. Also, you should decide the length of time you are willing and able to designate for your training, as some programs take only a couple weeks or months, while others can take years. Even after you complete the initial training, it’s necessary to continue your practice on a regular basis, attending workshops and classes to deepen your understanding of yoga. Yoga is really a lifetime activity, and your practice should evolve to suit your needs: a teacher training course is one of the ways you can take advantage of the benefits of maintaining a yoga practice.