How to Find the Best Online Yoga Teacher Training Program

If you dream of leading your own yoga class, teacher training can help prepare you for this role. There are even reasons to take yoga teacher training when you don’t plan to teach. You can use the knowledge you gain to help deepen your personal practice, for example. Or you might use the training course as an opportunity to identify which yoga style you would enjoy most.

Whatever your reason, if you’re ready to take this next step, you may be wondering about the best online yoga teacher training. This begins with having a clear understanding of what this type of yoga teacher training entails. 

Online Yoga Teacher Training Basics

In an online yoga teacher training course, you learn the information needed to be a safe, effective yoga teacher. This involves covering basic topic areas such as human anatomy and physiology. It also discusses topics relevant to yoga specifically, such as:

• benefits of a regular yoga practice, such as how yoga helps hypertension

• yoga anatomy, or anatomy as it relates to yoga

• yoga philosophy and history

• differences between a traditional yoga practice (including the Yoga Sutra) and a more Westernized yoga practice

• yoga breathing techniques and forms of yogic meditation, such as Yoga Nidra

• different yoga styles (Yin yoga, Kundalini yoga, restorative yoga, etc.)

• how to break yoga poses down when teaching them to students

• strategies for developing and leading an in-person or online yoga class

Since the course is online, you can complete your training whenever and wherever you’d like. Want to learn about teaching yoga in the middle of the night, when the rest of your family is asleep? You can. Would you prefer to tackle your yoga training while on your lunch break at work? You can do that too. Online training offers both flexibility and convenience.

Some online yoga teacher training programs include live elements. An example is weekly sessions with an experienced yoga teacher. This enables the teacher to provide both instruction and feedback in an interactive environment. It can also benefit students who enjoy a more face-to-face training method but want the training to be online.

It’s equally important to know what online yoga teacher training is not. It is not training that teaches you to do yoga therapy. To work as a yoga therapist, you need advanced training at a certified accredited school. You must also complete at least 800 hours of training—four times the amount required to become a Registered Yoga Teacher through the Yoga Alliance.

What’s the Best Online Yoga Teacher Training?

While it’s fairly easy to clarify what online yoga teacher training is, it’s a bit harder to say which course is best. One reason is that the idea of “best” is subjective. In other words, while you may consider a particular course the best online yoga teacher training there is, another person may have a different opinion. Thus, what is best to you may not be the best to someone else.

That’s why it is so important to consider your personal situation and preferences when looking for online yoga teacher training. This helps increase the likelihood that you’ll be satisfied with the course you choose.

Personal Factors to Consider with Yoga Teacher Training

Since the idea of the best teacher training is so individualized, here are a few factors to consider when deciding what is best for you:

• Your time. How much time can you commit to yoga teacher training? This is important because you want to choose a training course that is manageable with your schedule. Look at your calendar and see how many 1 or 2-hour blocks you can carve out to complete coursework each week. See if this aligns with the way the course is set up. If the course is self-paced, you may have a bit more leeway with your schedule. However, you still want to set aside time so you don’t reach the course deadline and not be done with your studies.

• Your budget. Most of us don’t have access to unlimited funds. And we can talk about how taking a teacher training course is an investment in your career. But if you’re already on a tight budget, the cost of online yoga teacher training may be a major concern. Instead of thinking about total course cost, it can be helpful to think in terms of payment options. If can’t come up with the entire amount at once, how much can you afford to pay monthly? It may be easier to come up with $99 per month, for example, than to pay several hundred dollars outright. This approach helps you get the online yoga teacher training you want without having to stretch your budget too far. You can also ask the yoga school if they offer scholarships or grants.

• Your learning style. Some people learn best by reading. Others retain information better if they watch a video or can see some type of visual graphic. Choose an online yoga teacher training program that offers study materials in your learning style. This will help you take in your yoga training in a way that feels intuitive. Not sure what your learning style is? EducationPlanner.org, a public service of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, offers a helpful 20-question quiz. You likely have a combination of learning styles. But knowing which ones are primary for you can provide great insight into the materials that would be most beneficial when learning how to become a yoga teacher.

Yoga Teacher Training Course Considerations

In addition to personal considerations, there are also a few things you’ll want to look at when it comes to the yoga teacher training course. When doing your research, attempt to answer these questions: 

• Does it provide yoga certification? Put another way, is it just a training course or does it end with you having your yoga certification? When you can market yourself as a certified yoga teacher, it helps confirm your expertise in this area. It may also provide a competitive advantage against another teacher who lacks yoga certification.

• Is it approved by the Yoga Alliance? The Yoga Alliance ensures that a yoga school has met certain curriculum and teaching standards. If it does, it earns the designation of a Registered Yoga School (RYS). The Yoga Alliance also provides yoga instructor registration. While this isn’t required to work in a yoga teacher role, becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) through the Yoga Alliance can help increase your credibility. RYT course options are generally either 200 or 500 hours in length.

• Do you learn how to teach yoga in the way that you intend? Most yoga teacher training courses will teach you how to lead an in-person class. But teaching yoga in person is different than teaching it online. So, if you plan to offer online yoga classes, your online training should prepare you for this. It should help you become an online yoga instructor.

Not sure if an online yoga teacher training course is right for you? Check this post from Breathing Travel to learn the pros and cons of in-person vs online yoga teacher training.

Before Starting Yoga Teacher Training Online

There are a few steps you can take before starting an online yoga teacher training program to help you prepare. One is to get the equipment you need. Depending on the yoga teacher training, a laptop or desktop may be required. You may even be able to complete the course on a tablet or other mobile device. To be sure, check the teacher training to see if there are any specific device or system requirements.

Since it’s not in-person training, you don’t have to worry about a commute or figuring out where to go. But it can help to familiarize yourself with everything the online course offers. Does it provide a success coach or mentor? What about a guided study option, which is a pre-structured plan for getting through your course? 

If you have any unanswered questions, reach out to the organization to ask. Let them know that you’re interested in their yoga instructor course and ask what you want to know. It may even be helpful to tell them how you intend to use the course, such as if you want to deepen your yoga practice or if you’re interested in teaching yoga. This can provide them with more context before giving you a response.

Once your questions are answered, you can choose your yoga teacher training course with confidence. You’ve done your due diligence. Now all you have to do is complete the teacher training and get ready to lead your first yoga class. 

ISSA Yoga & Wellness Academy offers an Online Yoga Teacher Training course. In it, you learn how to effectively and safely lead Hatha yoga and Vinyasa yoga classes. You also gain access to live yoga studio sessions. ISSA Yoga & Wellness Academy is registered with the Yoga Alliance as a yoga school.