How Long Should You Practice Yoga Before Teacher Training?

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health recommends that people practice yoga with a qualified instructor (1). Why? Because a yoga instructor can provide practitioners with guidance as to proper form, reducing injury risk. 

If you are interested in yoga teaching, you may be wondering how long to have a personal practice before taking a training program. We’ll get to that. But first, let’s talk about the benefits of a regular practice before pursuing yoga teacher training.

Benefits of Developing a Personal Practice Before Teaching Yoga

When you practice yoga regularly, you have a better understanding of the issues your students may face. You might find it difficult to get into a certain yoga posture, for instance. This helps you better identify areas that you may want to focus on when leading a yoga class.

There’s also the issue of credibility. Would you go to a car mechanic who has never driven an automobile? What about hiring an electrician who lives off the grid? Even if these individuals are proficient in their abilities, there’s something to be said about hiring someone with experience in the services they provide. 

The same is true with yoga. The more experience you have as a yoga practitioner, the more credibility you’re likely to have with a potential student. The student will view you as “someone who knows.” Therefore, your advice will likely be given more weight than that provided by someone without a yoga practice.

How Long Should You Practice Yoga Before Teacher Training?

If you’ve done any research on this topic, you’ve likely found that there is no consensus on how long you should do yoga before taking a yoga teacher training course. 

Some in the field suggest that you have an asana practice for a year before pursuing teacher training. Others recommend a longer period while some say that three to six months is enough. 

The problem with giving a blanket answer to this question is that everyone is different. You might pick up the yoga practice fairly quickly, for example. This could make it easier to take teacher training sooner than someone who picks up the practice more slowly.

Another consideration is timing. If you have a busy schedule, do you have time to take yoga teacher training? And if not now, when? It may not be feasible to pursue training next week or even next month. 

So, your schedule may dictate when you should enroll in a yoga certification course. The good news is that a delay gives you more time to practice yoga. At the same time, don’t wait too long. 

If your goal is to become a yoga teacher, develop a plan to make it happen. You don’t want to be one, two, or five years down the road and wish you’d taken training earlier. Start outlining how you’re going to work toward your goal of becoming a yoga teacher. Make it a priority now.

But Yoga Teacher Training Programs are Good for Beginners Too

Because there are no set-in-stone prerequisites for starting yoga teacher training, you can enroll in this type of program even if you’re new to this practice. And there are benefits to taking teacher training as a new yoga instructor. 

One is that you get a good big-picture view of yoga. You will learn about its history and yoga philosophy. You also gain a better understanding of what each pose does for the body and mind. 

If you’re unsure what style of yoga you want to teach, teacher training can help with that too. You’ll learn about the differences between Ashtanga yoga and Yin yoga, for instance. Or you might decide that you like Power yoga over Restorative yoga, or vice versa. 

Yoga teacher training exposes you to all of your options. This enables you to choose the ones that interest you most.

Related Article: How to Overcome Yoga Teacher Imposter Syndrome

Yoga Teacher Training for Practitioners Who Don’t Want to Teach

What if you don’t want to teach yoga? Should yoga teacher training even be a consideration? Absolutely!

Teacher training isn’t only helpful to future yoga teachers. Practitioners with no interest in becoming a yoga instructor can still benefit from the information provided in a teacher training course. 

At a minimum, you’ll learn how to develop a safe, effective yoga practice. This training also makes you a more informed yoga student. 

Being more informed helps you to select a yoga school or class more in line with your goals. Teacher training also helps enhance your yoga journey by deepening your understanding of this practice.

Related Article: Why Take Yoga Teacher Training, Even If You Won’t Teach?

What You Learn in a Yoga Teacher Training Program

Yoga teacher training increases your knowledge of yoga anatomy, philosophy, and more. You also learn how this practice benefits a person mentally, physically, and spiritually. 

If you plan to become a yoga instructor, a training course provides the skills needed to be an effective teacher. You learn how to cue students into proper form, for example, and how to create an asana sequence. You also learn techniques for motivating students to come back to another yoga class.

A good yoga teacher training program discusses how to build and grow a profitable business. It tells you what type of insurance you need and which intake forms are important. You also gain insight into how to market your yoga business for the best response.

Learn more about the ISSA Yoga & Wellness Academy yoga teacher training program from this comprehensive review from Mind is the Master. 

How to Find a Reputable Teacher Training Program

Choosing a yoga teacher training program is a big decision. Here are a few things to look for so you don’t wind up taking training that doesn’t help you reach your goals as a yoga teacher:

• Select a program that offers certification. Having the designation of Certified Yoga Instructor can go a long way. One, it may be required if you plan to work at a yoga studio. Two, it tells prospective students that you know how to design and deliver a yoga class. If you get training from an institution that doesn’t offer certification, you miss out on both of these benefits.

• Look for training approved by the Yoga Alliance. The Yoga Alliance sets the standards in yoga teacher training. For an institution to become a Registered Yoga School (RYS), it must meet certain guidelines. This helps ensure that you, as a student, are getting a good education—and that you will be fully prepared to be a yoga teacher. Completing your training at an RYS also enables you to register with Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). This adds one more credential to your name, boosting your credibility even more.

• Consider how the training is delivered. Do you want to take teacher training in person, or would you prefer the convenience of an online course? Maybe you want both. In that case, look for teacher training that offers online materials and live virtual studio sessions. This type of dual training offers the best of both worlds.

The ISSA Yoga & Wellness Academy offers online yoga teacher training that meets all these qualifications. Its Yoga 220 course is a 200 hour yoga teacher program approved by the Yoga Alliance. It provides yoga teacher certification and qualifies you to register as an RYT.

References

1. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2021). Yoga: What you need to know. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/yoga-what-you-need-to-know