How to Become a Yoga Instructor
Teaching yoga is very rewarding as you are inspiring people physically, mentally and
spiritually. The best way to start is to find a qualified yoga instructor certification program.
What does it take to be a yoga instructor?  Teaching yoga is different than teaching most
other fitness programs because you are helping people physically, mentally and spiritually.
Maybe you think of yourself as a "healer", maybe you feel comfortable with movement, or
maybe you have always been spiritual. You may even feel a "calling" to be a yoga teacher.
To become a yoga instructor you need to find the right yoga instructor certification program. First decide what style
of yoga you want to study. Do your own research. There is Kripalu, Iyengar, Sivananda, Integral, Vinyasa, and
Bikram (hot yoga), to name a few. Once you decide on the style that you want to study you can start looking for
schools. To get the national yoga certification recognized by the Yoga Alliance you would look for a 200-hour
program. Some schools will have a full-time program where you can finish the 200 hours in 5 weeks. Some of them
have weekend programs. Some have you waking up at 6am to meditate and keep you going until 9pm living at an
ashram (yoga residence). Some of them are just 9 to 5 and you can live at home. Pick the one that works for you.
There is plenty of information on the internet.

What will you be doing in yoga school?  You will be doing yoga everyday!  You will study anatomy and yoga
philosophy.  You will learn all the asanas (poses) and then learn how to make hands-on adjustments for individual
students.  You will practice teach with your fellow students. Every program is different. In my program there was alot
of emotional sharing, as yoga really is about opening the heart and quieting the mind.

Once you get your certification you will want to continue your education by taking workshops or other people's
classes. You will always need new material and there is so much to learn.  There are several places you can get a
job. Start by going to any health club, gym, yoga studio or YMCA and tell them that you want to teach a yoga class.
Start up a class at any recreation center, community center, corporate or residential facility. Offer private group
classes at someone's home. Offer to be on a sub list for any teachers. The pay rate varies. Health clubs normally
only pay an hourly rate of $15 to $25, maybe more in bigger cities. Yoga studios and places like recreation centers
will give you a percentage of the fees they take in, so you can make more especially if you have a large number of
students. If you do private lessons you can ask for $50-$75 per class.