If you’ve been practicing yoga and have experienced the transformative power of this ancient practice, you may be considering taking the next step and becoming a yoga teacher. Not only will a yoga teacher training deepen your knowledge and practice, but it will also allow you to share the benefits of yoga with others and make a positive impact in your community.
However, with the many different yoga teacher trainings available, it can be overwhelming to choose the right one for you. It’s important to do your research and carefully consider your options, as a yoga teacher training is a significant financial and time investment.
Ready? Let’s go!
1. The “EAT PRAY LOVE” Yoga Teacher Training
Due to the surging popularity of yoga classes worldwide, more and more students want to take their passion to the next level and are looking to join a yoga teacher training program. With this high demand, many yoga schools have been founded in the past 3 to 4 years by entrepreneurs with the goal of generating sales by offering as many yoga teacher training certifications as possible. These types of trainings can be categorized as The “Eat Pray Love” type of yoga teacher training.
Why Eat Pray Love, you might wonder?
Just like the book/movie, these yoga schools are often located in exotic locations like Bali or Mexico. As part of the curriculum, students will attend several cultural activities like traditional ceremonies, special festivities and other fun events like kirtan, ecstatic dance, cacao ceremony, and so on and so forth. While these activities are fun, engaging, and cultural, they don’t necessarily contribute to your education in becoming a skilled yoga teacher.
In addition, these yoga schools are quite new with less than 4 years of operation. Their lean experience is often shadowed by their strong social media presence with top-notch marketing strategy and appealing content. Nevertheless, what you see on social media doesn’t always accurately reflect the program as most content is staged and/or disconnected from the actual delivery of the training.
Those yoga trainings are very popular as the tuition is usually very affordable for the 3 following reasons:
- The school has no maximum capacity and prerequisites. It would accept 30 students or more per training with different levels, which makes the training dynamic quite challenging for both trainers and students. The large number of enrollment makes up for the lower tuition rate but also takes away the intimate learning experience from the students.
- The course duration is short (less than 21 days) and the trainings are scheduled back to back with very little rest for the faculty team in between programs.
- The teaching team is often composed of recent graduates or Indian yoga teachers willing to work for very low remuneration. In this case, the teaching quality is not guaranteed and students may not receive the full spectrum of tools and insights from experienced trainers that will help them in developing their teaching skills.
In summary, if you are new to yoga and are seeking a yoga retreat experience with some educational learning, this type of yoga training would be a great fit for you. You’ll have a life-changing experience meeting like-minded souls, enjoying the warm tropical paradise, and discovering new cultures. To say the least, you’ll have a travel adventure of a lifetime.
To ensure you will choose a top-notch training, be sure to research the school’s history, curriculum, and teaching team, and make sure that their goals align with yours. Pay attention to your gut feeling and that you feel a sense of connection with the lead trainer and the overall vibe of the program.
2. The One Man Show Yoga Teacher Training
Think Batman without Robin or Fantastic Uno not Fantastic Four. The One Man Show Teacher Training is when the lead trainer flies solo. These are the types of teacher training where one yoga teacher leads the entire training including every practice, lecture, group teaching, and yes- sometimes excursion too.
If it sounds tiring to you and you’re wondering who in the world would choose to run everything on their own, here are a few possible answers. Firstly, very experienced yoga teachers who possess a strong vision and would like to see their own programs through would prefer teaching a training alone. Since their vision and experience are so strong and solidified, they would much rather lead the entire course rather than handing parts of it over to someone they don’t feel comfortable with.
There is nothing wrong with choosing a training like that, in fact, you might be lucky if you can find a teacher whom you resonate with and have the ability to guide you through your transformation from the beginning till the end.
Secondly, you might find yoga influencers favoring a One Man Show. Social media is an excellent way to showcase your talents, knowledge and offerings. Many Instagram/Tik Tok yoga influencers have built a reputation over the years and it’s very natural that their followers would like to learn directly from them (and them only).
Lastly, this might catch you by surprise, but some new trainers simply don’t know the extent of leading a yoga teacher training. Perhaps it’s their first training and they are clueless to how much energy it’ll take and/or how much rest they personally need during a course.
3. The Indian Yoga Teacher Training
If yoga originated from India, why not learn from the source?
Every year, thousands of aspiring yoga teachers travel from around the world to India to become a 200 hour certified yoga teacher. The vibrant culture of Mother India infused with chaotic adventures unknown to most foreign travelers make this trip a one-of-a-life-time experience. Indeed, India is the source of yoga where revered yogis like Paramahansa Yogananda, Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, and Maharishi Mahesh had left their imprints in the world. Their contributions, specifically the popular book Autobiography of a Yogi, the development of modern Vinyasa yoga, and sensational disciples The Beatles respectively, have continued to spark yogic interests and the pursuit of spiritual awakening in thousands of people yearly.
Since the rise of yoga teacher training in the 70’s, countless yoga schools have formed across India- some are accredited and many are not. In specific, Rishikesh also known as the Yoga Capital of the World, records over 600,000 tourists annually. Many of these tourists are aspiring yoga teachers who came prepared where they enroll themselves to established yoga schools formed by revered yogis and alike as mentioned above. Unfortunately, many others would enroll in subpar schools where the curriculum falls short in numerous areas.
The major difference between ashram living and yoga teacher training is that the prior is an embodiment of yogic traditions where one would deepen their personal practice and expand their spiritual horizons. Usually, in such scenarios, teaching methodology such as verbal cueing, effective hands-on adjustments, creative sequencing, and clear demonstration of yoga postures are compromised. When one enrolls in a yoga teacher training in India with the goal to teach quality yoga classes when returning home, it is important to research the training curriculum in particular if it is in accordance with Yoga Alliance’s standard
4. The Super Strict Yoga Teacher Training
Yes, Yoga on the highest level is all inclusive. However, the yogic traditions and lineages that have been established for decades may not be as inclusive as one would imagine. Styles such as Ashtanga Vinyasa and Iyengar follow a very strict methodology, in other words, they have a rulebook that they follow and any sort of deviation would be discouraged. For example, Ashtanga Vinyasa is made up of six series (Primary, Intermediate, and Four Advanced Series) each of which has a set order of poses. Every posture is held for exactly five breaths; the rhythm of the breath in combination with the movement is predetermined. On top of it all, to become an Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher, one must be authorized by Sharath Jois- the grandson of the original founder Pattahbi Jois.
As with all systems, authorized Ashtanga teachers must follow the rules to avoid being taken off the official teacher’s list. These rules include but are not limited to running a daily program ‘Mysore Style’, taking days off on moon days, and following the set sequences diligently. All being said, a strict system tends to yield discipline and often results. Students who resonate with such styles are usually those who crave discipline and structure in their lives. There are many yoga students who stumbled into The Strict Yoga Teacher Training and ended up falling in love with it. Nevertheless, it is best to research the style of yoga before signing up for the training to avoid any surprises and/or disappointment.
5. The Well-Rounded Yoga Teacher Training
By now you might be wondering if there is a type of teacher training that will offer just about everything you need to become a skilled yoga teacher while expanding your spiritual horizon. Enters…The Well-Rounded Yoga Teacher Training.
The Well-Rounded Yoga Teacher Training is the type of training that provides a comprehensive curriculum and a space for you to deepen your personal practice. Supported by a team of experienced yoga trainers for each topics, you’ll learn about the fundamentals of yoga including history of yoga, yoga philosophy, human anatomy & physiology, and the in depth analysis of yoga postures.
In addition, you’ll receive quality lessons in teaching methodology, specifically on how to verbally cue your students safely into poses, apply appropriate hands-on adjustments, curate creative yoga sequences, and perform effective demonstrations. The entire training should conclude with lectures on business of yoga and ethics so that you’re prepared to transfer your skills seamlessly into real life.
Attending a yoga teacher training is one of the most life changing experience. You’ll have the chance to connect to your authentic self, develop new skills, and create new friendships. In essence, these 5 types of yoga programs provide you an overview of what is currently available. As you do your research, you might discover courses that are a mix of the above or maybe something else entirely. Bottomline is find out as much as possible about your prospective yoga teacher training and see if it aligns with your goals. Your transformative journey awaits! Best of luck.
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