How To Become A Yoga Teacher

Becoming a yoga teacher first begins with your own yoga practice. From there, you can expand your practice to support your community through teaching.

Develop A Yoga Practice

A consistent yoga practice weaves the threads of your daily life together into one cohesive tapestry.

The ongoing effort of observing yourself through the lens of yoga gives you an opportunity to grow.

Grow each day, each month, each year, as you practice yoga to learn more about yourself, exploring your needs and interests.

Practice yoga every day.

A regular practice can change from one day to the next.

That means your practice could include, for example, a vigorous vinyasa practice one day, or more restorative movement the next, or even a guided yoga nidra meditation.

When you practice regularly, you reveal your true nature, which will support your growth as a teacher.

As long as you are listening to your body and paying attention to your mind’s inner dialogue, you will continue to strengthen your practice by learning more about yourself.

Explore different styles of yoga.

Know there is not just one way to practice yoga.

By trying out different styles, you get to try something new and notice the effects on your mind and body.

Your true nature is an infinite source of awareness and compassion. Doing the work to uncover your nature is the practice of yoga.

Pay attention to how your practice impacts you.

When you take notice, you will understand your inner world more clearly. Brighten that clarity further by journaling and thinking about what you are experiencing, before, during, and after the practice.

Choose Your Teacher and Style

One particular teacher or style isn’t necessarily better than another.

However, in choosing a primary teacher and style for a period in your life, you can traverse further down a road that has many junctions, all eventually leading to the same destination.

Decipher who your teacher is.

Your primary teacher is someone that resonates with you, that guides you to the deepest part of yourself, that feels the most true.

When you come across a teacher that speaks to you in a way that builds you up and supports your individual growth - stay with that teacher to learn as much as you can.

Having one primary teacher in one particular style means you move further down a specific path.

While you have one primary teacher, remember that every person you encounter is a teacher, and every class you attend will teach you something.

When you do find your primary teacher, ask if they are leading a teacher training or if they could recommend one, or ask about the training they have taken. The answers to these questions can help guide you closer to choosing and completing your 200-hour yoga teacher training.

Dedicate your attention to one style.

Exploring different styles of yoga is undoubtably exciting.

When you dedicate yourself to learn more about one style in particular from a teacher that resonates with you, you are choosing to put on a specific lens to view yourself and the world around you.

Think of choosing a style and a teacher like you would select a particular subject to study in school. While many subjects can peak your interest, it’s impossible to gain a well-rounded understanding in one area when your mind is divided between five different routes.

Experience Teaching In Your Community

There are so many opportunities to teach yoga beyond regular studio classes.

Once you’ve completed your 200-hour yoga teacher training, it’s time to start teaching - and great news, there are so many possibilities!

While teaching in a studio is a popular choice, building your own teaching opportunities significantly empowers you.

Create neighborhood or community donation-based classes.

Teaching in the areas you already spend your time in, like your neighborhood, or a nearby local park, engrains you into your community in a way that enriches your life.

Put up posters and flyers around the places you’d like to target. Include the necessary information for your service.

For example, your poster will communicate that an all-levels yoga class will be offered by the neighborhood pool park every Wednesday at 5pm and donations are welcome.

Record and live stream yoga classes for an ongoing online practice.

Create a YouTube channel for you to upload recorded classes with varying focuses. You can also use YouTube or another service like Zoom, to do live stream classes.

Once you have a few classes uploaded online, begin to share your offering on social media, or create a website to point people in that direction.

Set up a donation link through SquareUp or Venmo so those taking your classes have an opportunity to give back to you.

Give instruction to your friends and family - word of mouth spreads quickly.

When you provide private instruction, both you and whoever you are teaching will grow and receive insights into the details of a yoga practice.

Giving to your friends and family nourishes your relationship, and strengthens you as a teacher.

As you teach one-on-one and in small groups, you’ll learn something new each time.

That includes considering different modifications for individuals with specific needs so that the practice can be accessible.

You’ll also learn how to connect authentically to people of all types of backgrounds.

As long as you keep the foundations of your own practice in mind, you and the people you teach will be nourished and fulfilled from private instruction.

Reach out to organizations and businesses that could offer yoga classes.

You might be surprised at how many opportunities there are to teach.

A few places to consider reaching out to include large apartment complexes, community colleges, senior care centers, big companies, and libraries.

These organizations are often interested in offering yoga to their employees, their customers, or their residents, basically anyone in their community they’re already serving.

Teach at a studio.

If you’re looking to teach at a studio, many will encourage prior teaching experience.

Thankfully, as mentioned above, there are a lot of opportunities to gain exposure to teaching.

When applying to a studio, you may also consider some others ways to increase your likelihood of getting hired.

These include being a consistent student at that studio, applying for a work-trade opportunity ahead of doing your teacher training, and developing relationships with teachers already there.

Continue Learning and Practicing

Tapping into an area of study that is over 2,500 years old means you have begun a journey of a lifetime.

There’s something that becomes apparent as soon as you start teaching - there is so much more to learn! And that’s a wonderful realization.

Always be a dedicated student.

There is so much to learn about yoga there is no way it can all be absorbed in one lifetime.

So pick and choose what interests you, and follow it to your fullest ability.

Gain knowledge through the plethora of workshops, ongoing teacher trainings, monitorships, advanced modules, books, and online resources available around you.

Not just to become a better teacher, but to support your growth personally and as a student.

Connect with your inner teacher.

There is no teacher greater or lesser than the one inside of you.

When you dedicate yourself to practicing yoga, you discover a deep well inside of you.

That well is abundant in compassion and awareness - and it’s something everyone has within themselves. That well is your resource for deciding what trainings to attend, what kind of sequence to develop, how to modify for a student with specific needs.

It is your inner teacher, your inner guide, that is always with you. Connecting with a teacher on the outside is a reflection of the teacher you are tapping into on the inside.

Listen to your self, your intuition, as you move forward in your practice.

You know you better than anyone else.