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Can You Teach Yoga Without Certificate?
While you don’t have to have certification to teach yoga, it does demonstrate your credibility. This is especially important for newbies.
While you may be fine if you’ve already been teaching yoga for years, if you want to get started, it can be a good idea to get at least a basic teacher certification.
How Much Does it Cost to Become a Yoga Instructor?
If you’re wondering about how to become a certified yoga instructor, you will need to think about the cost.
Depending on the type of training course you choose, you can expect to pay $200 or $300 through to $4000 or more. A 200 hour course generally costs $1,000+, but online courses tend to be cheaper.
What Skills Do You Need for Yoga Insturctor?
While certification can be an important part of becoming a yoga instructor, there are some necessary skills that can help you in this new career.
- An Ability to Connect: Regardless of whether you’re working one to one or with a group, you need to ensure that your students feel comfortable.
- Great Presence: You need to command the attention of your students without needing to raise your voice. This is almost like a natural confidence, working the room with subtlety to uplift your students.
- Personality: This varies between instructors, but it is important to develop your personal style to complement your personality. Your personality may be warm or light hearted, but you’ll need an enthusiastic, calm and centered energy.
- Preparation Minded: If you always like to do everything on the fly, you may struggle with the basic fundamentals of how to become a yoga instructor. A good instructor knows what they will do in today’s class, arrive early and create a peaceful setting before the class even starts.
- Flexibility: While you don’t need to be an Olympic athlete, it is important that you have the flexibility and physicality necessary for demonstrating all the yoga poses and positions.
- A Love of Yoga: Finally, you need to have a love of yoga. You should enjoy practicing yoga yourself, feel passionate about improving and want to help others to learn.
How Long Does it Take to Train to be a Yoga Teacher?
How long it takes to become a yoga instructor will depend on your chosen course. Most yoga certification courses are 200 or 300 hours. These courses can be done as intensive workshops over three or four weeks or broken up into shorter sessions.
How Much Money Can You Make as a Yoga Instructor?
The average salary of yoga instructors in the US is $30 per hour. There is the potential to earn up to $62,000 per year.
Some of the highest earning yoga instructors are even earning $200,000 a year. But, this is achieved through instructing, sponsorships and offering workshops and more.
Of course, your overall earnings will also hinge on your expenses. For example, if you decide to work as a self employed instructor, will you need to cover the cost of renting your own studio? Even something as simple as buying appropriate clothing to teach classes every day can quickly add up. So think about your costs when assessing your income potential.
10 Best Yoga Instructor Courses Online & Offline
200 Hour RYT Pahoa, Hawaii
This certification course is located on 120 acres of tropical land on the Big Island of Hawaii. It is a three week program that is ideal for beginners who want to start a career as a yoga instructor.
You’ll learn a variety of techniques including breathing, meditation, yoga postures in a blend of Vinyasa flow and Hatha yoga. The course also includes how to apply alignment principles to create a therapeutic, balanced and safe yoga space.
Each day of the course starts with meditation, with daily yoga classes, three meals a day and 20 nights of accommodation. The total cost of the package is approximately $4,000. Bear in mind, you will also need to pay for your travel to Hawaii. It can cost between $400 and $2,000 to fly to Hawaii from the US.
200 Hour RYT Arcata, California
This is another three week course located in Arcata, California, near the Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. You can immerse yourself into yoga surrounded by beautiful salt water marshes and numerous bird species. You’ll also enjoy accommodation made from sustainable and upcycled materials.
The aim of the program is to help you to develop your own practice. You will learn about breath awareness, relaxation methods, anatomy, physiology, pranayama and more. You can also explore Ayurveda, Patanjali and Upanishad concepts and the chakra system.
The program includes 21 nights of accommodation and daily yoga classes. Each day includes morning meditation, Yoga asana and breakfast in the morning and yoga philosophy and ethics each evening. The total cost for this course is $3060.
300 Hour RYT Pahoa, Hawaii
This is a 300 hour, 33 day program at the Kalani Retreat Center in Pahoa, Hawaii. The course is designed for intermediate practitioners who want to take it to the next level. The curriculum is beyond the basics and you’ll learn advanced techniques, the alchemy of yoga, applied anatomy and kinesiology, holistic alignment concepts, and the practice and teaching of pranayama and meditation.
A typical day involves an early oceanside walk or silent meditation, gentle morning yoga, asana practice. After lunch, there is tuition on Yoga nidra before free time and dinner. In the evenings, there are group activities including presentations, reading and projects.
The retreat includes three meals a day, with a cost of $5,828.
My Vinyasa Practice
This is an online course that was developed out of a boutique yoga school in Texas. It provides an affordable alternative to in studio courses.
My Vinyasa Practice is a 200 hour course that is a solid foundation for beginners looking for yoga training within their own home at their own pace.
The training includes:
- Recorded practices with Michelle Young
- Pre-recorded lectures
- Direct mentor feedback
- 200 hour YTT manual
- Guided meditations
- Access to the MVP community
- E-copy of Light on Yoga
- E-copy of The Yoga Sutras
- Access to hundreds of prepared sequences
- And more…
This is a self paced course with materials that are available indefinitely online. It costs $750, but there are occasionally discounts available.
Uplifted Yoga
Uplifted Yoga is a product offered by Brett Larkin. Brett is the founder of an award winning yoga YouTube channel with more than 400,000 subscribers. She has also been training yoga teachers online since 2015.
This online training is one of the most comprehensive courses. It includes:
- Video content via an app
- 600 page hard copy manual
- Live Calling to mirror in person training, which offers accountability and community
- Resources and materials that are yours indefinitely, so you can use it for reference later.
The course takes 16 weeks and has core areas that include interactive teacher training, meditation, and Sutras. The course costs $2850 and you’ll need to commit to 8 to 10 hours per week.
Online Yoga School
The Online Yoga School offers a 200 hour online teacher training certification course. This is a self paced training program that is compatible with any device including tablets, smartphones and PCs.
The program also provides lifelong access to the online community, curriculum and course materials and more.
The areas of study include:
- Yoga history
- Anatomy
- Qualities of a yoga teacher
- Yoga philosophy
- Anatomy
- Body understanding
- And more
This course costs $385 and you can choose to certify by exam or final teaching project.
Yoga East + West
Yoga East + West has a 200 hour online training program. The course combines yoga masters from India with American professionals, so you can enjoy practical teaching skills and ancient wisdom.
The program provides the fundamentals to teach yoga and meditation.
The topics covered include:
- Alignment
- Asana
- How to observe bodies during practice
- Working with different kinds of students
- Anatomy
- Working with limitations or injuries
- Practice teaching
- The philosophy and history of yoga.
The training also includes a “Business of Yoga” module. This was created by Paul Teodo to help you to plan a career as a full time yoga instructor.
The course is for ten weeks and you can study full or part time. It costs $1950, but there is a $200 discount if you sign up and pay 21 days before the start of the course. There are also monthly payment plans available.
The Kaivalya Yoga Method
The Kaivalya Yoga Method is a 200 hour teaching course.
You’ll enjoy:
- Lifetime course content access
- Guided support
- Individualized feedback
- Access to a private Facebook group
- Interactive Live sessions
- Certification and lifetime registry.
The course has three modules; Anatomy & Alignment, Teaching Techniques and Vinyasa, Sequencing & Subtle Body. You have six months to complete the coursework. After you graduate, you can register with the Yoga Alliance.
The cost is $397 and you can pay with 6 installments of $77.
Yoga Farm Ithaca
Yoga Farm Ithaca offers the Radiant Warrior Online Course. This is a Yoga Alliance approved program that integrates mindfulness and provides the tools you need to operate a yoga studio.
The program has the aim to help you learn to teach. It is one of the best routes of how to become a yoga instructor online.
The topics and modules include:
- Breathwork & Meditation
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Inquiry Practices
- Mindfulness & Teaching
- History & Philosophy
- Ethics
- Asana breakdown, practice and teaching
- And more
The course runs for 12 weeks with a cost of $1,899. You’ll save $400 by paying in full, but there are monthly payment plans available. Additionally, you can receive 10% off if you join with a family member or friend.
YogaRenew
YogaRenew offers a course that will deeply enrich your understanding of yoga and your practice. The training is comprehensive to build a foundation as a yoga instructor. There are workbooks, videos, lectures and readings. You will also have access to live Zoom calls offering direct access to instructor assistance.
The course includes:
- History and philosophy
- Anatomy
- Understanding of the different yoga styles
- Yoga Sutras
- Chakra Yoga Therapy
- Mentorship
- Weekly live Zoom calls
- Access to a global online community
- Private Facebook group
- Teaching tips
- And more.
You can pay in full for $437 with a 10% discount or split your payments across five or six months.
Is Becoming a Yoga Teacher Worth it?
If you feel passionate about yoga, you can turn it into an income stream. While the courses can be costly, there is the income potential to earn up to $60,000 or more per year.
Additionally, yoga instruction is a flexible gig, allowing you to work full or part time to suit your schedule and other commitments.
