Guide to Becoming a Yoga Teacher

The yoga fitness craze has hooked your attention enough to where you have been practicing it for a while now and you believe you are ready to take it to the next level and instruct other people on the amazing exercising techniques but you really are stumped when it comes to know what it takes to become a yoga instructor. I have some strong information on what it will take you to becoming a yoga teacher.

STEP ONE - Deciding if you are ready:
There are many training programs out there for your choosing, however some of them do have requirements for you to know before you even take the next step into becoming a yoga teacher. Some requirements that you will have to know and or do are as follows:

1. Practiced yoga for at least 2 years.
2. Able to do a headstand in the middle of the room.
3. Have taken some yoga classes, preferably with a teacher you will want to train with.
4. Have the understanding that becoming a yoga teacher will not make you rich. Know that you may need to keep your day job as you will juggle some classes in the evening or around your schedule. This basically states that becoming a yoga teacher is very time consuming.
5. Also know there is no benefits when it comes to being a yoga teacher. For example, no 401-k or any other type of retirement plan, no job security or health benefits. This is not like a regular teaching job as, lets say, a teacher of a school. This is a job that you will take up on your own free time. Yes you will get paid, but it is not full time work.
6. All cost in becoming a yoga teacher can reach upward to $3,000 possibly even more.

STEP TWO - Finding a Teacher-Training Program
In this step you will need to find a good program for you to start learning how to become a yoga teacher. The best place to start at is your favorite local yoga center. If you do not have a yoga center that you have joined or attend regularly then you may find it hard in finding the right Teacher - Training program out there. Keep these rules in mind when you are looking around for a good program.

1. Look at the curriculum before anything else. Make sure they offer classes on asana, teaching techniques, anatomy, and philosophy.
2. Make sure the center in which you will be doing your training is Yoga Alliance Certified. If it is not, then your training will amount to nothing because you will never be a registered yoga teacher.
3. If you are having troubles finding a Teacher - Training program then visit www.yogaalliance.com for registered yoga schools in your area.

STEP THREE - Becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher
Once you have found the right yoga center that has met the the Teacher - Training standards and is registered by the Yoga Alliance, you will then begin on one of the levels to obtain your Yoga Alliance certificate.

The first level is a 200 hour program (this refers to the length of the program) which trainees will complete first because this is a minimum requirement that most yoga studios require for their teachers. After you have completed the first course of your yoga teacher training then you will have the option to complete the 500 hour training program. Most teachers who are training you will recommend you continuing to the 500 hour program if you plan on specializing in certain yoga types such as Baptiste Power Yoga, Ivengar, Anusara, and Bikram.

Once you have either completed level one or two of the Teacher - Training program then you have now become a registered yoga teacher and start putting the letters RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) after your name.