Participating in a yoga teacher training is an excellent opportunity to get more formalized in a practice, and refine your personal practice.

Becoming a yoga instructor may not be a career option for you, but finishing a YTT course can give you a sense of accomplishment, a deeper understanding of yogic traditions, and quite likely induce a paradigm shift or lifestyle adjustment. The ultimate goal of the instructor is for each student to feel empowered and confident in completing a practicum and written test by having a supported and safe experience throughout the course.

The purpose of this article is to help you understand what a good Yoga Alliance certified school entails, and what it can do for your yoga practice and becoming a registered yoga teacher.

A good RYS has been designed using modern methods and teaching techniques combined with the ancient practices of yoga. It is evident that not all traditional education methods are helpful for everyone; we all learn in very different ways. In Karma Teachers Yoga Teacher Training Vancouver, we accommodate an array of learning modalities and offer support systems for your development. You will also learn how to teach safer, healthier, more inclusive classes in which everyone teaches each other. Students will get individualized instruction by teachers so that no one gets left behind during or outside of class.

Participating in this kind of teacher training course will give you the opportunity to meet like minded people who enjoy practicing yoga and interested in teaching yoga and discovering their own unique style of yoga. Many people have struggled with obstacles in yoga classes like battling injuries, feeling discontent for their body type, or dealing with discriminiation; everyone can offer their own insight on what will work best for them and their bodies now.

Each group of people who train together inevitably form a strong bond and the feeling of a community. We invite all that complete a Karma Teachers yoga training to join our post-graduation Peer Development Sessions.

Let’s go through each of these benefits one at a time so you know what kind of experience we’re talking about here:

There will be instructors in each course who teach specific sections or chapters drawn from various books including the Karma Teachers manual, covering yoga asanas (postures), pranayama (breathwork), and more advanced practices like pratyahara (concentration on breathing) and dharana (focus on attention).
Teachers leading the course will share yogic philosophy associated with the type of training being offered. However, not all teachers will share their personal philosophies, this way a student can choose what feels right for them instead of following the teacher. Some teachers leading the course will share their own individual philosophies that will most effectively help each student learn new material, but you are never obliged to accept a set of beliefs that you are in resonance with. The choice is always yours.

You don’t need any previous knowledge or background with yoga – all you need to do is show up and have an open mind, ready to learn.

The Different Types of Yoga Trainings

The first step is to determine the type of yoga training you want to take or choose. In this article, we will list just a few different types that are available for students today:

Ashtanga Yoga
Hatha Yoga
Vinyasa
Yin
Restorative
Jivamukti
Yoga for the Blind

Why You Should Choose a Yoga Teacher Training

For some it is to become a teacher, and others it is to deepen their personal practice. The different aspects of the training help develop you listen to cueing differently, visualize poses with different bodies, or have a new lens on how you live your daily life. There is no wrong answer.

As a student, should you can choose to undertake a 200, 300, or 500 hour yoga teacher training course. It is up to you to choose the right kind and length of program that fits your unique requirements and budget.

You should consider the following factors when choosing a proper form of Yoga Teacher Training:

1) What is your goal or motivation for the training?

Do you want to understand your personal practice better or obtain ryt certification and teach for living? If you want to become a professional yoga instructor, you could begin with a top-notch training as this will prepare you for a variety of teaching jobs. As a bonus your teacher trainees become a community of like-minded people. Also there are also options to complete a shorter program, under 100 hours, to prepare you for a full length training.

2) How much time do you have to dedicate to your Yoga Teacher Training Program?

Aside from the contact hours, you would be expected to have enough time in your schedule to read the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali or the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, study yoga philosophy and yoga poses. Selecting a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program will provide you with many tools required to become an experienced professional teacher who wants to teach at his/her own home. If you have more time to invest, a longer program between 300 and 500 hour rys program will give you a deeper level of practice and experience.

3) Have you taken any formal yoga course before joining this 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Program?

Some people has studied vinyasa yoga, kundalini yoga or yoga nidra before getting yoga certification. Many yoga schools offer deep understanding of yoga by providing additional top-rated training programs. Whatever formal yoga training you have prior to a 200hr, will serve you positively in a full training.

4) What is your budget?

A for profit yoga school requires a full course fee which can be significant tuition for some people, whether upfront or in installments. A Not For Profit yoga school like Karma Teachers helps super affordable teacher training become more accessible by offering energy exchange and scholarship options. It’s your choice to decide what feels right for you and meets your needs.

What training is right for you?

The answer to which is the best course or training styles are for you is a little different for everyone. It all comes down to what type of yoga you practice and expectation for the overall experience. Also consider who you learn best from, man or woman, in-person or online and location. For example, if you are a beginner in yoga, researching different training courses that you will opt for might vary with each lead trainer or instructor. Furthermore, decide if an in person will serve you best or if you should seek out an online ytt course.

Reaching out to fellow yogi's and asking for recommendations is always a good first step. Try looking on Google to see what the most popular 200-hour teacher training course is and which ones are good for beginners.

Second, do some research on what type of yoga you want to learn about and how much time you want to invest into it. Are you looking for a modern style of yoga or one rooted in yoga traditions?

The next step is to then search by looking at the different instructor training programs available for that particular type of yoga rather than the most popular yoga style.

For example, if you’re interested in learning about restorative yoga, then look up how many hours are required to complete yoga training courses specific to that. If you enjoy the primary series, you would seek out Ashtanga yoga certification.

Things to look out for when choosing a yoga teacher training:

Do not rush into your first YTT if you are seeking that truly life-changing experience. With consideration to how many yoga styles are available today, take your time and find the right lineage and teacher. Keep your eyes open for a teacher that enjoys the role of an educator and has a considerate number of practice hours teaching. Years of experience and continued hours of yoga education can indicate the instructor has an informed idea of what to include in their curriculum and has experience moving various body types.

There are things you may have considered before considering yoga certification such as, what are the school values, what type of people attend, will I get the education I’m looking for, does this school make a positive impact today, etc. This might be a good starting block to open up the decision making process. Ultimately, this is one way to get your yoga education while learning to cultivate that yogic lifestyle based on the course you choose and who you train with. When you think about it, these yoga teacher training programs have been around for decades, but the ways in which we learn has vastly changed over the years. With this in mind there are varying requirements for how many of the course hours are done in person or online.

Reading about top-rated yoga training programs doesn't necessarily make them the best fit for you. There will always be varying reviews of the world's best courses in any type of training, not just yoga. A great type of training is the one that leaves you feeling fulfilled and satisfied as a person, whether you are ready to teach or not.

Rememeber, being a yoga instructor is not just about yoga postures and yoga retreats and there certainly isn't a perfect certification course. It's about your overall experience. Learning how to teach safely and effectively, so that your students can get the most out of it.