Start your yoga career now: Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training in London Begins September


How to become a Yoga Teacher
Rebecca Ffrench on 02 March, 2010 |

It is generally accepted that in order to teach yoga you need three things: insurance, teaching certificate and accredited status from a yoga association.

Before we talk about these things it's worth remembering that this wasn't always the case. Yoga was a discipline handed down from teacher (guru) to student. Once the guru felt the student had achieved enough maturity and knowledge of the discipline they were then handed teacher status, and able to pass the knowledge down to the next generation. This remained the case as little as 15 years ago, when yoga teachers with no official qualifications were able to teach yoga in gyms. Then the yoga boom happened and yoga rocketed in popularity. Suddenly there were yoga teachers everywhere and the need was felt to have some way to govern teaching standards. A number of different bodies were born, each of which seems to prickle at the sound of the others, but all of which upheld very similar minimum standards.

As a result the route for those wishing to teach is now:

1) Train with accredited course to get a certificate

2) Get insurance by showing the certificate

3) Choose if you'd like accredited status with one of the associations

How long does it take to train as a yoga teacher?

There are literally thousands of yoga teacher training courses out there - from once a month meetings over the course of two years to intensive one month retreats on tropical islands. No matter which training speed you opt for - if it's an accredited course it will offer at least the minimum contact hours as prescribed by that association (see below the hours stipulated by each association).

There are certainly pros and cons for different training lengths and what might suit you may not suit someone else. A long-term course run once a month over two years fits easily around existing work/family commitments. You are given plenty of time to assimilate the information and develop, not only as a teacher but also a yogi. This long term approach to teaching is great for someone who wants a gradual transition into teaching, but it can be difficult to give the training your full attention and effort when it is spread out so thinly.

Intensive one month trainings are great if you want total immersion in the subject. Often held as residential retreats away from home they give students the chance to leave life as you know it for one month and dedicate yourself entirely to the course at hand. This total immersion method can be a life changing experience, having a profound effect not only on your career but also on lifestyle and values. You'll emerge a yogi, but well practiced teaching skills usually get left until you’re actually on the job... And can you get that month off work?

There are some courses that offer the middle ground, a hybrid between the intensive retreats that propel your personal development and the long term trainings that truly teach you 'how to teach' yoga. These can be offered as once a month courses with a intensive one week retreat, or simply a weekends only training over three months.

The four Main Yoga Teacher Associations
The four main yoga teacher associations are the British Wheel of Yoga (BWY), the Yoga Alliance UK, the Yoga Alliance (International) and the Independent Yoga Network (IYN).

The BWY often sites itself as being the ‘National Governing Body for Yoga’ leading many to believe it is the only recognised yoga association in the UK. This misleading information caused plenty of friction between the various Yoga Teacher Associations, and the Advertising Standards Authority did eventually step in to rectify the matter. The reality is that there is no governing body - and for a discipline with so much diversity that can only be a good thing.

Each of the associations differ slightly in their view on course content as shown below, but all support a high number on contact hours with experienced teachers as being intrinsic to a good teacher training course.

The British Wheel of Yoga
The British Wheel of Yoga Teacher Training Diploma covers 500 hours of training and takes a minimum of two years (and up to four years) to complete. Applicants need to have practiced yoga for over two years and will often have completed the BWY Foundation Course as well (additional 60 hours). There are no intensive trainings under the BWY.

Yoga Alliance UK and Yoga Alliance (International)
Both the Yoga Alliance UK and Yoga Alliance (International) accredit 200 hour training programs. These consist of a minimum 180 hours of contact time with teachers and 20 hours of home study. So long as the required minimum time is spent on each part of the syllabus, these associations value both the intensive and long term training paths. Care should be taken to view the two Yoga Alliance Associations as separate bodies.

Independent Yoga Network (IYN)
The Independent Yoga Network offers a different view. It believes that the standards offered in the associations listed above (based on prerequisite hours in very structured topics) are rudimentary in their 'cookie-cutter' format. Pete Yates (one of the founder members of IYN) states "We wanted to register authentic teachers who were safe and who had integrity. Beyond that we were happy to be non-prescriptive and to allow for and encourage diversity." Each school wishing to register their course is looked at individually, so while there are no minimum hours imposed each course is scrutinised to check it upholds intrinsic yogic values.