How to Become a Yoga Instructor
Teaching yoga is very rewarding as you are inspiring people physically,
mentally and spiritually. The best way to start is to find a qualified yoga
instructor certification program.
What does it take to be a yoga instructor?  Teaching yoga is different than
teaching most other fitness programs because you are helping people
physically, mentally and spiritually. Maybe you think of yourself as a "healer",
maybe you feel comfortable with movement, or maybe you have always been
spiritual. You may even feel a "calling" to be a yoga teacher.
To become a yoga instructor you need to find the right yoga instructor
certification program. First decide what style of yoga you want to study. Do your
own research. There is Kripalu, Iyengar, Sivananda, Integral, Vinyasa, and
Bikram (hot yoga), to name a few. Once you decide on the style that you want to
study you can start looking for schools. To get the national yoga certification
recognized by the Yoga Alliance you would look for a 200-hour program. Some
schools will have a full-time program where you can finish the 200 hours in 5
weeks. Some of them have weekend programs. Some have you waking up at
6am to meditate and keep you going until 9pm living at an ashram (yoga
residence). Some of them are just 9 to 5 and you can live at home. Pick the one
that works for you. There is plenty of information on the internet.

What will you be doing in yoga school?  You will be doing yoga everyday!  You
will study anatomy and yoga philosophy.  You will learn all the asanas (poses)
and then learn how to make hands-on adjustments for individual students.  You
will practice teach with your fellow students. Every program is different. In my
program there was alot of emotional sharing, as yoga really is about opening the
heart and quieting the mind.

Once you get your certification you will want to continue your education by
taking workshops or other people's classes. You will always need new material
and there is so much to learn.  There are several places you can get a job. Start
by going to any health club, gym, yoga studio or YMCA and tell them that you
want to teach a yoga class. Start up a class at any recreation center, community
center, corporate or residential facility. Offer private group classes at someone's
home. Offer to be on a sub list for any teachers. The pay rate varies. Health
clubs normally only pay an hourly rate of $15 to $25, maybe more in bigger
cities. Yoga studios and places like recreation centers will give you a percentage
of the fees they take in, so you can make more especially if you have a large
number of students. If you do private lessons you can ask for $50-$75 per class.