Done safely, yoga offers pregnant women many benefits, including improved posture, circulation, muscle tone and flexibility, in addition to increased awareness of body and breath. Prenatal yoga classes are geared toward the specific needs of women in every trimester of pregnancy as well as those who've recently given birth. In addition to a general yoga certification, prenatal yoga instructors have a specific certification that allows them to teach pregnant women.
Prerequisites
Because pregnant women are a special population, teaching prenatal yoga is considered an area of specialty within the world of yoga. Consequently, nearly all prenatal yoga instructor certification courses require you to either have completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training or be in the process of completing it before you enroll. Some courses also require you to have experience in the field of childbirth, such as completion of a 2-day doula training or attendance at Lamaze childbirth classes.
Course Curriculum
Most prenatal yoga teaching certifications educate trainees in the anatomy of pregnancy, physical changes by trimester, common discomforts of pregnancy, the most beneficial poses by trimester and condition, contraindicated poses, breathing techniques, relaxation techniques, poses and exercises to prepare for labor and delivery and the principles of alignment as they pertain to pregnant women. Courses also may cover issues such as teacher boundaries and responsibilities, childbirth education and the best poses for postnatal students.
Industry Standards
The Yoga Alliance sets the industry's standards for accredited schools of yoga. A yoga instructor must complete a 200-hour training certification for the Alliance to recognize her as a RYT, or registered yoga teacher. A prenatal yoga instructor must already be a RYT, and complete an additional 85 training hours with the same accredited school to be recognized by the Alliance as a RPYT, or registered prenatal yoga instructor. Accredited certifications that have less than 85 hours of coursework may require supplemental training hours.
Benefits of Certification
Once certified, you'll be qualified to teach prenatal yoga classes in gyms, health clubs and yoga studios. Teaching yoga to a special population increases your marketability as an instructor, helping you fill your schedule and ultimately make more money. If you're interested in one-on-one yoga training, a prenatal teaching certification allows you to work with pregnant clients.
Considerations
Cost and time commitment vary by school, but as of January 2011, most prenatal yoga teacher training courses cost between about $500 and $1,100, plus additional fees for books and videos. You can expect to train for about a year in an 85-hour course. To maintain a current certification, you'll need to complete continuing education units, or CEUs, which signifies a further investment of time and money. You must earn a certain number of CEUs every three years, and can do it by attending related educational courses, reading books or taking other instructors' classes.
Member Comments