Teaching yoga allows you to spend more time performing the exercises, but also requires knowledge of yoga poses and how they affect the body. You need instruction to learn the basic techniques of teaching a class. Certified teacher training programs require a minimum of 200 hours of instruction.
Learning
Yoga instructors require training in best practices and teaching technique. You must also learn about yoga poses and their relationship to human physiology, as well as how poses relate to the philosophy behind yoga, including chakras and nadi.
Certification
Basic certification as a registered yoga teacher requires 200 hours of practice and study. Yoga Alliance, the most recognized certification body, requires that you spend 100 hours learning the basic yoga poses from a certified teacher and an additional 100 hours of instruction on teaching, physiology, yoga philosophy and electives. YogaFit partners with the American Council on Exercise to offer certification through Yoga Alliance. YogaFit offers weekend classes and courses on how to teach specific groups of people such as seniors and children.
On the Job
Yoga certification allows you to work independently, which includes private lessons. However, you depend heavily on networking and personal referrals for work. You can also seek full-time employment at a fitness center. As an independent yoga instructor, you also need to be familiar with marketing and bookkeeping.
Outlook
The job market for yoga instructors appears favorable, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The number of available jobs for fitness instructors in general is expected to rise by 29 percent through 2018 as people take steps to improve their health. A basic yoga certification may limit your job prospects, while more advanced certifications, which can require 500 hours of teacher training, allow you to teach a wider variety of classes and enhance your credibility.
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