Becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor

Complete a Yoga Teacher Training Course

Finding a certified yoga school

Globally, the generally accepted and most common way of becoming a yoga instructor is by completing a 200hr certified yoga course. These certified yoga courses are regulated by Yoga Alliance which aims to be an international governing body for yoga.

You can also get certified through Yoga Australia or a traditional yoga school to teach yoga.

About Yoga Alliance

Yoga Alliance regulates yoga schools who want to be accredited by them.

They basically do this through making sure the schools cover a set curriculum which meets their standards. Usually this includes a certain amount of hours on yoga practice, yoga philosophy and teaching theory. You can learn about their certifications guidelines on their website.

Different yoga schools vary in the particular focus and it is worth doing your research before. For example, one school may choose to focus on the business skills of teaching yoga, such as getting clients as a yoga teacher.  Another school might focus more on the spiritual practices of yoga, such as the history of yoga philosophy.

Is Yoga Alliance Australia the same as Yoga Alliance?

No. They are not. They have different standards and guidelines and are not affiliated in any way.

Why are all the yoga schools teaching different things?

The reason all the yoga schools are different is because yoga teacher trainings do not have to follow a strict curriculum. Yoga Alliance does not tell the yoga schools exactly what to teach, they just give them the guidelines.

What does Yoga Alliance actually do?

Yoga Alliance simply recognises yoga schools for covering a curriculum that meets the standards they set. So when you complete a Yoga Alliance 200hr YTT course, you can apply to be registered through Yoga Alliance.

So, if you do the course, you can be listed on their directory. And, that’s about it. Just make sure you pay your annual renewal fees.

What are the other ways to be a certified teacher?

In Australia, the other major body for regulating yoga instructors is Yoga Australia.

Yoga Australia have their own standards for being a yoga teacher. Yoga Australia also has a yoga teacher and yoga school directory. If you complete a 200hr Yoga Alliance certified course, you can register with Yoga Australia on a provisional membership.

You will normally have to go through some extra processes to do this which you can read about them on their website. You can also do courses directly through Yoga Australia accredited schools.

Learn more about how the Yoga Australia and Yoga Alliance accreditation system work here.

What if a school isn’t Yoga Alliance or Yoga Australia affiliated?

You should know that many traditional and modern yoga schools may not be affiliated with these organizations. For example, Iyengar yoga and Ashtanga yoga have their own standards for accrediting and certifying yoga teachers.

You should do your research about any teacher training you undertake, whether it is certified or not.

Start Teaching Yoga

The second step to becoming a yoga instructor is to start teaching yoga. Once you complete your teacher training, and even before then, you should get teaching experience. A good yoga school will often mentor new yoga teachers and give them some teaching experience.

If you have any questions about being a yoga teacher you can contact us below.

Start Teaching Yoga

I am currently offering a 200hr Yoga Teacher Training course, follow the link to learn more.