As you know, the word “yoga” can cover a wide range of practices, with various “traditions” or “lineages.” Thus, we can usually find a long menu of possibilities in our modern yoga studios: hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga, ashtanga yoga, or even more recent practices like yin yoga, aerial yoga, dance yoga, and more. This can be a bit overwhelming for the newbie who just opened the door of a yoga studio for the first time. That was the case for me. But yoga is yoga, meaning “yuja samadhau” or “to focus” in Sanskrit—i.e., achieving steadiness and positivity thanks to a set of physical, mental, and spiritual practices aiming to harmonize body and mind.
“In fact, there is only one root method: updating our minds and bodies, our mental and physical software, through the eight limbs of yoga”—A.G. Mohan
I discovered yoga almost nine years ago when I was pregnant with my first son. I wanted to keep active, but at the same time, to relax and rest. I was working as a business consultant, and dealing with stress was a job requirement. So I registered for prenatal yoga sessions. Those were enjoyable moments. I remember stretching and relaxing with my big belly, in a warm and cozy studio while it was snowing outside (I was living in Luxembourg at that time, a very cold country during winter!). But it was only recently that I decided to deepen my exploration of the different kinds of yoga to help me deal with my anxiety problems.
I have been mixing Ashtanga yoga (quite demanding physically), restorative yoga (for mental and physical relaxation), and Pranayama (deep breathing exercises to calm down). After one year of active practice—and with time on my hands due to a career change—I decided six months ago to look for training to become a yoga instructor where I live now in Singapore. To be honest, I was a bit lost with all the available options. I decided to contact directly some teachers whose style I like in order to get some recommendations. After much consideration, I signed up for the Svastha program as it fulfilled all my selection criteria. The only drawback was that the training took place only once a year and I had to wait a couple of months before it started. It was not easy for me to wait so long (I am an impatient human being, which is one additional reason to practice yoga! lol)—but after discussing it with my current teacher, I was convinced it was the one for me, without a doubt. Read on to learn more about my tips, but first, let’s get back to you.
If you have decided to start yoga teacher training, it may indicate that:
you have discovered a certain type of yoga you particularly love and would like to improve your technique in order to teach other people this type of yoga, or
you are quite new to yoga but already feel that this is your “thing,” and you want additional knowledge to gain a better understanding, form healthy habits, and improve your personal practice (you don’t necessarily want to teach others), or
you are already a super yogi, you are practicing every day, perhaps you have already done some teacher training, but you feel you are missing part of the yoga philosophy and want to know more about yoga’s roots …
… or perhaps it’s a mix of everything.
In any case, the first question for you is, Are you looking for traditional teaching or a more modern approach?
Answering this question will give you a key criterion to select the right training for you. If you prefer a more traditional way (like I do), I advise you look at the yoga schools and studios whose founder learned with a mentor from a traditional Indian institution or from a lineage of Indian tradition. From my perspective, yoga comes from India, so it is ideal to learn directly from the source. At the moment, I am learning with Nitya Mohan, whose father, A.G. Mohan, was a student of Krishnamacharya, considered “the father of modern yoga.”
If you are looking for a more Western method, in the sense of a modern “fitness” approach, look at schools and studios offering a clear curriculum and explanations of the different postures you will learn. Be careful: Some studios offer a 200-hour training course in a single jam-packed month. Learning and digesting that much knowledge in such a short period can be quite challenging, especially for your body.
No matter which approach you choose, traditional or modern, a standard yoga teacher training includes 200 course-hours (including theory and practice) to get the foundations and learn how to teach others. After completing your 200 hours, you can top-up with training in specialties (e.g., yoga for kids, aerial yoga, yoga therapy), depending on your interest and motivation.
If you wish to teach, ask whether the training includes an internship to validate all your knowledge and prepare you to teach. In terms of timing, I think a fair yoga training duration would be six months, to have time to explore your own practice and style and become familiar with each asana’s functional benefits and sequences.
Once you determine the type of yoga you want to learn, use my five golden rules to support your training selection:
Check if the training is Yoga Alliance certified. Yoga Alliance is the largest nonprofit yoga association worldwide. “The Yoga Alliance credentials are globally recognized and represent high quality, safe, accessible, and equitable yoga teaching in communities around the world.” Yoga is not a fully regulated industry, so basically anyone can teach yoga without completing proper studies. Therefore, to be on the safe side, it is preferable to select a training option certified by Yoga Alliance. If your school is Yoga Alliance certified, that means the school curriculum meets quality standards. To check if your school is Yoga Alliance certified, type their name and location here.
With this pandemic, a lot of online options are now offered to complete yoga training. I would say it is fine to do your training online, but make sure you will get individual coaching from time to time afterward.
After you gather a short list of training choices, go ahead and contact the schools to meet the teachers in person (or via a video call), to ask your questions and take a look at their curriculum. All schools and studios should have a student manual. The school’s approach and philosophy should resonate with you. For example, my school’s founders clearly direct students to one of their books[1] that states that “intelligent focus and effort, not esoteric techniques, are the foundation of yoga.” Moreover, my teacher believes there are many similarities between yoga and modern psychology (this resonates a lot with my Cartesian mind!).
To evaluate the curriculum, check if it covers at least the three pillars of yoga: asanas (body/movement), pranayama (breath exercises), and meditation (mind/relaxation). The content should focus on anatomy as well. Of course, a yoga training with a more traditional approach covers some part of the yoga sutras, an old practical guide on the practice and aim of yoga.
Budget: For in-person training, the usual budget is between $2,000 and $3,000 USD. Beware of online training courses whose price looks really attractive; the quality might be impacted. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Now that I have shared my experience and tips, my last piece of advice is not to rush to register for the first training you find, even if it’s convenient in terms of dates, location, or duration. If you have decided to do yoga teacher training, it is the start of a long commitment and inner journey, so enjoy the ride and make sure you think twice before selecting “the one.”
[1] Yoga Reminder – Lightened Reflections from A.G. Mohan with Dr. Ganesh Mohan
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