According to IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association), health and fitness is a $30 billion industry in the US. And it has grown at the rate of at least 3-4% annually in the last decade. With the world growing more and more cautious about health and food, there is no reason to suspect that this growth will slow down. So you could spend your time taking an online yoga course or reading some top yoga books, but there is no better time than the present to become a yoga instructor. If you’re here, you clearly don’t need any convincing and well done on that. So let’s dive right in.
What It Means To Be A Certified Yoga Professional
Anyone with a basic yoga certification can be an instructor. This basic program is typically called a YTT 200 (Yoga Teacher Training) and it is offered by many gyms and studios. During a YTT, you will go through several transformations, one of the biggest being how to lead a group in performing postures without leading to injuries.
To be a certified yoga professional you might want to check if your YTT course is approved by Yoga Alliance. It is an international standard that adds value to your certification. However, it is not mandatory.
Are All Certifications The Same?
Not really. As mentioned above, some of them have been approved by Yoga Alliance while many are not. Still, there are some great programs out there that can guide you into becoming a skilled yoga professional.
The program is called YTT 200 because you need to complete 200 hours of coursework to get certified from an Alliance program. This includes hands-on activities, evaluation of a class and mentoring too. When you are confident, you can jump to the next level with 300 and 500 hours of coursework to advance your skills and expertise. Those programs also teach you how to work with special groups like pregnant women, chronically ill individuals and special children.
Once you are certified, you must get liability insurance to protect your business. It is also something that most gyms and studios require. It is also recommended that you observe a few classes held by experienced instructors to gain insight into the job ahead.
Best Yoga Certifications Online
Yoga Certification by ExpertRating
This certification by ExpertRating dives deep into the training that you would demand from your instructor. The certification is recognized by government bodies in the US and several other countries. With the market predicting a boom for fitness workers, this is a great time to take the next step towards building your career.
This is a one-size-fits-all kind of course which will work for beginners and experienced health enthusiasts who want to improve their knowledge. While you don’t need prior qualification to take this course, any level of understanding of the human anatomy is considered an advantage.
The course goes deep into fitness theory, practices of yoga, stretching, sitting and standing exercises to name a few. You will also learn about diseases that can be cured through yoga. This is a great way to kickstart your career as a yoga instructor.
My Vinyasa Practice by Michelle Young
This is a YTT course developed in Austin, Texas by yogi Michelle Young. This is an affordable alternative to an in-studio course. You will get the instructions and feedback directly, giving you the skills required to graduate.
Young started her practice in 2004 and is an E-RYT 500 registered with the Yoga Alliance. She is also a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist with a specialization in Eating Recovery and Cardiac Rehabilitation. There are 200, 300 and 500-hour YTT courses for enthusiasts of all levels.
The 200-hour YTT course is for beginners who want to learn from the comfort and convenience of their home and eventually go on to start a practice. It is self-paced and the program maintains the integrity of training and learning with personalized experience. Those who finish the program are eligible to teach groups, private clients and corporates too, whether it is in studios, gyms, at retreats or clinical settings.
Yoga and Ayurveda Center
This is a registered yoga school with Yoga Alliance and is recommended for those who want a personal experience. Their mission is to make yoga teacher training affordable and accessible. They boast of preserving the authenticity of ancient yogic wisdom while enabling you to become a professional.
The training has 588 lessons with lifelong access to course materials and the curriculum. The program offers the most bonuses for an online training course and has over 800 certified yoga teachers internationally. This course is all about integrating the mind and body and bringing greater consciousness to each movement of the body with an emphasis on the breath.
It is a self-paced course where you will learn about vinyasa, meditation, inquiry, restorative yoga, chair yoga, Ayurveda and over 100 asanas from nine different categories. To get the certification, you must complete the final teaching project or certify by exam, five class plans and home practice logs.
For a limited time, you can get these for free.
- Restorative Yoga Teacher Certification
- Chair Yoga Teacher Certification
- Ayurveda Specialist Certification
- 10 Days of Meditation Enrollment
Uplifted Yoga by Brett Larkin
This one is not approved by Yoga Alliance but Brett Larkin has a good reputation.
This 200-hour yoga training course is done through a lot of video conferencing which will induct you into their online community. You can study at your own pace and have access to study materials and resources indefinitely, which is an added asset.
The course is focussed on different core features like interactive learning where you can get to know other students and instructors, which is why the size of each class is limited. You will learn about sutras and tantric yoga to uncover your unique style of teaching. You get to learn about the field of fascia which is the inter-connective tissue running through the entire human body. This links yoga with modern medicine. You will also learn about the anatomy of the human body and gain knowledge about the chakras and koshas and bandhas. You will also learn about meditation and perhaps develop your own style of meditation. This is the only course with the option of live training.
You get over six hours of live video calls with students every week. You can practice teaching over a webcam and also access their paper manual and workbooks. The commitment is for eight to 10 hours a week with a total of 16 weeks over four months.
Yoga Renew by Nadia Goudy
This is a Yoga Alliance approved YTT 200 certification course. It offers the opportunity to practice and understand yoga. It is designed to give you a strong foundation of the philosophy and practice of yoga through videos, readings, workbooks, handouts and lectures. Nadia Goudy, who leads the team, is a yoga teacher and owner or Recharge Corporate Yoga. It is a company that works towards bringing mindfulness to the workplace.
During the course, you will learn about the history and philosophy of yoga, the sutras, yogic anatomy, eight different styles of yoga, six principles of yogic alignment, five categories of asanas, five bandhas and advanced study of more than 50 asanas or poses. You will also learn about adjustments and modifications for each of them. The course includes learning about teaching cues, sequencing, meditation, chakra yoga therapy and injuries.
You will receive weekly emails with guides, sequence ideas, quotes and playlists among other things. It is a self-paced course. They also have 300- and 500-hour programs.
In Conclusion: Yoga Certifications Online
It is true that gyms and fitness centers are popping up everywhere but that demand is being led by many factors like the cost of health insurance and attempts to reduce overheads.
Employers and insurance companies like insuring healthy people because it costs a lot less. So an incentive towards a better lifestyle is hugely profitable to them. But, healthcare costs being what they are, no one needs a huge push towards keeping their health in order.
