How to Become a Yoga Instructor? NYC Yoga Teacher Training Review
Should I become a yoga teacher? Am I ready for yoga teacher training? I want to become a yoga teacher, how do I choose my training? These are questions I always get after I teach a class since I’ve started teaching.
I completed my 200-hour Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training in NYC at Yoga Vida, and I am still feeling the positive impact of this training on my life.
If you're thinking about yoga instructor training, you're probably wondering if you really should become a yoga teacher, what type you should choose, what to expect, or what you should do after graduation. Don't worry, I'll break it all down here and share my personal experience on how to find a yoga teacher training program and how to become a yoga instructor.
Table of Contents
Should you become a certified yoga teacher and do a yoga teacher training?
Being a student and being a teacher is so different.
There is SO MUCH that goes into a class. Just loving taking classes or practicing for a long time is not enough. Teaching is about sharing your passion of course, but also creating a fun and safe experience for your students. You will have the responsibility of inviting them to move their body in a way that feels good to them.
Before signing up take some time to reflect on your intentions: Why do you want to sign up for yoga teacher training? Are you trying to deepen your practice for yourself or ready to teach? What are you hoping to learn? Why become a yoga teacher? This might change, but it is important to get clear on what brings you there or motivates you.
What is holding you back from signing up for your yoga certification? How much experience is necessary before you get into yoga teacher training? How difficult is it for a beginner yogi at yoga teacher training? What do you need to become a yoga instructor? How hard is it to become a yoga instructor? All of these are valid questions you’re probably asking yourself before getting started!
Don’t overthink it when researching how to become a yoga teacher:
You don't need to be able to do all the poses in the most advanced forms to be a teacher: no one cares, and to be honest, it was hard to touch my feet when bending over for me when I started my training. I just bent my knees and nothing happened.
You don't need to have an at-home practice, but you need to be serious about developing one: You'll have all the tools to understand what a balanced sequence is and what poses feel good for your body, and an at-home practice is a perfect way to start teaching from your own experience and start learning on your own.
You need to be serious about committing to the process beyond the yoga teacher certification: You will get what you put in, so make sure you make plenty of room in your life for it. Don't underestimate this one. When I was doing my YTT, I was working a full-time job in Tech Investment Banking, it was really hard to do both and exhausting physically. Make sure you also allow some time for rest.
You see, there are not many requirements to be a yoga instructor, your attitude makes the difference! Also, don’t even ask yourself “do I have to be certified to teach yoga?”, the answer is yes as you have the responsibility of dealing with people’s bodies!
How to choose a Yoga Teacher Training Program?
When doing research on how to become a certified yoga instructor, it’s easy to be overwhelmed. There are so many types of trainings out there. Not all of them will open the same doors so it is important for you to be clear on what to look for and ask these questions before signing up so that you find the best yoga instructor certification possible:
It is the right type for you? Vinyasa, Hatha, Yin, Restorative, Kundalini... there are SO MANY types out there. Pick something that you have already been practicing for a while.
Is it Yoga Alliance Certified? I really like that my Vinyasa Yoga Certification is recognized everywhere in the world. It is a safer bet to pick a certified training if you want to teach at different studios that the one you trained at but not all types of traditions are recognized so keep an open mind.
How long does it take to become a yoga instructor with this training? Is it intensive or week-ends? I personally chose week-ends over a longer period to have plenty of time to practice and digest the information. I really appreciated my part-time yoga teacher training.
How do you feel about the studio and teachers who are hosting the training? This one is so important! The people you'll meet in your training will be part of your network and a lot of studios hire students from their teacher trainings.
How much is yoga teacher training? While this depends a lot, make sure you budget accordingly as most trainings are in the low four figures. A lot of places offer scholarships or discounts if you work for them a few hours a week.
Choosing the best yoga teacher training program is important as it will set you apart from other teachers in the long run! So consider it an investment and don’t choose only based on price!
Additionally, you should check out the curriculum and see if these points are present in your yoga instructor course:
A strong anatomy foundation: You ultimately have the responsibility of having people move in a way that is physically safe for them. Unfortunately, that is not the case for all trainings. Ask studios what their sequencing rules are. Yoga is a very dangerous physical activity when done unsafely, it is your responsibility to train yourself to not hurt people.
A good understanding of philosophy and culture: It is not (only) a workout. You need to understand the culture behind it as well as the philosophy component. Check the reading list and make sure you will be given some context.
Hands-on experience: You need to actually observe and touch people. A LOT. Every body is different and everyone moves in a way that is unique to them. You can't craft sequences only because they feel good to you and then expect them to work for someone else who is completely different. You can't force a body to go into a pose, you need to change the pose to fit the body. The more people you adjust and observe, the more you'll learn to teach yoga. Check that there is a LOT of hands-on experience in your yoga teacher training courses.
What is Yoga Teacher Training like?
It is such a transformative experience, but you need to put the work in to see the results. Don't expect your life to change suddenly, but rather to see some progressive changes. Although everyone is different here are a few things I think you can expect when you are training to become a yoga instructor:
You will connect with like-minded people: My training was a super diverse and supportive group of around 30 women (and one man!). It was awesome connecting with them and I still regularly see them at the studio.
You will deepen your understanding of the practice beyond asana (the physical postures): in my training we had modules about meditation, breathwork, pregnancy... and a lot of visiting teachers from different traditions.
You will learn about the body: This one will mess you up for life. Now I am constantly looking at people's postures everywhere I go. Luckily I also did a lot of work on not giving unwanted advice so no one needs to know! One of the skills you learn while training to be a yoga instructor is to give adjustments so that they serve the student and not your ego.
You will never be able to take a class the same way again: Every class will be a learning experience for you, you will often take mental notes of what you enjoyed and apply them in your own classes. Since YTT, I understand more clearly what I enjoy or not in a class, and I am way more specific about the classes I take.
You will be very tired: Is yoga teacher training hard? Yes, it is an intense physical experience. Being a yoga teacher is intense too. Make sure you are ready for it. My best advice here will be to plan a lot of time off so that you can recover, especially in the evenings. Invest in a good mat that is very grippy, you’ll be spending a lot of time on it, and you don’t want to slip and injure yourself.
What should you do after graduation?
Go teach! Sure, there are a lot of YTT graduates out there but there are also so many yoga teacher jobs and opportunities. I personally think 200-hours is not enough and that you need concrete hands-on experience. When researching how to get yoga certified, you might want to look into this as well! This is why I enrolled in a 100-hour mentorship program with Yoga Vida in NYC right after graduation. Alternatively, you could host classes for your friends or just jump right in and teach at a studio.
On my side I am currently a part-time yoga instructor (the other part being taken by creating online content!) and mostly do online private yoga classes, although this might change.
Click here to see my best tips about teaching your first yoga class!
My Yoga Teacher Training review:
I LOVED doing my yoga teacher training at Yoga Vida in NYC and I always come back to the studio. I knew right I was going to study to be a yoga teacher there after the first donation-based community class I took there. I didn't even visit the other studios I selected for my vinyasa yoga teacher training in New York.
I 100% recommend the Yoga Vida Teacher Training and feel it is one of the best yoga teacher training programs out there. Here is why:
Each student shares a mentor teacher with a few other students. I loved having a single person to send my questions to.
Students have to practice teaching and adjusting on each other after class.
You learn how to create safe sequences that do not hurt anyone.
You are part of an active and awesome community: a lot of my classmates teach at the studio today
They are awesome at offering financial help to those who need it with their Karma Yoga program, and they also offer a BIPOC scholarship!
Finding the best yoga certification for you is important, so make sure you take some time to find a studio you love.
So, should you consider becoming a yoga instructor? I hope this yoga teacher training blog post motivated you and left you feeling empowered and gave you plenty of tips! Go check out Yoga Vida in New York.
I enjoyed sharing tips on how to become yoga certified with you and I'd love to hear about yours! Did you do a YTT? What did you wish you knew before signing up?