6 Steps to Becoming a Successful Yoga Teacher
6 Steps to Becoming a Successful Yoga Teacher
Teaching yoga is not everyone's cup of tea. It involves lot of commitment, rigour and most importantly deep desire to become a yoga teacher. Many exercise enthusiasts inadvertently believe that just by taking up yoga teacher training in India they will become successful teachers. The place, however, will not be a sufficient qualification for becoming a yoga teacher. To become a certified yoga instructor, you need to find the right course, most suited to you and then look for a teacher who can make you learn the course. Also you need to remember that career in yoga is to be pursued for satisfying the soul first and then for making a living.
Theoretically, for becoming a yoga teacher you need to get acquainted with exercise. Then you need to take up a minimum 200 hour yoga teacher training course under an experienced teacher; and you are ready to start teaching. But in practicality there is more to it than just taking a course.
Here are 6 steps to help become a successful yoga teacher
1. Find your purpose:
As mentioned above, exercise demands lot of grit, commitment and discipline. If your decision is based on a passing fad or some whims, it won't be able to last long. Also, remember that not all exercise experts become yoga teachers - teaching cannot be the outcome of expertise alone. Become a teacher, only if you truly believe that you should become one.
2. Select Your Course:
Yoga has diverse styles - Iyengar, bikram, and vinyasana and even many blended and hybrid styles. To become a teacher you should pick one or two styles and build your expertise. Choose a style which matches your personality. Finalizing the style will help you with your next step that of identifying the right teacher.
3. Find the right guru:
As mentioned above coming to India alone will not suffice although it has its significance. India is the birthplace of yoga and some teachers here even have the knowledge handed down to them by the gurus of this great knowledge. But it is important to remember that it's the teacher who is most important. With the right teacher, your inners senses will be evoked and you will find true meaning of yoga.
4. Plan for the course:
Yoga courses, be it for 200 hours or the 500 hours are spread over months. Schedule your course at such a time when you can slip away from your work/routine comfortably. Most exercise institutes and retreats offer courses round the year so you have lot of options. You also need to plan your financials in advance as not just will there be travel and course expenses; you need to have enough money to run you through comfortably after loss of income because of your time off from work.
5. Decide whether you want a deeper dive at this point:
Many workout enthusiasts go ahead and start teaching as soon as they complete the 200 hour course. Although you will need more in depth knowledge to teach at serious level but you can definitely take beginner classes in your locality. This will also help you decide whether or not you want to continue teaching yoga. If you really enjoy it, you can come back and take up longer study.
6. Find your yoga niche:
Once you take your courses and become a certified yoga instructor, it's time to establish your practice. You should create your own niche - this could be creating a group of regulars through some unique style of teaching or focusing on a particular group of people say athletes and addressing their specific needs. Find something that helps get you word of mouth and makes people come back to you.
There are many places in India offering certified yoga instructor training - most popular ones being exercise retreats in Goa, Dharmashala and Rishikesh. All these cities boast of a unique environment fit for learning this great knowledge and some exceptional teachers . To become a yoga teacher you can pick any of the successful exercise schools being run here.
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