Building Career in YOGA from Zero

Part 1: Getting certified

This article is for people who are aspiring to be yoga instructors, yoga therapists, meditation teachers, wanting to know more on yoga, just for getting the experience of teaching or basically anything related to Yoga. Will be divided in parts

I am going to break it down in a simple way for all of you. Please note that whatever I am sharing is as per my knowledge and if there’s anything extra that yoga teachers out there want to share, please mention the same in the comments sections or mail me. I would love to learn more about it.

Assuming that you have never been in yoga before or you have been practicing in yoga classes only or you have just started & very inflexible, in one word “Beginner” in Yoga. First thing you need to ask yourself is “Am I really interested in knowing more about Yoga?” If your answer is Yes or Not sure then go ahead and read (You can read it otherwise also :P).

1) Where to start & How to start?

The first thing you need to do in order to know about yoga is Join a good yoga class and see if you are enjoying it for a few months or you can directly look for a beginner yoga Teacher Training Course (TTC). Now, there are some institutes that provide TTC’s for intermediate to advance levels only while some have both beginner & advance levels. How will you know which one is right for you? Before this question you have to decide which certification do you want to do.

Below are the details you need to know on types of certifications -

· Quality Council of India (QCI): This is the certification you need if you are an Indian resident or if you are planning to teach yoga in India. (Personally, I have not taken certification from QCI as I don’t think it makes much of a difference. Mail me for further discussion on the same)

· Yoga Alliance Certification: This is an international certification which is applicable everywhere around the world. Once you get this you can term yourself as “International Yoga teacher.” You can either get a permanent one after doing a TTC at yoga school that provide this certification or you can give an online exam and renew it every month.

(I advise to take a permanent one as renewal fees every month is a lot and who wants to give exam every month? :P)

Note: There may be other certifications also but these two are the top one’s from Yoga teachers point of view.

2) How to choose the right institute?

· List down the best institutes from Google. Few good Examples in India: The Yoga Institute, Mumbai. Indea Yoga, Mysuru. Bihar school of Yoga, Bihar. Himalayan Yoga Association, Rishikesh. Asan Yoga school, Goa. This is my personal list which I know are having good reviews & Teacher training courses for all levels. (Links of website mentioned in the end)

· See the certifications they offer QCI or Yoga alliance (Yoga alliance is anytime better)

· Look for teacher training courses they offer. Examples are: 21 days, 100-hour, 200-hour, 300-hour, 500-hour etc.

· Choose the style you want to practice. Example: Multi- style yoga, Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa, Meditation etc. These styles will be mentioned like- “200-hour ttc in Multi-style yoga” “500-hour ttc in Ashtanga Yoga” etc. on the website of the that particular institute or you can simply call them and ask about the same.

· Once you are done with the above steps- look for the fees & ask them about the schedule and timings of the teacher training course or you can simply search for the same on their website.

3) How will you know which institute is the right one for you?

· If you practice yoga you must know your level. For example, if you are able to do poses like Headstand, handstand, wheel pose or difficult poses where you need a lot of strength & flexibility you are considered advanced level. To know your level, you can refer to the book “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati.

· Now that you know your level, see on the website of the institute if they have TTC’s for Beginners or Intermediates or simply call them and ask if TTC is available for your level, what kind of certification is given, when does it start and end, fees etc.

· Once you feel a particular institute suits your level & your area of interest (example: hatha yoga, Ashtanga yoga etc.) plus gives you the certification needed you can go ahead with that institute.

I have done my certifications from The Yoga Institute, Mumbai (900 hour TTC) and Asan Yoga School, Goa (200 hour) both are in Multi-style and currently going for Himalayan Yoga Association, Rishikesh (500 hour) in Ashtanga Vinyasa. Mail me to know why I chose these institutes for me & their reviews.

List of Yoga Schools I have done or will be doing my certifications from-

1) The Yoga Institute, Mumbai - http://theyogainstitute.org/

2) Indea Yoga, Mysuru - http://www.indeayoga.com/

3) Bihar school of Yoga, Bihar - http://www.biharyoga.net/bihar-school-of-yoga/about-bsy/

4) Himalayan Yoga Association, Rishikesh - https://www.himalayanyogaashram.com

5) Asan Yoga school, Goa - http://www.asanyoga.com/

Part 2 will be on what to do once you are certified and how can you grow.

Thank you for reading.

Nikita Shinde