You want to teach yoga? This is what you should know

A guest article by Frauke Dietrich

You should meet these requirements for yoga teacher training

If you are passionate about yoga, you may have already thought about training to be a yoga teacher. And while thinking about it, you probably had questions like these: Am I experienced enough to be a yoga teacher? Is it bad that I don't yet know any advanced poses? Can I complete a yoga training course even if I don't want to teach myself afterwards?

This is the case for many yoga enthusiasts who want to embark on the experience of yoga training. This article is intended to help you find out whether you are ready for your yoga teacher training.

You are passionate about practicing yoga and want to learn more about yoga teachings

Of course, you should enjoy practicing yoga regularly before you start training to become a yoga teacher. Perhaps you have already looked into yoga teachings in more detail? While yoga courses in Germany are usually limited to asana practice with a little meditation or breathing exercises, in a yoga training course you will delve much deeper into this teaching that is thousands of years old. You will learn more about the history and philosophy of yoga as well as its spiritual aspects. In anatomy classes you will also learn about the human body and the positive effects that yoga can have on it. A large part of the training is about deepening your own asana practice and teaching the various poses.

The fact that you would like to share your passion for yoga with other people also suggests that a yoga training course could be the right thing for you. As a yoga teacher, you can pass on your enthusiasm to your students and let them benefit from the many positive qualities of yoga. However, it is of course not a must that you work as a yoga teacher after your training - many yogis complete this type of training to deepen their own yoga practice without wanting to teach afterwards.

You have several months of yoga experience

To complete a yoga teacher training course, you don't have to be able to perform the most acrobatic poses or quote the Yoga Sutra. After all, your training is about deepening your knowledge of yoga teachings and developing yourself further. And even after your training, it is not necessary that you can perform all the asanas perfectly yourself.

During your training you will develop in many ways, but one or another pose may just not work (yet) - and that's not a bad thing at all. Of course it helps if you can demonstrate a certain asana to your students, but as a yoga teacher it is much more important that you can guide your students correctly and safely.

However, a yoga training course doesn't make sense if you're a complete yoga beginner. Therefore, you should already have a few months of regular experience. Many basic yoga training courses require 6 to 12 months of yoga experience. For more advanced training courses, you will also need more extensive yoga experience.

You want to embark on your personal yoga adventure

During your yoga training, you will not only develop further in terms of content and physical skills. A lot more will change in your life and this can indeed be an adventure. A yoga teacher training is also very emotionally moving, as you deal a lot with your relationship with yourself and the people around you. You will grow beyond yourself in many ways and have to leave your comfort zone now and then.

After your training, you may integrate new rituals into your everyday life and change a few habits. You will probably also meet lots of great new people who will accompany you on your yoga journey from now on. And maybe you will even work as a yoga teacher afterwards and experience a change in your professional life. So you should only get involved in yoga training if you are ready to embark on your own personal yoga adventure.

You are healthy and fit

As already mentioned, you don't have to be a yoga pro to train as a yoga teacher. However, it is important that you are physically healthy and have a certain level of basic fitness. Your yoga training will be quite strenuous: In an intensive course, the day often begins at 6 a.m. with a two-hour asana practice before breakfast. And you will also spend more time on the mat throughout the day - almost every day over a period of several weeks. Therefore, you should be in generally good physical shape.

You probably already meet this requirement if you have been practicing yoga for some time and are thinking about training. In addition to the physical strain, yoga training is also very mentally demanding. In a short space of time, you will learn and process a lot of new things, which can be very challenging. In addition, your training involves a lot of self-examination, which can also be emotionally upsetting. Therefore, you should feel healthy both physically and mentally before you start yoga training.

You want to invest time and money in your yoga training

To become a yoga teacher, you have to invest a lot of time. A basic yoga training course usually includes 200 hours of lessons. These can extend over a period of just under a month in an intensive course or over several months in a weekend course. This means that you either have to sacrifice a large part of your annual vacation or many weekends for your yoga training.

In addition, yoga training is not a cheap matter. For training in Germany, you should expect to pay around €3,500, while abroad, for example in India, it can be significantly cheaper. In addition, you may need course materials for the lessons, such as books, a yoga mat, blocks or straps. If your training takes place abroad, you should also factor in the travel costs for the flight.

Conclusion

Ultimately, only you can decide for yourself whether you feel ready for yoga training. Only you can also evaluate whether you can and want to make the time and financial commitment. It is important when considering this that you do not compare yourself to other yogis. The person sitting next to you on the mat in the yoga studio is much more flexible and experienced than you? Perhaps she has been practicing yoga regularly for 10 years, which is why it is only natural that she will master new asanas more quickly. But this does not mean that you are not just as suitable for your yoga training. After all, your training is there to help you develop yourself.

It is also not necessary that you want to work as a yoga teacher afterwards in order to start a yoga training course. There are actually many yogis who use a training course purely for their own personal development. Maybe you enjoy teaching and work as a yoga teacher after the training, maybe not - and both are perfectly fine. Finally, you should listen to your heart. If you have been thinking about training for a while, there will be a reason for it. Maybe a yoga adventure like this is just right for you?