10 Questions You Need To Ask Before Taking A Yoga Instructor Course

Yoga’s popularity is continuously expanding throughout the world. So many people are getting into yoga practice due to its many health benefits and positive impact on life. With that said, a lot of individuals have also been interested in going beyond the life of being a yoga student to become a registered yoga teacher.

Since you’re here, it means you’re already a part of that equation.

It’s good that you are considering becoming a yoga teacher! It’s a wonderful opportunity to further explore the vast world of yoga. It’s a promising career that is both fulfilling and enjoyable to do. However, for you to become a successful yoga teacher you must increase your knowledge and experience in the field of yoga. That will take place through the process of yoga teacher training.

What is a yoga teacher training course?

Yoga teacher training is a process that you must go through to become a yoga teacher. You will be taking a yoga teacher course wherein you will be learning the philosophy of yoga as well as its anatomy and physiology. A lot of yoga studios offer a Yoga Alliance-certified 200 hour teacher training course in which, upon completion, you will be receiving a certification showing that you are a registered yoga teacher.

To be frank, teacher training is not going to be easy. There will be challenging moments that will make it possible for you to ponder if you’re still willing to go on or not. However, what’s sure is that as long as you are dedicated to finishing the course, it will all be worth it in the end.

What are the 10 questions you need to ask before getting into yoga teacher training?

Wanting to become a certified yoga teacher is a good ambition. However, it can also be quite an overwhelming adventure to take on especially if you have the type of personality that is anxious about meeting or talking to new people. Yoga is a very personal and social workout so being a yoga instructor involves a lot of interaction with other yoga practitioners.

Also, if you are a yoga beginner at heart, you probably are not familiar with the entirety of yoga yet. You might have a lot of questions in your head about yoga teacher training and you know what? That’s good. Being curious is the first step to learning new things. Asking these questions and having them answered will determine if the path of becoming a yoga teacher is the right one for you.

If you are not sure what to ask yet, here are some tips on what you should ask before taking teacher training courses:

1. Why do you want to join yoga teacher training?

This question will establish your intent on taking a teacher training course. What exactly is or are the reasons why you want to become a yoga teacher? Do you want to learn more about the art of yoga or do you simply have a passion for teaching other people? These could be possible reasons and so do many other things. Knowing your intent will help measure your motivation towards taking this course. Having a sense of purpose make things more meaningful. This training program is not as easy as pie, so reminding yourself of why you joined in the first place will help you push through with it.

2. Is your interest in learning about yoga in books at the same level as your interest in practicing it?

Learning about yoga in books is different from learning it physically, but both are very crucial in the learning process of an aspiring yoga instructor. In the teacher training course, you will be learning everything about yoga starting from its history, philosophy, anatomy, and physiology, up to the actual execution of the many yoga poses.

You need to ask if yourself if both sections interest you because both play very crucial roles in your road to teaching yoga. Are highly interested in learning yoga in books or does the image of you doing the yoga movements excite you more?

3. Do you know how to manage your time?

Expect that yoga teacher training will be taking a lot of your time. Since this training program also has that “learn at your pace” kind of vibe, this does not invalidate the fact that getting into it will force you to adjust your schedule—whether you’re in it part-time or full time. You need to ask yourself if you know how to balance your time because let’s face it, a lot of us find pleasure in engaging in many activities at a time. If you have other commitments such as work or school, make sure that you can squeeze in your teacher training in your calendar. This is also especially important once you’ve become a yoga teacher and start having one or two regular classes a week.

4. How is your financial situation?

The teacher training course is going to be an investment—a good one. You are indeed going to have to be financially stable as you join the training program because, to be honest, the fee is not going to be cheap. However, the experience will be making it worth it especially if you managed to choose a good yoga school in Singapore with a great teacher training course. Before you head off to registration, assess yourself if you are currently in a good place budget-wise.

5. Are you emotionally and mentally prepared for this?

Life can be a little crazy sometimes which makes us feel stressed and emotionally-drained. Before jumping on to this yoga-teaching adventure, check your emotional and mental status. Are you ready to take on another load? If you’re at your lowest in your life, probably engaging in a new activity like this will be a contributor to the healing process. However, forcing yourself to do something when you’re not ready may also make you feel overwhelmed and quit along the way.

6. Which is the best yoga studio?

To know which yoga school is the best for you, consider the following things such as the training programs they offer and the credibility of the yoga teachers. You need to choose the yoga school that can teach you the things you want to learn about yoga. Also, ensure that the yoga instructors that will be guiding you and mentoring you in your training possess a teaching style that works well for you.

A normal teacher training program runs for 200 hours so you have to make every moment count. You need to gain the kind of experience that will get you to your goal of becoming a successful yoga teacher. Choose the studio that will surely mold your knowledge and skills in practicing yoga.

7. What is the yoga teacher training course curriculum?

The 200-hour teacher training courses cover a lot of different topics and material, depending on the kind of yoga that you want to practice professionally. You don’t have to learn everything all at once, you can opt to focus on the elements that you really want to learn about and be a master of.

For example, teacher training courses include a lot of different yoga styles. You can choose the one that resonates most with you. There is asana pranayama, vinyasa yoga, hatha yoga, ashtanga yoga, and many more. Every yoga style offers its own purpose; some of them involve slow, passive moments, others involve doing continuous and more powerful yoga postures, while there are also those yoga classes that you do in intensely heated studios. It might be overwhelming, especially when you deal with memorizing the yoga postures and their consequent Sanskrit names. But overall it’s going to be a fulfilling and fun experience!

You can choose which yoga teacher training program is the best one for you. The bottom line is to pick the one that’s guaranteed to develop your knowledge of yoga.

8. How should you prepare for yoga teacher training?

One of the most important qualities every yoga teacher should have is being prepared. As a trainee or a yoga student, you must develop that character trait as early as now. Before getting your hands dirty in teacher training yoga classes, you need to get certain things ready.

Know your intent.
Why do you want to get into yoga teacher training? What is your main objective to learn about yoga?

Familiarize yourself with the basic yoga poses.
You don’t have to be a total yoga expert. However, take the time to know about the basic yoga asanas so that it will be easier for you to absorb the things that will be taught to you during teacher training.

Choose your yoga style.
As mentioned previously, you have to choose a particular style of yoga you want to master. There are lots of types and variations and you can learn them all sometime in the future, but it would be better to focus on learning one thing at a time. Do you want to practice vinyasa yoga? How about hatha? If you’re feeling unsure, you can consult a yoga instructor to help you out.

Practice yoga regularly.
Learning is more effective if you apply it to your daily life. For you to develop your yoga skills at a faster rate, commit yourself to practice yoga regularly even before taking the 200-hour yoga teacher training course. This will allow you to be familiarized with yoga.

If you want to know more about how to prepare before yoga teacher training, you can check out this other article.

9. How long should I have practiced yoga before teacher training?

This is a question a lot of people tend to ask. Some are worried that they haven’t practiced yoga enough to take teacher training. It’s normal to worry about that because you will be studying yoga along with other students that want the same thing as you. Before you become a full-fledged yoga teacher, how long of an experience should you have with practicing yoga?

It is highly recommended (but not required) that you have done a year of yoga practice before taking a yoga teacher training course. This will provide you with sufficient knowledge and a personal connection with yoga before you embark on the training program. However, you can practice for even at least six months before training to become a yoga teacher. You just need to establish a good foundation at the beginning so it will be easier for you to progress.

10. Is it worth it to become a yoga instructor?

Finally, the question we have all been waiting for—is it worth it to become a yoga instructor? Are 200 hours of full yoga teacher training going to be worth all the time, money, and effort? What if you fail?

If you are indeed determined to become a yoga teacher, then it is going to be worth it. Yoga teacher training is never easy. It’s a challenge that will exhaust you mentally and physically. However, the silver lining here is that you get to be a part of something great and life-changing. Being able to learn about yoga to teach it to your future yoga students is going to be the best time of your life, especially if you are truly passionate about yoga. Learning is one thing, teaching it is going to be different. But both of those things are going to change and improve you as a person.

The certification with your name on it is definitely going to be rewarding. But the real reward is having been able to surpass all the challenges brought by the 200 hours of teacher training. Once you have come through and reached the finish line, you will be able to look forward to a new chapter in your yoga journey—this time, as a registered yoga instructor.

Get into yoga teacher training now!

If you want to know more about how to become a certified yoga teacher, you can read our next article on how to become a yoga instructor.