Do Yoga Teachers Need To Be Certified? Yes & No! (FAQ About Instructor Certification Requirements)

A question sooooo many yogis (and yoga teacher training students) have is, do I need to be certified to teach yoga? And while technically, yoga teachers are not required to have a certification, it's really not that simple. The reason why it's not black and white is that to actually get a job teaching yoga, yes, yoga teachers must have a certification to prove that they have the skills and knowledge required to lead students in a yoga class. Make sense? So essentially, yes, yoga teachers must complete a yoga certification course and hold a yoga teaching certificate. Or rather, to be employable as a yoga teacher, you will need to have successfully completed a minimum of 200 hours of yoga teacher training. If you’ve been curious to learn more about the certification requirements that yoga teachers should meet to actually get hired as a yoga teacher, after YTT, this is for you! Article content: (Click on any link below to jump directly to section)

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Do yoga teachers need to be certified to teach yoga?

Yoga teachers technically don't need a certification of any kind because yoga is not a regulated industry. However, yoga studios require that their teachers have a certification to ensure that their students are being guided safely and sensibly through class by a certified yoga instructor.

Why yoga teachers should have a teaching certificate to get a job

Yoga studios want to know that their yoga teachers are competent in guiding students through asana classes skillfully and safely. This is ultimately why yes, yoga teachers should have a certification to actually get a job.

Anyone who successfully completes a YTT will be a Certified Yoga Teacher because all yoga schools issue their graduates a certification.

Is 200 hours of training enough to teach yoga?

A 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) is the minimum training and certification employers are looking for. It is the foundational education necessary for yoga teachers to guide students skillfully through yoga classes. Any yoga teacher who completes a 200-hour course will be certified at the 200-hour level – they will be a CYT-200.

Nearly all studios, yoga students, yoga apps, and online yoga platforms will look for a foundational 200-hour yoga teacher training certification to consider you for a yoga teaching job .

Of course, having advanced yoga certifications can make a yoga instructor an even more ideal candidate when it comes to getting hired, but a 200-hour certification is indeed enough to begin teaching in a professional setting.

How long it takes to get certified

You can complete a 200-hour intensive in-person training in four weeks. There are two main formats of YTT – intensive and part-time. Here's an estimate for how long it takes to get certified at the 200-hour, 300-hour, and 500-hour certification levels:

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