Do I need to be a certified yoga teacher in order to teach Yoga classes?

Question

Hi
I have been practicing Yoga for a while and feel confident enough to teach some basic poses. Does anyone know if I need to be a certified Yoga instructor in order to teach?

Thank you

Answer 1

Hi Tonya,
You don't have to be a certified yoga instructor to teach yoga. There is no regulation out there that requires it. However, it would be better if you got some training because yoga isn't just about poses. It is about controlling your breath, controlling your motion and working the body up to a state when it is ready for meditation.
Getting lesson on teaching will help you understand the following:
a. complications of the poses,
b. how to use the proper language to guide your students
c. how to modify the poses so that the students don't get hurt - or if you have students with medical conditions.
d. adjust your students so they get the full benefit of the pose
e. the sequence of the poses
f. adjust your class for beginners/intermediate/advanced.
g. the meaning of the poses and the meaning of the phrases used.
As a yoga instructor myself, the most challenging classes are classes that I give to beginners. This is because they are relying on me to set them right and if I impart the wrong information to them, then they may very well be practising in the incorrect manner for a long time - and therefore maybe even hurting themselves.
All this being said, I know a lot of yoga instructors who have not gone through any sort of yoga school and they've done very well. You can go to www.yogafit.com to get some piecemeal training. This will help to give you some greater groundwork in yoga. But you don't need to go all the way to get your certification.
All the best!
Alex

Answer 2

i feel it wld b better if u wer certified.