Yoga teacher job in detail. From licensing and first teaching experience to online classes

When you think about becoming a yoga instructor, the first thing that comes to mind is that it is impossible to find students without experience. Is it really? There are many talented yoga teachers who started somehow. Perhaps you will be one of them, you just have to try.

How to become a yoga instructor in Canada?

Yoga is gaining more and more popularity and it is no longer possible to imagine a notice board where there would be no pair of certified yoga instructors’ ads.

The demand for yoga lessons is high now. Healthy food, proper breathing, meditation, and body stretching are all yoga trends that catch many people and make them look for yoga instructors near their homes.

However, you need to understand that there are many offers because of such a demand. In some cases, yoga coaching comes from people who do not know the material well. This greatly undermines the industry's reputation. If a person faces poor service once, they will forever remain critical of any coach.

To become a successful yoga teacher, you need to understand why people want to do yoga. There are many reasons, including the yoga trend. The main ones are:

• Improving physical fitness. Many people see practical yoga as a sport. They are looking for yoga classes to develop strength, flexibility, and endurance. These students quickly lose interest if you offer them to meditate or talk about a vegetarian diet. In order not to lose them, it is important to gradually involve them in Shavasana and talk about its benefits.
• Calmness and sound sleep. There are also the opposite cases when students perceive yoga as something mysterious, which, by sitting in the lotus position, helps to overcome stress. The main thing here is to explain to a person the importance of physical exercise, that it is the combination of yoga training and meditation that gives a calming result and helps to sleep well.
• Often the referral to yoga is given by physicians therapists. Then your students want quick results. If yoga to lose weight, then in a couple of weeks, if yoga for better sleep, then in a couple of days. There is a risk that disappointment will come faster than results. You need to be able to identify these people and inspire them so that they do not quit.

At the yoga teacher job, you must understand that the romantic halo of yoga is exaggerated and after a month your students do not become completely flexible and peaceful. Instead, they face the need to work hard and change their lifestyle. And your task is to support them in this way.

At the moment a person comes to you for the first time, you should give them the clearest idea of what you teach and why yoga is good. Describe to your students how the class is going and when to expect changes in the body and mind. But the main thing is to find out from them why they came to yoga. This will help you work successfully and become a professional yoga instructor.

How to get certified to teach yoga?

Teaching yoga in Canada does not require you to be licensed or certified. Despite this, the yoga teacher’s course can be a great investment in yourself. You will be able to study different directions of yoga and choose the one in which you are most comfortable. Usually, people start practicing with Hatha yoga, Bikram yoga, Ashtanga yoga, etc.

You can find a huge number of yoga instructor training programs on the internet. Some of them are really educational and you will learn how to teach yoga. Most yoga training schools will offer you the minimum acceptable standard that a qualified yoga instructor’s course must meet. If you decide to get a yoga teacher certificate, then the best solution would be choosing the international yoga schools that offer detailed and informative programs.

Such courses will allow you to prepare yourself, go through all the stages so that you better understand what your students are failing in and how to help them improve. They often include the basics of physiology and pedagogy and you will gain a better understanding of the process of designing a yoga training program. 

You may also consider membership in international organizations such as the Yoga Alliance. It costs about US$ 50 for application and US$ 65 annually and can give you a lot of benefits in front of your students. In fact, to be a yoga instructor you need professional liability insurance more than yoga teacher certification. Yoga liability insurance saves you from lawsuits in the case of injuries that will definitely be. 

Many yoga fans are starting their yoga business without taking instructor training. They gain a lot of experience, study yoga from the inside in order to have enough competence to teach. At the same time, your extensive experience as a yoga practitioner does not make you a good coach. You will definitely have students who do not succeed in yoga. Especially if everything turned out easy for you, you will hardly be able to explain how to perform a particular asana. To prepare yourself, go through all the stages so that you can explain every step to your students. As long as you have all yoga poses and hard exercises in your memory, you will be a good instructor for beginners. 

Beginner yoga instructor vs experienced one

Thus, how to start a yoga business will require you to go through all the stages from becoming a yoga teacher to a professional with extensive experience. The first thought that comes when a yoga teacher is looking for work is that all students will go to coaches with many years of experience. This could mean that you have to work at some local yoga studio for a long time and for little money until you can add a "yoga teacher with 5 years experience" to your portfolio. In fact, if you compare you will find that a yoga resume with no experience has also plenty of advantages.

Everyone strives to get into the class of the yoga guru whose name is spread by word of mouth. Most likely they work with large groups of people and are able to give them a minimum of attention. Also, if there are too many applicants they will not be able to get into the classes. The yoga instructor who takes the first steps in yoga accepts small groups of people and does not overpriced. It is easier for them to adjust the schedule so that students can definitely get to the lesson.

The closer a person is to the moment of beginning, the better they remember how hard the first yoga poses and concentration were reached. A beginner yoga instructor will provide adequate support and pay attention to all students. It will be much easier for you than for an experienced instructor to explain to a beginner how to train balance, how to go through stretching, and how not to lose concentration when meditating.

An experienced yoga teacher's job requires paying more attention to the technique of performing yoga exercises. They will show at what moment to inhale and exhale, how to move smoothly from one position to another. These are extremely important points, without them, students cannot improve themself, but they only are able to catch it after some time.

With the years of experience, you run the risk of professional burnout. Imagine three-group daily sessions where you have to teach similar yoga exercises and make the same remarks over and over again. When you lose your passion, your students will notice. At this point, you already have to think about the next stage. For example, train an advanced yoga class, use additional equipment, and expand your practices.

The newly minted instructor will always take on a yoga lesson with passion. Even if you cannot explain or show some asana, then invite your students to explore this path with you. Students who are maximally involved in the process are unlikely to lose interest to your yoga classes. But be careful! If the instructor sets a task the way that students do not understand they can not perform it well. 

When people are looking for a yoga teacher for beginners, they do not always understand a lot of terms that are used in training and meditation. To begin with, it will be enough for you to explain what asana is and what Namaste means. Possible that your students will be captured by all those trendy terms but the main thing could be missed. After a while, they may think there is no essence behind beautiful words and will go to another yoga salon.

Over time, you will explore more complex yoga techniques and become more effective to focus attention on more and more points.

As you can see, a lot depends on your organizing skills. If you can set up your business of yoga - rent a studio or find an outdoor place, purchase enough yoga mats and other equipment and make a good profile on the Fee4Bee, then people will come to you too. 

Become a yoga instructor online

Сonsidering the recent pandemic, it is a good idea to teach yoga online. The increasing popularity of yoga classes online is attributed to the ease and convenience with which people are able to access these programs. You may opt to make yoga lessons available online and it will definitely expand your audience. While some seek to supplement their existing yoga classes, there are teachers who wish to establish a full-fledged yoga business that can be offered remotely anywhere, anytime.

It is quite feasible to offer yoga lessons online as long as you are equipped with basic technical means - webcam, microphone, lighting, and proper room. Finding a suitable video conferencing software shouldn't be hard either, as long as everyone, even kids have been using it in the last few years. You can also upload your yoga lessons via video files so that your students have constant access to them.

The great advantage of online yoga teaching jobs will be achieved if your students can see the records of their yoga practice and notice their mistakes. Thus, learning will go faster. However, there are some limitations to how you can provide online yoga lessons. You will have to explain in great detail how to do the asana correctly and which muscles should be involved. Since you will be offering your yoga classes online, you must ensure that your content is engaging and suitable enough for remote users. 

Today, the yoga industry is actively developing, raising a lot of great trainers and practitioners. If you are interested in how to become a yoga trainer seriously then make your move and you will succeed.