Choosing a yoga teacher training
200, 300 or 500 hours
200-hour is the foundation: most teachers' first training, and what studios usually ask for before they hire. It covers practice and technique, how to teach and sequence a class, anatomy, philosophy, and practice teaching with feedback. 300-hour is advanced study for teachers who already hold a 200-hour; the two together make 500 hours. A 500-hour program covers both in one go, for people who know they want to go deep. Continuing education is shorter, a weekend or a week on one subject (prenatal, yin, therapeutics, anatomy), for teachers already teaching.
Intensive, weekends or online
An intensive runs three or four weeks full time, often residential and often abroad: total immersion, but you leave work and home for a month. A weekend program spreads the hours over several months near home, so practice and life grow together. Online and mixed programs cost less and fit around work; ask how much is live with a trainer, because reading bodies in a room and teaching people in front of you are hard to learn on a screen.
Questions to ask before you pay
- Who leads it, and how many of the hours do they teach themselves?
- How many hours are live with a trainer, and how many are reading or video?
- How many trainees are there for each trainer, and how much practice teaching will you do?
- What does the price include (manual, lodging, meals), how much is the deposit, and what are the refund terms if you or they cancel?
- Can you talk to someone who finished it last year?
Yoga Alliance
Many schools are registered with Yoga Alliance, a US nonprofit whose registry lists graduates of registered schools as registered teachers (RYT). It's widely recognized, but it's a registry, not a government license, and in most places no license is needed to teach yoga. If registration matters to you, check that the school is registered for the level you want, and ask whether its format counts.
Pay through the school's own registration page, never by wire transfer to a person, and see our safety tips.
While you train, and after
The āsana study guide teaches the 200 classical postures as B.K.S. Iyengar teaches them, with their Sanskrit, in short lessons, free. The eight limbs of yoga sets out the philosophy most trainings begin with. And when you graduate, how to get your first yoga students is a plan for the first months, with a free class schedule to take bookings.
Questions
- What is a 200-hour yoga teacher training?
- The foundation course for new teachers, and what studios usually ask for before they hire someone. It covers practice and technique, how to teach and sequence a class, anatomy, philosophy, and practice teaching with feedback.
- What is the difference between 200, 300 and 500-hour trainings?
- A 200-hour training is the foundation. A 300-hour training is advanced study for teachers who already hold a 200-hour; the two together make 500 hours. A 500-hour training covers both in one long program.
- How long does a 200-hour training take?
- An intensive runs about three to four weeks, full time, often residential. A weekend program spreads the same hours over several months, so you can keep working. Online and mixed formats vary; the listing gives the dates.
- Do I need to be an advanced practitioner?
- No. You need a steady practice and real interest. Many programs suggest a year or so of regular classes first, and say so on their page; if you are unsure, write to the lead trainer and ask.
- Is an online yoga teacher training worth it?
- It costs less and fits around work and family. What is harder on a screen is reading bodies in a room and teaching people standing in front of you, so ask how much of the course is live with a trainer and how much practice teaching you do.
- What does RYT 200 mean?
- It is a listing in the registry kept by Yoga Alliance, a US nonprofit, for graduates of a school registered with it. The certificate itself comes from the school. Many teachers have both; it is widely recognized, but it is not a government license, and in most places none is needed to teach yoga.
- How do I list my teacher training on Yoga Guide?
- For free: post it under retreats & trainings in the city where it is held, choose its kind (200, 300 or 500-hour, continuing education or online), and add the dates, the price and your registration link. It shows on your city page and here.
Looking for a getaway rather than a qualification? See yoga retreats.