Any Yoga Instructors here?

[babuji]

I was wondering if there are any certified Yoga Instructors in these forums (doesn't matter what style). I currently have been practicing Hatha Yoga for the past two years and informally teaching it to friends, family, young children for about 1.5 years now.

I am more in tune with the spiritual benefits of Yoga, Pranayama and Meditation than with the physical benefits, but I do see that the physical aspect of Yoga is what is most attractive to people who are looking into it.

Nevertheless, I see that teaching this to the masses (and getting paid for it) is related to my purpose in life.

I am not a certified teacher, but I truly believe that I can provide great insight to people (especially children) while teaching it, as I've been doing this informally.

For those of you who teach at the moment, would you suggest that getting certified is the best route to go at the moment? The problem I see is that certification requires 200+ hours of class time and would probably take upwards of a year to complete.

I would like to do this full-time soon but was wondering if not being certified would be a roadblock for this process?

Your thoughts welcome.

[AndyMartin]

I'm not certified, but I have received instructor training in Ashtanga. You will get so much out of good teacher training that will expand your personal practice as well as your ability to lead others in practice. There is so much more to yoga than just mimicking postures; a good teacher will convey that as well, which means a good teacher needs a deep personal practice and a strong understanding of yoga as a system. You can never learn too much. My teacher is 63 and he's been practicing since he was 7, and his practice is still evolving.

What you get out of certification is a credential that you have been properly taught how to safely make adjustments. That's really important; the number of yoga-related injuries--even from experienced teachers--is staggering. And comes from an approach that is antithetical to what yoga should be, but that's a rant for a different thread.

In any case, as a business dealing with people's bodies you are going to need to carry liability insurance. That is an absolute must, and I would expect them to require certification to underwrite you. Or at least to penalize you for not.

One final thought: Whether you will find opportunities to teach professionally without a certificate will depend on the studios in your area. And whatever your long term goal, you are probably going to want to teach at the studios to build experience and reputation and to fill in your schedule.

In other words, it's only going to help you.

Good luck!
Andy

[HolisticWellness.com]

Hi! You might want to post this question on my site. We list yoga instructors and other practitioners.
Kristin
Holistic Wellness :: Index

[Ibanez]

I have a question about yoga poses. For warrior II and such do you align the heels of the feet to each other? Or do you align the 90degree angle leg with the center of the arch of the foot that is turned inward?

[Cassie]

Depending on which side you're working, your foot in front has toes pointing staight out and your foot in back is pigeon-toed. Heres a photo.
Warrior II

My yoga teacher is amazing. She's in her late 70's and studied extensively with yogis in India. She has really been encouraging me to get my certification as well. I teach hatha yoga informally to friends and family.

[babuji]

Thanks Andy, I suppose you're right.. getting certified can only help me.. even if it's a refresher on what I already know.. and I'm sure there'll be things that I'll learn along the way as well.

You made a good point about getting liability insurance.. That is definitely a must when pursuing a teacher's role. I've looked into it and there are plenty of places for teacher certification here in New York.

Thanks.