How To Become A Yoga Instructor Online In 7 Steps
Jennifer Aniston, Madonna, and Gwyneth Paltrow. What do all these celebrities have in common, apart from their celebrity status? They all do Yoga of course! If you know your Ashtanga from your Vinyasa, have you thought about how to become a yoga instructor online?
This is a $16 billion industry and if you’re a practicing yogi, could be an industry to cash in on.
Not only will you be able to get your certificate online, but you’ll also be able to bring the meditative benefits of yoga to a wider audience.
How To Become A Yoga Instructor Online
1. Do Some Research On What You Need To Get Started
2. Obtain Your Yoga Certification
3. Set Up Your Yoga Practice
4. Get Your Yoga Business Online
5. Develop A Marketing Strategy
6. Register With The Local or International Bodies
7. Get Clients And Build A Network
DISCLOSURE
Some of the links here are affiliate links, and I may earn if you click on them AT NO EXTRA cost to you. I hope you find the information here helpful! Thanks.
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1. Do Some Research On What You Need To Get Started
Before you start stretching online, first you need to do some research to decide how far you’d like to take this new venture.
- Are you starting this as a side hustle?
- If so, how much time do you have a week to run classes?
Remember, people doing classes also have to work so you’ll need to time your classes around the regular workday.
What this means is that you may have to run classes early in the morning, and in the evening.
Have a look at yoga studios near you to see what their schedules are like.
This will give you a good idea of the kinds of schedules people take classes at, and you’ll be able to see if the schedule is something you’ll be able to emulate.
Another part of your research is going to be around your practice of yoga.
Have you practiced yoga for a while or will this be a brand new venture?
If you’re new to this, you will have to build up your practice so that you’ll have a deep understanding of yoga and how it can help your students.
Becoming a yoga instructor online doesn’t mean that you have to have years of yoga knowledge, but some will help you as you get started.
As part of your research, have a look at successful yoga instructors, and how they started their businesses.
Some to have a look at are:
Another part of your research will be looking into the style of yoga you’d like to focus on.
No, this isn’t a complete necessity, but with such a wide range of styles, focusing on a handful of styles will help you build your practice and create some structure to your teaching.
If you’ve been practicing for a while, the obvious step would be to teach the style you’re already familiar with.
But if you’re brand new to yoga, researching the different types and focusing on a couple will help you down the line.
2. Obtain Your Yoga Certification
Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to learn how to get a yoga certificate online.
As we mentioned at the start of this article, we’re going to be focusing on how to get a yoga certificate online.
You can get your yoga certificate in person, in your local town, but those certifications are quite different from what you can get online.
Head to Google and search “yoga teacher training near me.” This should steer you in the right direction.
If you want to get your yoga certification online for free, there aren’t many programs that will allow you to legitimately teach.
To get your yoga certification online, you’ll need to enroll in a yoga certification program.
Typically called a YTT 200, which is the 200-hour certification.
A Yoga Alliance certification isn’t mandatory, but it is helpful if you’re trying to break into this field.
There are many yoga instructor certification programs online that are certified by the Yoga Alliance.
From an initial search, it may all seem overwhelming to find the right one. We’ve narrowed down the top five best online yoga teacher training certifications and we’ll talk about the pros and cons of each one for you here.
1. Siddhi Yoga Online School
Siddhi Yoga is a Registered Yoga School through the Yoga Alliance and is one of the top training academies in India.
If you’re looking for affordable online yoga teacher training, this is for you.
The course is authentic and consists of a 300+ page yoga manual, 200 hours of self-paced teachings, and more than 220 video lessons.
There are weekly interactive classes and throughout the program, you have the support of the Siddhi Yoga family.
The great thing about the Siddhi Yoga school is that they teach a wide range of styles. From alignments to hatha yoga and meditation, you’ll be able to find a few different styles to practice and master.
The Siddhi Yoga online school costs $397 or you can pay in 3 monthly installments of $165, and you’ll have access to the content for a lifetime.
2. My Vinyasa Practice
My Vinyasa Practice is a yoga school that’s headquartered in Austin, Texas.
They have an in-person studio and also run online courses. Starting from a garage, over time they outgrew the studio into a proper yoga studio with a huge following.
For online yoga teacher training in 2021, there are three different types.
These are based on how much yoga time you’d like to put in.
A bonus to this training is that it mirrors their in-person training and so you’ll be able to get a great understanding of how to run a yoga business once you’re up and running.
As part of your enrolment fee, you get weekly zoom events, access to 100s of prepared sequences, and direct feedback and support from the Peer Support team and Lead trainers.
My Vinyasa Practice costs $425 when paid in full, or you can pay in 4 monthly installments of $233.75/month.
3. The Kaivalya Yoga Method
The Kaivalya Yoga Method is taught by Alanna Kaivalya, Ph.D., who has been teaching and practicing yoga for over 20 years.
To say that you’re in good hands, would be an understatement.
To join this course, you do need some level of practice under your belt so that you’re familiar with basic postures and the flow of a vinyasa class.
The course is made to fill in the gaps of already great practice so that you can become an extraordinary yoga teacher.
There are three courses to choose from and you get lifetime access and individualized feedback from your elite mentors and a dedicated technical team. You will need a webcam so that they can provide this feedback.
You will get 6 months to get your yoga instructor license for the 200 and 300-hour programs, and 12 months for the 500-hour program.
These are requirements from the Yoga Alliance. The 200 hours program costs $397 or you can pay in 6 monthly installments of $77.
4. Akasha Yoga Academy
The Akasha Yoga Academy is an in-person studio based in Bali, Indonesia.
Their online yoga training steps you through what you need to get your certification simply and effectively. You’ll learn breath-based asana, pranayama, meditation, and anatomy.
All the teachers at this Academy have a wealth of experience and you’ll be able to study in your rhythm and timezone.
The 200-hour training will cost you $1700, but they regularly have offers so check back on their website to see if you can get a discount on the enrollment fees.
The great thing about this Academy is that they have a big focus on giving back to the community they’re set up in. Your tuition helps feed a Balinese family in need through the Plastic Exchange Project.
Why not do something good for yourself, while also doing good for the community.
5. Santosha Yoga
Santosha Yoga has been around for years and provided in-person yoga classes in Bali and Australia.
With this course, you’ll be able to tap into 12+ years of Yoga Teacher Training, and a fully flexible family-friendly online yoga training.
This means you can fit your training around your other commitments.
You’ll learn the basics of yoga, right through to how to manage a yoga business. They also have a special course on Prenatal Yoga, if this is an area you’d like to specialize in.
The 200-hour training will cost you $1112, and there are payment plans available.
3. Set Up Your Yoga Practice
Once you’ve picked your provider and gotten your certification, you’re one step closer to becoming a yoga instructor online.
As part of your certification, you would have had training in the various types of yoga.
If you haven’t already, this is the time to decide if you’d like to focus on one style of yoga or be a generalist and offer a range of styles. Remember, you don’t have to focus on one style, but it does help you with the direction of your classes.
If you decide not to focus on a style, you could always focus on wellness areas like pre/postnatal, strength, fitness. There are a range of areas you can focus your class schedule around and the research you did at the start of your planning will come in handy now.
Now you know what you’re going to focus on, you’ll be able to decide how much to charge.
A good way to start is to have a look at what yoga studios in your area are charging. This will give you an idea of the market rate.
How Much Do Yoga Instructors Make?
Yoga instructors can earn on average $24.96 per hour.
This differs based on how long you’ve been teaching for and how many people you’re teaching. For example, you could run private one-on-one sessions, and charge $30 per person/per class.
Or you could teach a class of 10 people online.
If you end up setting up a membership, giving your students online access, you’ll be able to charge a bit more for annual memberships.
This doesn’t all go in your pocket, as you need to account for the costs of running your business, whether that’s the website you run to stream your classes or the marketing you pay for to get more students.
The next thing you need to figure out is what your schedule will look like.
How many classes a day are you going to take and when.
When you first start, you could start with a few classes a week to see what the uptake is like. As you get more students, you can build your class schedule around the feedback that your students give you.
4. Get Your Yoga Business Online
With your schedule and prices organized, it’s time to get your business online.
To get more yoga students and build your brand, you will need to create an online presence.
You could try starting a YouTube channel and video your classes, or start a blog to discuss the benefits of yoga.
Another way to create an online presence would be to consistently use social media to promote your business.
Instagram, Facebook, and even TikTok are great ways to build your name in the yoga business.
There are so many, and the best thing to do would be to pick one or two and focus on putting out some great content. If you’re new to social media, there are some great courses online that will teach you all you need to know.
5. Develop A Marketing Strategy
Social media plays into your marketing strategy.
Once you’ve worked on building an online presence, think bigger and look at developing a marketing strategy.
Using a yoga marketing plan will help you structure what you need and help you plan for the future.
A big part of your marketing strategy, apart from social media, is going to be your website.
This is the window to your yoga business and this is where your clients will come to learn more about you. Use your website to discuss your yoga practice, and also set up an easy-to-use online booking system so that it’s easy for your clients to see your schedule and book into a class.
With your website, you can then market yourself in community groups, both online and in person.
Tap into local Facebook groups, or community boards so that people in your area know that you’re setting your yoga business up. The Global Yoga Community Facebook group is a wealth of knowledge and there are a range of Facebook groups to help yoga teachers grow their practice and network.
6. Register With Local or International Bodies
If you did your certification with a Yoga Alliance certified school, once your course is done,you just need to make sure that you register and get your Yoga Alliance certification.
This will allow you to teach almost anywhere around the world.
To teach locally, you’ll need to research your local yoga requirements as they differ between countries.
Most will have the same requirements as the Yoga Alliance, in terms of hours taught, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for you to get your registration.
7. Get Clients And Build A Network
With your certification in place, and your online presence built, you now need to work on getting more clients and building your network.
To do this, teach more, share more, and build your brand. These things take time, but with the right time and effort, you’ll be the next yoga guru in no time.
FAQ
Conclusion
That’s how you do it!
With these 7 steps on how to become a certified yoga instructor online, using the right research and basics in place, you’ll be bringing your yoga zen to the masses in no time.
