Will I Be Ready to Teach Yoga After I Get My 200 Hours Yoga Certification 2022?

If you’re like others who have decided to do a 200-hour yoga teacher training, you’ve already experienced the amazing benefits a yoga practice brings to your mental, emotional and physical well-being.   It has become such an integral part of your life that you want everyone to experience what you have.  So, you start looking for a 200-hour yoga teacher training to learn more about yoga and start sharing what you love.  But you might start to ask yourself “will I be ready to teach yoga after I get my 200 hours yoga certification in 2022”?

The reality is that only you will really know the answer to that question and there are many different elements that make someone a good yoga teacher.  What we tell our yoga teacher trainees during our 200-hour yoga teacher training in Bali is that when you start teaching, some students will resonate with you and some won’t and that’s totally OK.  Everyone has their own teaching style and you will attract students who enjoy your style, and those that don’t will find another teacher. 

If you are looking to do a 200 hours yoga certification course in 2022 let’s look at what it means to be a teacher.  What is your role? 

Firstly, you do not need to be more advanced spiritually or in your physical practice than your students.  Yes, it can make it easier if you can demonstrate some more advanced poses but if you have a good understanding of the basics that’s enough.  The actual job of a yoga teacher is to hold space for others to practice.  It is crucial that you can clearly and safely verbally cue and guide students from one pose to another.  You need to be able to talk people through a class, offer variations or modifications if necessary and know what’s safe or when students are putting themselves at risk.  You do not need to be doing the whole practice with them.  It’s important to remember that when you are teaching it’s not your practice time

You need to have a sense of how to put a yoga class together – sequencing and theming are very important and Inner Yoga Training go into this in depth during their 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Bali.  It’s also really important to take time to plan and practice the class yourself before you teach it.  Get a sense for how the class feels in your body, what the transitions are like and how it flows.  A good teacher doesn’t just share theory but they are yoga practitioners themselves.

Making your yoga practice a genuine part of your life, in addition to teaching, is really important.  Continuing to study, practice, meditate and focusing on self-improvement are crucial as you start to teach.  This means you can teach from your own experience not just repeat theory.  It’s easy to pick up when a yoga teacher isn’t committed to their own journey and teachers can lose credibility with their students.  Keep your passion.

Even if you complete your 200 Hours Yoga Certification in2022 it can be scary to start teaching.  Some people go and teach straight away but many people are initially looking to deepen their own knowledge and yoga practice and it takes them time to start teaching.  One element of a great yoga teacher is those who have taught and the only way to do that is to actually start!  Believe in yourself, believe in your training.  A good first step can be to start offering classes to friends and family or offering donation classes at the local community center or where you work.  The only way to get comfortable teaching is to actually teach!  Practice, practice, practice.

Lastly if you are looking to do your 200 Hours Yoga Certification in 2022, and are looking to start teaching consider how you connect with people.  Students will often look to you for spiritual, life or general guidance about their practice and being able to communicate, listen and share sometimes complex concepts in a simple way is really helpful.  Remember though that you are a yoga teacher, not a therapist, physio or councilor.  Keep some boundaries but having a genuine empathy and caring for others can go a long way.

Inner Yoga Training’s next 200 Hours Yoga Certification Course 2022 starts on 2^nd June.