How to Become a Yoga Instructor: Requirements & Steps

A yoga teacher is someone who guides students through the mindful practice of yoga. Yoga teaching can be done in a group setting, through one-on-one sessions, or even online. Some yoga teachers offer additional training and guidance through workshops and retreats.

Typically, a yoga instructor performs the following tasks:

• Plan the structure and sequences of classes.
• Write clear class descriptions so students know what to expect.
• Offer variations so that students of all levels can participate.
• Lead students through yoga poses known as asanas.
• Guide students through breathing exercises known as pranayama.
• Lead students through guided relaxation and meditation practices.
• Help students find their optimal alignment and stay safe while practicing yoga.
• Provide students with information on how to get more from their yoga practice.
• Promote other classes and events.

A yoga teacher isn’t there to help students mindlessly memorize a routine. A good yoga instructor provides students with all the nurturing, support, and guidance they need to reap all the benefits they can from yoga, including enhanced strength, flexibility, confidence, and quality of life.

Yoga teachers can also help foster a sense of community, bringing people together as they work towards a shared goal of improving their overall state of being.

It can take anywhere from a few months to years to become a yoga instructor. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need.

Training and certifications

There are no official government licensing or certification requirements for yoga teachers. That said, it’s next to impossible to find a job working as a yoga instructor without formal yoga teacher training.

This is because yoga teachers aren’t just responsible for taking students through poses and sequences. They need to be mindful of their students’ physical safety and comfort as well.

Many studios want instructors to have at least 200–500 hours of yoga teacher training. Most also require an up-to-date certification in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and some also require automated external defibrillator (AED) or first aid certifications.

Required skills

In addition to formal training, yoga teachers need certain skills to do their job well. What’s most important is your understanding of yoga techniques and how to teach them, and a mix of yoga skills and interpersonal skills will help you achieve this.

Yoga Instructor Skill Set

We spoke to Kat Heagberg Rebar, an experienced yoga teacher who also leads yoga teacher trainings, and she emphasized the importance of a yoga teacher’s ability to “clearly and effectively demonstrate poses and transitions” and “provide clear verbal cues that address the needs of the students in the room.”

These communication skills are especially important since you’ll need to explain poses and breathing techniques to a dimly lit room of people who might not be able to see you. Being a keen observer will also be handy for those times when someone needs an adjustment to improve their technique.

Business skills are certainly more important if you plan to open your own yoga studio or work as an independent contractor, but they can also help you get jobs as a staff yoga instructor. Being flexible about when you work is also a plus as studios may want you to work nights, weekends, holidays, or after hours.

Physicality isn’t as important as you might think

Although yoga teaching is a physical line of work, you don’t need to look a certain way or even be super flexible to be a good yoga teacher. Rebar told us “A lot of people are discouraged needlessly from pursuing teaching due to not thinking they ‘look the part.’”

In fact, she says a lot of students “seek out teachers who ‘look like them’ and feel validated by representation of all bodies, ages, genders, and abilities.” Yoga knowledge and good communication/interpersonal skills are the key traits that characterize a good yoga teacher.

If you’re looking to create a successful and profitable side hustle, then getting certified as a yoga teacher is the way to go. Below, we’ve broken down the steps you need to take to get certified.

1. Practice yoga consistently

There’s a huge difference between doing yoga as a student and understanding how to develop a sequence, teaching it to others, and making sure your students stay safe while they practice it.

Before you enter any sort of training program or apply for employment, develop a consistent practice routine for yourself. You can do it from home on your own, use a yoga mobile app, or take classes at a studio.

You don’t necessarily have to practice yoga every day; while daily practice is a benefit, Rebar says it’s simply “not a reality” for most yoga teachers she knows.

How much yoga experience do you need to teach yoga?

There are no set rules on how much yoga experience you need before you can become a yoga teacher. However, Rebar says that a good foundation of yoga practice will help set you up for success and give you a better idea of the types of yoga you want to teach.

“I strongly recommend a minimum of 1 year of regular, consistent yoga practice before embarking on a teacher training,” Rebar said. “It will be so much less overwhelming.” She, herself, had been practicing yoga for 2 years before she finally took her first steps toward a yoga teaching career.

Yoga work exchange

To get more yoga practice and connect with your local yoga community, you could partake in a yoga work exchange or “energy exchange program.” With this type of exchange, you get access to sometimes unlimited yoga classes in exchange for doing several hours of work on a regular basis. This may be administrative work, such as opening and closing the studio, cleaning up, or coordinating classes.

However, Rebar notes that these exchanges have faced plenty of criticism for being exploitative, so make sure you understand and are comfortable with the expectations before signing on. Alternatively, Rebar says that some areas have “free or donation-based pop-up yoga classes in parks and other community venues,” which can be a lower-commitment approach to getting more formal practice.

2. Choose a yoga style

It’s a good idea to find a yoga style or two that resonates with you. They should be ones you have lots of experience with, enjoy practicing, and feel confident teaching to others. As shown in the table below, you have plenty of options to choose from.

Common Types of Yoga

Don’t be misled by the difficulty level for students—even yoga styles geared toward beginners may require advanced knowledge on the part of the yoga teacher. Additionally, make sure to choose a yoga type that’s in demand where you live.

3. Get trained to teach yoga

To become a certified yoga instructor, you need to complete a yoga teacher training program. Many yoga practitioners opt for a program offered by a Registered Yoga School (RYS) recognized by Yoga Alliance, but this isn’t a requirement for all yoga studios.

“I’ve found most studios do want you to have a 200 hour cert at least, but they tend to not care whether you’re an RYT or not,” Rebar told us. What’s important is that you have adequate training and knowledge.

If you regularly practice yoga at a local studio, see if they offer courses that would allow you to get certified as a yoga teacher. Alternatively, you can check Yoga Alliance’s online directory to find approved schools or teachers that offer yoga instructor training.

What to expect from yoga teacher training

Training typically involves a combination of classes and workshops, and Rebar says a 200-hour training course can take anywhere from 1 month to 1 year to complete. Other types of training can take even longer.

Rebar trained one weekend per month (Saturday and Sunday) over the course of 9 months. In her opinion, this slower approach is better than trying to get yoga teacher certified as quickly as possible. “I recommend a program that’s at least a little spread out rather than doing the entire program in one shot—it just gives you more time to practice teaching and fully integrate the information,” she said.

During your education, you’ll learn about core topics like yoga philosophy, human anatomy, asanas, chakras, and meditation. You can expect to do some practice teaching and finish your program with a written exam. As you progress, you may also get the chance to apprentice with senior yoga trainers.

Can you complete yoga teacher training online?

Yes, you can train online to become a yoga instructor. In addition to Yoga Alliance’s database of schools and teachers, the BookYogaTeacherTraining website has information on online yoga teacher training programs you can sign up for.

While online training is convenient and can be cheaper, there is one big drawback: You won’t gain the hands-on experience that you would at a studio. Nevertheless, it’s a more accessible option that you might find more suited to your needs than in-person classes.

4. Consider getting registered with Yoga Alliance

Yoga Alliance is a registry for certified yoga teachers. They don’t offer certifications (that’s up to individual educational institutions), but they’re the unofficial authority on yoga teaching credentials in the US. There are plenty of benefits to taking one of their approved trainings and registering with them, including more job opportunities.

Nevertheless, it’s worth noting that you don’t necessarily need to be Yoga Alliance registered to teach yoga. Many studios require it, but some don’t. Whether it’s really worth it for you depends on your budget and career goals.

If you do complete a program approved by Yoga Alliance, you can apply for registration and claim one of their yoga teaching credentials:

• Registered Yoga Teacher 200: The most basic, foundational-level RYT credential. It requires 200 hours of training.
• Registered Yoga Teacher 500: More advanced version of the traditional RYT credential. It requires 500 hours of training.
• Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher: Credential for teaching yoga to children. It requires 95 hours of training with a Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS) on top of 200 hours of standard RYT training.
• Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher: Credential for teaching yoga to pregnant participants. It requires 85 hours of prenatal yoga training on top of 200 hours of standard RYT training.

In addition to completing the required yoga teacher training, you’ll need to do at least 30 hours of continuing education every 3 years to maintain your credentials. Once registered, you’ll be listed in Yoga Alliance’s RYT directory and get access to perks like online workshops and in-person and virtual meetups.

How important is it to get registered with Yoga Alliance?

We asked Rebar if she thought Yoga Alliance registration was really necessary for yoga teachers, and her answer was that it depends. But as a general rule, it’s not really required.

“Ultimately, I don’t think registering is necessary for most people if they just want to teach, but I do think it’s a good idea if you want to lead or teach in teach or trainings,” she said. “A lot of folks want to train with a Registered Yoga School so they at least have the option of registering themselves after completing the training, and you’ll end up limiting your audience if your training/school isn’t registered.”

In her experience, only one employer has ever asked her if she was registered with Yoga Alliance—and they only asked because they weren’t experienced in yoga themselves and wanted an objective measure of her abilities. “Honestly, at least here in LA, a good audition is really the number one thing studios care about,” Rebar added. If you can demonstrate your skills, then that’s all that really matters.

5. Get CPR training

Many studios want their instructors to be certified in CPR, and sometimes also AED or first aid. Rebar says that most places she’s worked require this. Even if you apply somewhere that doesn’t require it, these are still good to have in case a client has a medical emergency.

If you’re willing to go the extra mile, then Rebar also recommends getting some basic training in trauma-informed yoga. This would allow you to “make simple adjustments and maintain general awareness to avoid unintentionally triggering or causing harm to students,” and it’s particularly valuable if you plan to teach in prisons, residential facilities, military settings, or other environments where clients are more likely to have experienced significant trauma.

There are several different career paths to choose from as a yoga instructor. However, all yoga teaching jobs fall under two main categories.

Working as a staff yoga instructor

Yoga studios, fitness centers, and other businesses and organizations hire professional yoga teachers to work as contracted employees. Getting a job as a yoga instructor is a good option if you’d rather someone else run the show so you can focus on teaching.

Here are just a few of the jobs you could take:

• Teach classes at a boutique yoga studio
• Teach classes at a gym, health club, or spa
• Teach yoga at retreats
• Teach classes at luxury resorts or on cruises

There are also plenty more lesser-known yoga teaching job routes. For example, Rebar’s first yoga teaching job was teaching a corporate class, which she says isn’t very common. She got the gig while working as a group fitness instructor at her college.

“I taught two yoga classes a week at the headquarters of an insurance company during the employee’s lunch break. Each class was one hour,” she told us. “This was in Michigan in the 2000s, and I was paid $25 per class, which was fairly good for that place and time.” At the same time, she also started teaching yoga classes at a local rec center through her city’s rec department.

Where to find yoga teaching jobs

For jobs at gyms and studios, you’ll find yoga teacher jobs on online job boards like Indeed and LinkedIn. You can also talk to your yoga studio about upcoming job openings.

For remote jobs, use websites like Yoga Trade or Yoga Travel Jobs. If you’re interested in teaching at yoga retreats, a good place to check for openings is BookYogaRetreats.

Auditioning for yoga instructor jobs

Once you start applying for yoga teacher positions, be prepared to do some kind of demonstration to land the gig. “Depending on the area, auditions are big part of landing a teaching gig,” Rebar told us. “This could be an open audition with a lot of people or a one-on-one demo class with the owner, manager, or lead teacher.”

Employers want to observe your teaching style before hiring you to get an idea of whether you’ll be a good fit with their clientele. Make sure you’re well prepared to show them what you’ve got.

Offering your own yoga classes

Being a self-employed yoga instructor comes with much more freedom than working as an employee since you’ll get to set your own schedule and decide the type of work you want to do. These are some opportunities you could explore as an independent instructor:

• Set up your own yoga studio
• Become a private yoga consultant or trainer
• Offer live online yoga classes
• Sell prerecorded workouts

Your end goal in teaching will help determine which job is best. For instance, if you’ve always wanted to adopt a nomadic lifestyle, online yoga teaching, exotic retreats, and far-flung cruises and resorts would all be good options.

While working independently has its advantages, you should consider the drawbacks as well. When we asked Rebar what she liked and disliked most about offering her own yoga classes, she said she loves the freedom it gives her to teach exactly what she wants, choose the duration of her classes, and adapt her approach to meet students’ needs and goals. The main drawback for her is having to do her own marketing and paperwork.

How to find yoga students

When you’re running your own yoga business, marketing is essential for finding clients. You’ll need to build a professional website and set up social media accounts on platforms like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.

To get online attention, you can upload short videos demonstrating different asanas, offer tips on how frequently to do yoga, where to find the best studio, and the best mantras to try, or give followers tips on nutrition, wellness, and other kinds of fitness. Creating an email list and organizing free events in your community using a platform like Meetup are also fruitful ways to attract new clientele.

We asked Rebar what marketing/advertising methods have been most effective in helping her get clients, and she said “Word of mouth and networking has always been and is still the most successful for me.” She cited the importance of connecting with the local yoga community, showing up for other yoga teachers’ classes and events, stepping in to sub when possible, and getting to know people in real life. She’s also attracted new students through Instagram and her yoga books, articles, and online classes.

Getting liability insurance

If you’re opening your own yoga studio or teaching your own classes as an independent contractor, then liability insurance is a must. It’ll not only protect you against accident claims but also help cover the cost of damage to your products, equipment, or the studio itself if an incident occurs.

There are plenty of insurance companies that offer suitable insurance for yoga instructors, and you should compare options to ensure you’re picking the right one for your business goals.

If you love doing yoga and enjoy teaching others, then you’ll probably find this side hustle very rewarding. However, consider all the pros and cons to becoming a yoga teacher before you get started.

How much do yoga instructors make?

According to Indeed, the average yoga teacher salary is $34.25 per hour, with typical earnings ranging from $19 to $63 per hour. 1 However, as Rebar pointed out, hourly rates don’t necessarily give an accurate impression of your potential earnings.

According to Rebar, yoga teachers generally get paid per class rather than per hour. Some classes last longer than an hour, and when you add in commuting and prep work, a single class can become a pretty big time commitment.

It’s also worth noting that yoga isn’t necessarily going to be in high demand wherever you go, so you should research current job openings where you live to get a sense of your earning potential in your local yoga community. In addition to your location, your yoga teacher salary will also depend on the extent of training you’ve undergone, your yoga specialty, and whether you’re self-employed.

How much does it cost to become a yoga instructor?

A lot of people want to know if yoga teacher training is worth it. The truth is that a yoga teaching side hustle comes with pretty heavy starting costs:

• Yoga teacher training: Anywhere from $200 to $7,000+. 2
• Yoga Alliance registration: One-time fee of $50.
• Yoga Alliance certification renewal: Recurring annual fee of $65 per year.
• Liability insurance: $125+ per year. 3

As you can see, it generally costs at least $315 to become a qualified and registered yoga teacher ($440 if you plan on being self-employed). If you choose to skip registration with Yoga Alliance, you’ll still need to pay for yoga teacher training. You may be able to save a few bucks by opting for an online training program, but be warned that you might not receive a useful certification at the end of it.

Alternatives to being a yoga teacher

Whether it’s the hundreds of hours of training, the hefty starting costs, or something else that has you thinking this isn’t the right side hustle for you, that’s okay. There are other side hustles you can explore that’ll allow you to earn a living in the fitness and wellness spaces:

• Personal trainer
• Pilates instructor
• Barre instructor
• Massage therapist
• Dance teacher

Like yoga teaching, these jobs require special skills and knowledge, but they also offer high earning potential and flexibility if you go solo and start your own business. They may also be better side hustle options for you, depending on where you’re starting your journey.