Choose Your Yoga Teacher Wisely...

A few years ago, my 70-year old mother-in-law enrolled in a Yoga class at her local church. She was very excited about it, as she had never done Yoga before. I didn’t think much of it, until several weeks later when she broke her shoulder while doing a shoulder stand in the class. As a Yoga teacher, this was very upsetting to me, and made me realize the value of Yoga Teacher Training.

Believe it or not, in the United States right now, there are no licensing requirements for Yoga teachers. You may assume that the teacher is qualified because you are taking a Yoga class at a gym or a church, but how do you know? An individual can do a one-weekend training (or even an on-line training) and be “certified” to teach Yoga at a gym.

About fifteen years ago, the National Yoga Alliance was formed by Yoga teachers to address this issue. Currently, Yoga Alliance certifies Yoga Teacher Training Institutions. Teachers can become “registered” with Yoga Alliance if they have had at least 200 or 500 hours of training with a recognized organization. So, if you are checking out a new Yoga teacher, make sure to find out if they are registered with Yoga Alliance. (You may often see “RYT 200” or “RYT 500” after their name.) While this doesn’t guarantee the quality of the teacher, at least you know that they have completed a certain amount of training with a reputable organization.

Beyond that, you can research different Yoga styles and see what the teacher training requirements are for the style you are interested in. Most Yoga schools in the United States now have pretty extensive websites, and that information is readily available. Some schools are much more rigorous than others, and as a new Yoga student, you should know what the qualifications of your teacher are.

One other key thing to remember is that Yoga teachers need to know if you have any medical conditions that might be affected by doing Yoga. If you are attending a class for the first time, the teacher should ask you if you have any medical concerns or questions, and it’s important to let your teacher know about any recent injuries or surgeries, or if you are newly pregnant. Yoga teaches you body awareness, and that often begins with an awareness of your limitations. If you practice responsibly, Yoga can bring you benefits that go way beyond what you can even imagine.

If you’re interested, you can also read more about this topic, written by my colleague and fellow teacher, Jane Hallowell.