By Dr. Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500
There are many Yoga certification courses available for those who seek to teach. Among the programs, for someone who seeks to become a Yoga instructor, are online, home study, and correspondence programs. We could easily classify all of the above-mentioned programs as Yoga teacher training distance learning courses. Below are some of the most common questions about correspondence courses, for students who wish to become a Yoga teacher.
Q: I found a Yoga course that will make me a teacher over a weekend. How many training hours do I really need for it to be acceptable for potential employers?
A: The most common International standard for Yoga instructors is the 200 hour minimum. Almost every potential employer will want to know how many hours were devoted to your training.
There are many different courses, with training from 200 to 750 hours, of study. When you look at the variety of training available, to those who aspire to teach, two hundred hours is the absolute minimum. Anything less is not enough to establish a foundation of knowledge.
Q: Why are practical exams necessary? Can’t I just send a stack of photos of me doing poses?
A: Think about it. Your practical exam is designed to demonstrate your teaching skills. Still pictures cannot demonstrate your cueing, observation, or assisting skills. How you teach your own self-created lesson plan tells volumes about your ability to teach Yoga classes.
With technology as it is today, a video of you teaching a 60 to 90 minute Yoga class is not a tough requirement. Many people have smart phones capable of shooting a video, tables with video cameras, video cameras in their laptops and some have access to a separate camera. An examiner cannot determine your level of teaching skills from a still photo. In addition to this – Hatha Yoga is not just asana practice. A teacher’s primary skill is teaching and still photos tell little about how an instructor observes, assists, modifies, an communicates during the course of a class.
Q: Why should Yoga teachers have to be concerned with continuing education?
A: Yoga and sports liability insurance companies like the idea of continuing education and the re-certification process. The reputable Yoga organizations, which determine the licensing of Yoga instructors, believe in continuing education courses and the re-certification process to enhance teacher competence and experience.
Therapeutic Yoga, medical, physical therapy, and sports medical knowledge is moving forward at a rapid pace. All of these fields pertain to you as a Yoga teacher, if you want to design safe classes and prevent potential student injuries.
© Copyright 2010 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
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