How To Become A Yoga Instructor: The Definitive Guide

Want to become a yoga teacher but don’t know where to start? 

With so much information out there, it’s easy to become overwhelmed when determining how to break into the industry. That’s why we’ve compiled the ultimate step-by-step guide on how you can pursue this career, covering:

• Step #1- Know What The Role Involves
• Step #2- Get Qualified To Become A Yoga Teacher
• Step #3- Choose The Right Training Provider To Become A Yoga Teacher
• Step #4- Decide How You Want To Work As A Yoga Instructor
• Step #5- Progress Your Career As A Yoga Teacher
• FAQs

But if you’re ready to turn your dream career into a reality, take the first steps today! Enquire about our Level 3 Yoga Teacher Training Course and you could be fully qualified in a matter of weeks.

Or, find out more about OriGym and what we offer by downloading our free course prospectus here.  

Step #1- Know What The Role Involves

Before starting your journey to becoming a yoga instructor, you should make sure you know exactly what the role involves.

As you would expect, the main role of a yoga teacher is to plan and deliver yoga classes!

However, depending on where and how you work, you may have other tasks and responsibilities such as:

• Cleaning and maintaining a studio space.
• Administrative tasks e.g. registering students, managing studio memberships, updating class schedules.
• Marketing- either for yourself or for the studio you work for. This could include using tools such as social media and email marketing.

For further insight into the topic of roles and responsibilities, we have an entire article dedicated to yoga teachers’ job description.

Before you train to be a yoga teacher, it is also a good idea to research the salary associated with this position. In the UK, you can expect to earn anywhere between £25-45 for a typical 1-hour yoga class. 

However, exactly how much you will earn depends on factors such as:

• Your location
• Your experience level 
• The type of yoga you teach
• Travel costs
• How you are employed e.g. freelance or working for a studio 

Plus, offering additional services such as workshops, 1-to-1 classes and retreats are an easy way to boost your overall earnings! 

Check out our guide to the average yoga teacher salary to learn exactly how these factors can affect your overall earnings. 

Step #2- Get Qualified To Become A Yoga Teacher

Now that you know what the role entails, you can take the necessary steps to get qualified. To become a yoga teacher in the UK, you will need a minimum of a Level 3 Diploma in Yoga Teaching.

Learn about Bikram Yoga Teacher Training to develop your knowledge of the different types of yoga training you can teach when you kickstart your journey into yoga. 

This is an entry-level course, so you don’t need any previous experience or qualifications to enrol. So if you were wondering, ‘can you become a yoga teacher with no experience?’, the answer is yes!

OriGym’s Level 3 course, will provide you with a solid foundation of skills, knowledge and experience covering all aspects of yoga and teaching, including: 

• How to perform, teach and modify the key postures (asana)
• Anatomy and physiology for yoga
• An introduction to yogic philosophy and history 
• How to plan and deliver a yoga class
• Health and safety when teaching yoga 

Once qualified, you will be able to:

• Teach group yoga classes
• Teach 1-to-1 yoga sessions
• Deliver yoga workshops, events and retreats 

The main thing to look out for when choosing a Level 3 yoga teacher training course is that it is regulated by Ofqaul. 

Ofqual is the government body responsible for setting the standards of education for all vocational courses in the UK. Choosing a course which is regulated by Ofqual- such as OriGym’s, therefore guarantees that you will qualify with everything you need to become a successful yoga teacher! 

When you come to find a job as a yoga teacher, most employers will require applicants to have completed completed at least 200 hours of guided training- as shown in the example job advert below:

For example, at OriGym our yoga teacher training course covers a total of 317 hours of training!

This shows employers that you have exceeded the industry standards of training, which will help you to stand out against other applicants who may only have completed 200 hours. 

Step #3- Choose The Right Training Provider To Become A Yoga Teacher

When learning how to become a certified yoga teacher, one of the most important steps is choosing the right course provider. 

Some key things to consider when making your decision are:

# 1 - Study Options

Firstly, consider exactly how you want to train to be a yoga teacher. For example, do you want to study online, in-person or a combination of the two? 

For example, OriGym’s Level 3 Yoga Teacher Training course is taught via blended learning. 

This means that you will complete the theoretical modules via our E-learning platform in your own time, from the comfort of your own home. 

Whilst also attending practical workshops run on weekends, where you can put what you have learnt into practice with other students and under the guidance of our friendly tutors. 

This therefore combines the flexibility of online learning with the benefits of in-person teaching!

Considering how the course is taught is important, as you should be able to complete your training without compromising your existing schedule, commitments and lifestyle! In addition, this can also influence the time in which you will qualify, with some courses taking longer than others. 

#2 - How Many Hours Of Guided Training Are Provided

As we have mentioned, most employers will require you to complete 200 hours of guided training, at a minimum! 

The best course providers will meet these requirements whilst also providing you with additional training hours. For example, OriGym’s Level 3 Yoga Teaching Diploma gives you 317 hours of training! 

The more training hours you get, the more knowledge and skills you will develop, and therefore the more attractive you will be to employers! So, it’s always in your best interest to get more training than the minimum requirement! 

#3 - Support Services During And After The Course

Even if you are studying independently online, you should still ensure that your chosen course provider will be on hand to support students both throughout the course and following graduation too. 

For example, here at OriGym, our expert tutors are on-hand 7 days a week via email, phone or live chatbox to help with any questions you have during your studies. 

Having this constant support means that you can get your questions answered more quickly, and therefore how soon you complete the course and ultimately qualify! 

Post-course support is also available for all OriGym graduates too, where alumni can access free services such as CV support, interview preparation tips, and a guaranteed interview with one of our corporate partners across the UK.

Having this level of post-course support will all help speed up the process of finding employment and start working after you qualify.

#4 - Course Location 

Before you enrol on a course, you should make sure that it is in a location you can reach!

Although the majority of OriGym’s Level 3 Yoga Teacher Training course is completed online, you will also have to attend in-person workshops and assessments. 

With some course providers, this may be limited to hard-to-reach locations, or are often only run in London! 

However, the practical elements of OriGym's yoga teacher training course are run from a wide range of accessible workshop and assessment locations across the UK.  

This is important simply because if you cannot take an assessment, you cannot pass the course! This will then delay the time it takes for you to start working and earning money as a yoga teacher. 

#5 - Reviews From Previous Students

Before choosing your course provider for becoming a yoga teacher, it is a good idea to read some reviews and testimonials from previous students. 

This is one of the best ways to ensure that a course is not only of a high quality, but it is also legitimate!

Reviews can be found on various platforms, such as the course provider’s website or social media pages. But remember, these companies will obviously only advertise reviews that portray them in a positive light, and will therefore not be wholly representative of previous students’ experiences.

You should therefore look at impartial review platforms such as Trustpilot, as these reviews cannot be edited by the company themselves.

For example, OriGym has over 2600 reviews with an average of 4.9/5 stars- one of the highest in the industry!

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Enjoying this article so far? Here’s 3 more that we think you’ll love:

• How Hard Is It To Become A Yoga Teacher? 
• Yoga Teacher Levels: Everything You Need To Know
• What Makes a Good Yoga Teacher?

Step #4- Decide How You Want To Work As A Yoga Instructor

If you are wondering how to become a yoga teacher in the UK, there are different employment routes you could pursue. 

You could either work as a contracted employee for a studio or gym, or work on a self-employed/freelance basis for several different employers. 

Alternatively, if you're feeling adventurous, you could become a Yoga teacher on a cruise ship.

For now, let's compare working as a contracted employee against working on a self-employed basis for several employers.

Become A Yoga Instructor On A Contracted Basis 

This way of becoming a yoga instructor is essentially when you work as a yoga teacher for one specific studio or gym. 

There are two main ways that you will be contracted with a yoga studio or gym. You may find a contracted role offering full-time hours with an annual salary, such as the job advert below: 

Or more commonly, you will be employed under a part-time contract and paid an hourly rate depending on how many classes you teach - such as the job advert below:

Regardless of whether you’re employed full-time or part-time, there are many benefits to becoming a yoga instructor on a contracted basis, such as:

• A guaranteed income, giving you financial stability at the start of your career.
• By teaching classes in the same place at the same times each week, you can start to build a following of regular students. These students may then follow you if you ever move to another studio, go freelance or even run your own yoga retreats or events! 
• You can gain experience in the other aspects of running a studio, such as marketing, administrative tasks and even practicalities such as setting up and cleaning the space. These are all valuable skills that will then help you in the rest of your career! 
• By being a regular member of staff at a studio, you will likely be the first port of call for covering other classes at that studio, compared to ‘outside’ teachers. Covering extra classes aside from your own is a great way to boost your income! 

However, one thing to note if you choose to become a yoga teacher in this capacity, is that with a fixed salary and hours, your earnings will be capped. 

In other words, aside from taking on extra cover classes, your earnings will be limited to the hours and rate set by the studio. 

In addition to this, working on a contracted basis may leave you somewhat restricted in terms of what style of yoga you can teach. 

Although most studios will allow you to express your own teaching style, you may also have to fit into an existing timetable of classes, which may not necessarily be the style of type that you want to teach! 

Become A Yoga Instructor On A Freelance Basis 

The most common and often easiest way to start working as a yoga teacher is on a freelance basis. 

With this option, you are essentially self-employed and run your own business. This means that you can teach classes at several different studios or gyms, host virtual classes, or even offer 1-to-1s directly in a student’s home!

So, how can you become a yoga instructor on a freelance basis? Freelance yoga teaching jobs may be advertised online, such as the job advert below:

However, many yoga studios will not explicitly advertise for new teachers- particularly smaller independent studios. 

Instead, one of the best ways to get freelance yoga teaching work is to start covering classes for existing teachers when they are on holiday, sick or simply cannot make their class. 

Most yoga studios or gyms will have a ‘covers list’ of yoga teachers who they will contact to cover a class if needed.

This is because most studios would rather have a trusted instructor cover a class, rather than cancel it and lose money from bookings, and disappointing loyal students! 

Working as a cover yoga teacher can work in several ways:

• Studios may have a physical ‘list’ of teachers who they will contact to cover classes.
• You may be added to a Whatsapp or Facebook group full of yoga teachers, where they will post any cover opportunities and whoever replies first will get the class!
• An individual teacher may ask you specifically to cover their class. For example, if you specialise in Ashtanga yoga, another Ashtanga teacher may call on you to cover their Ashtanga class, as they will be more confident that you will teach it well compared to someone without this speciality. 

The only way to get onto a studio or gym’s cover list is to be proactive and simply ask them! This could be in-person at the studio itself, or via social media message or email. 

As well as giving you valuable teaching experience and being paid for it, most importantly, teaching a cover class could eventually then lead to hosting your own regular class at a studio.

For example, if you teach a few cover classes at a studio and bond with the existing team, they are more likely to add you to their regular timetable. 

Plus, covering classes is a great yoga teacher marketing technique. During these classes you can start to build a following of students, who can then attend other classes, workshops or events you host in the future. 

With this in mind, some benefits of becoming a yoga teacher in the UK on a freelance basis are: 

• Freedom to choose when you want to teach, fitting classes around your existing commitments such as other employment or education.
• Uncapped earnings- the more classes you choose to teach, the more you will earn! 
• Work for a range of studios and venues, increasing your networking reach and building a wider following of students. 
• Freedom to establish your own brand and teaching style. 
• Freedom to pursue other avenues of income, such as 1-to-1 classes, online classes and running workshops/events. 

However, since you are not receiving a regular fixed income, being freelance can potentially mean less financial stability. 

You will therefore need to be self-motivated and organised to ensure that you are teaching enough classes on a freelance basis to earn enough each month. 

This is why particularly at the start of their careers, many freelance yoga teachers have another source of income such as a part-time job or other freelance work such as personal training to supplement their income from yoga teaching. 

Step #5- Progress Your Career As A Yoga Teacher

Those wondering how to become a successful yoga teacher, may want to take additional steps in order to build on their future careers. 

The best way to increase your success as a yoga teacher is to keep learning and pursue the endless career prospects associated with this industry. 

For instance, you may want to learn about the benefits and challenges 

The possibilities are endless, but here are some of the best ways to progress your career: 

#1 - Run Your Own Yoga Classes Under Your Own Name  

Whilst they are a great place to start your career, you don’t have to limit yourself to teaching with established gyms or studios. Instead, you could hire out a venue or studio space to run your own classes from. 

This is a great way to develop your business and brand by running classes under your own name, rather than that of an employer. 

It also means that you can run classes whenever and wherever you want, as well as deciding your own price for the class. 

However, you will also be responsible for financing this business venture yourself. This means covering the cost of all outgoing expenses such as rent for the venue, as well as any advertising materials you require to promote the class.

Plus, unlike most studios where mats and equipment are provided, you may have to provide this yourself, particularly if you teach in a venue which is not typically used for yoga classes such as a church hall or even outside! 

Find Your Yoga Teaching Style   

When you first qualify, you will likely become a yoga teacher who teaches Hatha yoga, as this is a popular style that is always in demand among employers. 

You may also be still figuring out your teaching style, trialling different sequences and teaching methods in your classes. But over time, you will start to find which styles you particularly enjoy and excel at teaching, as well as your own teaching style or ‘voice’. 

For example, you may find that you have a gentle teaching approach and much prefer teaching slow and restorative classes. This could lead you to specialise in Yin classes! 

Alternatively, you might find that you are a strict and detail-focused teacher, which could naturally lead you to teach more Ashtanga or power yoga classes! 

Once you have found your specialism, you can then base your marketing and branding around this. By having a niche, you can target a more specific target market and start to dominate a particular demographic of students.

This then means that you can charge more for your classes as you are essentially offering a higher level of teaching, making it a great way to make more money as a yoga teacher!

One of the best ways to find your specialism is to complete a Level 4 Yoga Teacher Training Course. 

This not only deepens your overall practice, but with OriGym’s course, for example, you can choose modules in a specific type of yoga!

This means that when you qualify, you will already have developed a specialism which you can then pursue in your career! 

Run Your Own Yoga Workshops, Retreats And Events

As well as running your own classes, a great way to progress your career as a yoga teacher is to run yoga-related events. 

This could be anything from a 2 hour workshop on a specific aspect of yoga (such as Yin or Ashtanga), to a full-day or weekend yoga retreat! 

It is therefore a great way to showcase your expertise and further develop your niche or specialism!

Since you will be charging students a one-off fee for your workshops or retreats, they are therefore a great way to supplement your income alongside teaching your regular weekly classes.

Plus, since you will be running these events under your own name, it is a great way to grow your brand by getting your name out there in your local yoga community. 

If you already teach for a studio, you could ask them whether you could use their studio space to run your workshop. 

Not only will you already be familiar with the space, but the studio may also market the workshop for you, helping you attract more attendees. 

We have a whole guide to running a yoga workshop here for more tips and ideas! 

Teach Yoga Abroad 

If you love to travel, you may be thinking, ‘how do you become a yoga instructor abroad?’ 

As long as you have an internationally-recognised qualification such as OriGym’s Level 3 Yoga Teaching Diploma, you can take your career overseas! 

Once you have gained some experience in the UK, teaching yoga abroad is a great way to earn money whilst travelling the world. 

As well as working in studios and gyms like in the UK, there are also opportunities such as working in hostels, resorts, retreats, wellness centres and even cruise ships! 

We have a whole article on how to become a yoga teacher abroad for a detailed step-by-step guide to this career path. 

FAQs

How Long Does it Take to Become a Yoga Instructor?

Now that you know how to become one, you may now be wondering how long does it take to become a yoga teacher. 

Exactly how long it takes to get qualified depends entirely on the course provider you choose, as well as how much time you have to dedicate to studying! 

Some yoga teacher training courses are delivered on a full-time basis across several weeks, where attendance is mandatory. However, here at OriGym, we know that not everyone has the time to commit to this schedule. 

That’s why we offer our course via ‘blended’ learning, which combines self-paced online learning with practical in-person workshops. The average student completes our course in 3-4 months.

But since the online element of the course is completed at your own pace in your own time, this duration could be more or less.

Check out our guide to how long it takes to become a yoga teacher for more information about the factors that can influence how quickly you qualify.

How Much Does it Cost to Become a Yoga Instructor?

Before you even start to think about a career, you may be wondering, ‘how much does it cost to become a yoga teacher?’

This will vary between course providers. But as a guide, our Level 3 Yoga Teaching Diploma is £899.

There are no hidden fees for registration, certification or examination. Plus, we offer unlimited free exam resits! 

You may come across cheap or even ‘free’ yoga teacher training courses. But in general, you get what you pay for when it comes to yoga teaching qualifications, and these ‘free’ alternatives aren’t worth the paper they’re printed on. 

That’s why at OriGym, the price of our course reflects both the quality of the training you will receive, whilst being affordable and accessible. 

Check out our guide to how much yoga teacher training costs here for more details on the factors that can affect the cost. 

Ready To Start Your Journey To Becoming A Yoga Instructor?

From getting qualified to finding a job, you should now know exactly how to become a yoga teacher in the UK!

Feeling inspired to inspire the next generation of yogis? Enquire today about our industry-leading Level 3 Yoga Teacher Teaching Diploma to start your dream career! 

You can also download our free course prospectus for more information about our yoga teacher training courses.