How To Become A Yoga Instructor Online

So, you want to know how to become a yoga instructor online? We have you covered, answering any questions that you may have regarding the prospect of a career in yoga teaching, including:

• Can I Become a Yoga Instructor Online?
• What You’ll Need Before You Become A Yoga Teacher Online
• 6 Key Factors To Consider When Becoming A Yoga Teacher Online

Before you even think about teaching classes, you need to complete a Level 3 Diploma in Yoga Teacher Training, to become a certified instructor!

To learn more about the importance of this qualification and how it can benefit your future career goals, be sure to download our FREE course prospectus. 

Can I Become A Yoga Instructor Online?

So before we get into the mechanics of how to become a certified yoga instructor to teach classes online, you may be wondering if it is even possible in the first place.

The answer is yes, you can absolutely get qualified as a yoga instructor online. With the technology that is readily available now, you’re able to take advantage of in depth courses online, but there are some things to consider.

First, not every course is detailed enough to be taught online, so don’t jump at the first one that you find. We will take you through factors to consider and what to look for in a provider later; but for now, you just need to be aware of the fact that accredited course providers will be able to still offer a course online without compromising on quality.

With all of that in mind, allow us to explain what you need to do before you go ahead and book your course to become a yoga instructor online.

What You’ll Need Before You Become A Yoga Teacher Online

Before you take a yoga teaching course, it would be helpful for your own benefit to have some level of experience behind you.

No matter the type of yoga style-for example, attending Kundalini classes, if you want to become a Kundalini yoga teacher-you should try to attend some varied classes to get to grips with not only the practical aspects, but how classes are delivered by the instructors.

Chances are, if you’re looking for ways how to become a certified yoga instructor online, you already have some level of experience and this has led you to pursue a career in the industry. However, if you’re only accustomed to one style, it would be a good idea to try out new classes.

This not only expands your practical experience in general, but you get to find out which kind of discipline you gel with the most. This will help you to, in the future, potentially choose a discipline to teach when you go on to do advancement courses like a level 4 in yoga teaching.

Nonetheless, though this level or at least some level of experience behind you is desirable, it isn’t obligatory. You actually don’t need any experience to enrol onto an online yoga teaching course (this may vary between providers, but our online yoga course here at OriGym has no prerequisites).

This is because during the course, you will gain all the experience that you need. You will learn how to actually deliver a class effectively, while also gaining knowledge about the mechanics of the body in relation to yoga movement. 

This means that you will gain experience in planning the sessions and thus, getting to grips with the many asanas (yoga poses) that are included in the session plan. The difference between having some experience behind you and having none is how quickly you will pick up the asanas and gain confidence in not just the execution, but explaining and instructing them effectively.

So, now that you know what to do before you become a yoga instructor online, let’s talk about the important factors to consider for your yoga teacher training.

6 Key Factors To Consider When Becoming A Yoga Teacher Online

#1 Number Of Hours Of Learning

One of the first things you need to think about when you’re looking for ways how to become a yoga teacher online is how many hours you will learn for. You might already be aware of this, but the amount of hours that you spend learning on the yoga course is what employers will be interested in.

Often there is a minimum requirement of 200 hrs for yoga instructor jobs, thus, the more hours you have behind you the better as more prestigious employers may ask for up to or surpassing 400 hours. 

The good news is that you can still achieve this with an online course, for example, you can see below in our online yoga course description how many hours you can expect of study:

As you can see, you will learn over 400 hours of content. This aligns well with what is expected of you within the industry, we did some digging and found some relevant job openings for yoga instructors within various yoga studios and the amount of hours required are just about always included in the job description. 

As you can see, this is an advert for Virgin Active gyms, one of the more high end commercial gyms in the UK and internationally. This requires a minimum of an accredited qualification with 200 hours, so anything more than this would be highly beneficial, improving your overall chances of getting hired. 

So, when looking for a course provider, ensure that they mention the amount of hours of training that is included in the course, since it is highly likely that you will need to prove this should you apply for a job role.

-

For some more helpful resources on becoming a certified yoga instructor, head over to these articles below:

• Everything You Need To Know About Continuing Education For Yoga Teachers 
• How To Teach A Yoga Workshop: Step-By-Step Guide
• Finding a Yoga Teaching Job | The Ultimate Guide

#2 Ensure that you Find a Trusted Course Provider

Leading on from what we just mentioned about the amount of hours in your course, this is a good way to find a trusted provider. 

You simply won’t get the quality, quantity or accreditation from a free yoga course, so you can begin by taking those providers out of the equation. A good first step is to look for courses that mentions not only the amount of study hours like in the aforementioned example, but also factors such as:

• Accreditation
• Awarding body
• Module breakdown
• Progression routes
• Professional connections

The list can go on, but as a minimum, ensure that you’re looking out for these things when choosing a provider. The most prominent way of deciphering a trusted provider from one that isn’t is accreditation and awarding bodies. 

Look out for things like “accredited by CIMSPA”. This means that the course information has met the standards set by them as a regulatory body in the professional fitness industry. Aside from CIMSPA endorsement, you should also become familiar with the best awarding bodies, like Focus Awards.

If you check the awarding body, you can verify if it is regulated by Ofqual (The Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation). Ofqual is the sister of what you may know as Ofsted, and they regulate and ensure the efficacy of particular health and fitness courses. 

Aside from the professional names, you should always look for trustworthy reviews to find out if you’re choosing a well received course provider. Sites like TrustPilot are a great start to find out what people have to say about not just the provider, but the course content itself. 

For example, using OriGym’s TrustPilot as an example, you can see below the volume of people who have reviewed, and the average star review:

This is a great way for those who need transparency to trust a provider, so always ensure you’re checking peoples reviews to ensure you’re getting what you need from your online yoga course.

Looking out for these kinds of things will allow you to rest assured that you have chosen the right provider. 

#3 Course Resources

The actual content of the course is what makes it worthy of recognition and regulation. There should be modules that guide you through every step, from learning the poses yourself, to trying to deliver them effectively.

So, you should always research what the content of the course actually covers. You can find the course contents on the website of your provider, like this:

This is a small section taken from our course description. This goes on to include all of the course contents, all the way up to Unit 8. As well as that you’re able to see the aim of each module and why it relates to yoga practice.

As you can see from just two units, there is a huge amount of learning material. This is particularly important since you’ll be learning online, thus, there is no compromise on quantity or quality. 

This is why we are able to stress that while it is desirable for your own benefit to have some experience, it isn’t a necessity due to the volume of material that should be included within the course.

#4 Available Support & Contact Time

Something that may often go overlooked when looking for ways how to become a yoga instructor online is the support you have along the way and after you have completed the course. 

Getting thrown into the deep end into an industry that you are new to can be incredibly intimidating. That’s why you should always find out if the online course of your choice offers support during and post course completion.

Support from real human beings is important, especially when the course is online. In a classroom setting, you can simply raise your hand to ask a question so you should find an online yoga course that replicates this contactability so you’re not waiting for emails weeks later.

So what kind of things should you be looking for? 

First is of course a contact number, a reliable phone line with opening hours so you know when you will get an answer. However an even better way to get an answer to any questions you might have is to look for a live chat. 

A live chat is going to be the best way to know if your course provider is readily contactable. You should be able to find out this information on the course page, like this:

It is important to look out for these features within online courses, the last thing you want or need is to be left in the dark if you need support with anything.

#5 Staff Knowledge

One other factor to look out for is the knowledge behind those who are teaching you. 

Even if the course content is regulated and endorsed by relevant bodies, the delivery of the content is just as important. However, since you’re looking for how to become a yoga instructor online, you should consider the staff knowledge when it comes to practical knowledge.

You won’t be able to deliver a session confidently without some level of practical knowledge behind you, so while you can learn all you need to know theoretically online, there are some things that require hands-on experience taught from an experienced member of staff. 

This can vary from provider to provider, but at OriGym you will take part in a number of workshops that will help you to implement the essentials as a yoga teacher. Take a look at how you learn on the online yoga teaching course with OriGym for example:

You can enquire about who is teaching you for any course, you are paying for quality after all and should care about the tutors who are going to help you to successfully complete your course. 

Ensure that you’re taking care of your future and choosing the right online course based on the quality of the content and the deliverability. 

#6 Payment Plans & Financing

Finally, think about how you’re going to pay for your course. Are you going to pay for it all upfront? Finance it? Or look for a free course? 

Let’s break these options down first so that you know what is available to you.

First, paying upfront is a good option for those who have the financial means but this isn’t always the case for everybody. That being said, a good course provider would allow you to spread the cost so that you’re not waiting for the right time and can start learning right away. 

However, there are some things that you need to be looking out for if you’re considering financing options, the main thing is that it states “0% financing”. This means that you won’t be charged extra interest should you want to spread the cost of the course over 12 months for instance. 

When it comes to the likes of free courses, this is typically a no-go, they are more often than not un-accredited and pretty useless. Instead, invest your time into a course that will help you to pursue a career in yoga instruction. 

Above all, paying outright is always a popular option, since the course is online you would get access to it right away. 

The bottom line is that you should have options, this is a feature that only the more reliable course providers offer, it allows you to pursue your career while taking into consideration varied financial positions. 

Before You Go…

Now that you know how to become a yoga instructor online, there is no time to waste. 

Kickstart an exciting new career by completing an entry-level Diploma in Yoga Teacher Training. After qualifying, OriGym will even be on hand to help you find employment, with a guaranteed interview with one of our corporate partners. 

Further information about this course can be found within our FREE downloadable course prospectus here.