There are a lot of fantastic training programs out there for future yoga teachers, but there are also a lot of disappointing ones that won’t teach you much. The better the program you’re enrolled in is, the better the teacher you’ll be after you graduate. Here are four of the top things that make a great yoga teacher training program.

1. Class Schedule

It may sound simple, but it’s so important to consider your schedule when you’re looking for the best YTT program. It’s obvious to eliminate classes that overlap with your other commitments, but it’s a good idea to consider the impact your other commitments will have on your training. For example, some people may be too drained to focus on their training if they schedule it right after work.

Since the class is educational, you also want to consider the time of day when you are at your peak mental capacity. This is because you want to make sure you’re at your best when you’re learning these valuable skills. If you choose an online yoga training school, you’ll have more flexibility for when to actually do the training if your schedule is unpredictable.

Not all YTT classes are daily or even weekly. Some programs are more like retreats that last a few weeks. If you have a lot going on in your life right now, you may prefer the retreat-style experience so you can truly shut off all the outside distractions. But if your current schedule is more manageable, it may be more conducive to a regularly scheduled class online or at your local yoga studio.

2. Your Yoga Preferences

You don’t just have to consider what gaps in your knowledge you might have when looking for the best teacher training program. It’s also totally acceptable to just focus on what you like. There may be parts of yoga you love and parts that you don’t. If the program you’re in focuses on parts you don’t enjoy, you won’t be as passionate about it and probably won’t do as well.

If there are certain styles of yoga you enjoy the most, find a course that focuses on them. While every instructor should have a balanced syllabus that meets requirements for discussing philosophy, anatomy, and the like, most teachers will still choose to dedicate slightly more time to some concepts and styles than others. So, if you’re seeing a program that focuses mostly on the Hatha style when you prefer the restorative style, it won’t be right for you. The syllabus should challenge you, but it should also excite you!

3. Program Credentials

The credentials of the program and the instructors are important. You want instructors who are experienced and properly certified. In the yogi world, that means looking for a program that’s Yoga Alliance-certified. While you may be able to learn and grow from a yoga program that lacks this certification, you may not be able to actually become a yoga teacher afterward.

The Yoga Alliance is an international governing body for all-things yoga. They have outlined all building blocks they believe are crucial for a yoga teacher training program. When you take one of their certified programs, you can be confident that you’ll complete the course with all the skills necessary to become a fantastic yoga teacher.

4. The Yoga Facet That Speaks to You

One of the best things about yoga is how multi-faceted it is. It’s physical but it’s also intensely spiritual. When you’re a teacher, it’s vital that you are as knowledgeable on both of these aspects as possible, but there may be one aspect that you prefer over the other and want your future yoga class to focus on. Your online yoga training school is a great opportunity for you to go even deeper on the part of yoga that speaks to you the most.

On the other hand, if you don’t feel you are very familiar with one of these aspects, you might want to go to a program that focuses a little extra on that aspect in the syllabus. This will help you meet the needs of your future pupils in a much more effective way.

YogaRenew: The Online Yoga Teacher Training Program That Has It All!

YogaRenew is passionate about training the next generation of yogis all around the world! Our online courses are convenient but they are also comprehensive, taught by some of the best, most experienced yoga instructors. We have courses for everyone’s schedules and needs. You’ll come out having a superior understanding of yoga and feeling more love than ever for the discipline.

Your dream of becoming a yoga teacher awaits. Sign up today!

Yoga is a powerful thing. If you practice it regularly, you know that. But having the knowledge and skills to teach yoga to others is even more empowering! Here are ten of the top benefits you too can experience when you get through an online yoga teacher certification program.

1. Reconnect with Yourself

Although you’re taking this class to eventually help others learn yoga and strengthen their technique, yoga teacher training begins as something you do for yourself. Investing in yourself is important. If you’re busy in your career or constantly caring for your kids, what you want may always end up on the backburner. But when you’re in a yoga teacher course, you are your own first priority. This is an opportunity for you to learn more about yourself and maybe see yourself in a whole new light. If it’s been a while since you’ve been feeling like yourself, your yoga course may help you rediscover yourself.

2. A New Career Path

Maybe you’re just wanting to become a yoga teacher for fun right now or you’re hoping it can be a side hustle. But with patience and determination, you may be able to make yoga teaching your full-time career! If right now you’re caught up in an extremely hectic career choice that seems to be draining the life from you, online yoga training will be an absolute life-saver. It will renew your purpose and motivation in life.

3. Improve Your Yoga Technique

A yoga teacher training course is like a masterclass for yoga lovers. It’s reaching beyond the basics, going to the most advanced moves, and forcing you to put in the time and effort to master the craft. The practice you put into your yoga will strengthen you, make you more flexible, and overall make you more fit.

4. Become More Confident in Your Own Skin

Another unexpected benefit of yoga teacher training is how you will become less focused on your physical appearance. When you’re in yoga training, you can’t be too occupied with your hair, skin, and other aspects of your physical appearance. You’ll learn to let go of that and be comfortable breaking a sweat—makeup-free, messy bun, and all! While this can be intimidating at first, it can also be empowering. You’ll learn to not only accept your body but also fall in love with it.

5. Learn Something New

Constantly learning is an important part of life. It helps you grow as a person and become more well-rounded. As an adult, sometimes it’s easy to put learning on the back burner and just go through the motions of everyday life, doing the same things day in and day out. But when

you’re taking online yoga training, you’re forced to be in learning mode. You’ll learn many new things and that will help you grow as a person in general, not just as a yoga teacher.

6. Enhance Your Yoga Routine

Even aside from teaching, taking a yoga teaching course is an amazing way to just learn more about yoga. You’ll learn new techniques and advanced poses that you can incorporate into your own yoga routine. You’ll learn more in-depth information about your body’s anatomy, which will help you get the most out of every yoga routine.

7. Connect with More Yogis

No matter what you love, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of connecting with others who share your passion. But finding people with those common interests can sometimes be difficult, especially if you’re in a small town. When you’re taking a yoga teacher training course, you will be expanding your yoga network. You’ll be able to talk about your passion with people who really get it and build valuable friendships that may last a lifetime. You can also benefit from those relationships when you’re a yoga teacher and could use some advice.

8. Strengthen Your Self-Discipline

Self-discipline is an incredibly valuable life skill. Taking a course, especially something like yoga that requires so much dedication, helps you strengthen your self-control. This kind of self-control can help you in other areas of your life. It adds structure to your life and gives you a concrete goal to work toward. This is especially beneficial if you don’t have many other goals you’re working toward at the moment.

9. Become a Master of Meditation

The art of yoga is about so much more than just downward dogs and warrior poses. Yoga is also an excellent way to learn more about meditation and breathwork. Meditation is such a powerful tool that everyone can benefit from, even those who don’t regularly practice yoga. It’s the perfect way to re-center yourself and tune out the many, many distractions that our technology-obsessed culture offers us. Meditation is also not a one-size-fits-all exercise. There are many ways to go about it, and a great way to learn more ways is by taking yoga teacher training.

10. Learn a New Way to Help Others

If you’re passionate about yoga, you know just how many benefits it has for your spiritual, emotional, and physical wellbeing. When something is this meaningful to you, you want to share it with others—hence the fact that you’re’ in a yoga teacher training program.

The tools that you need to coach people into becoming masters of yoga are taught in these courses. Because of this, taking a course is a great way to learn how to help others using your talents! You’ll feel extra good about yourself knowing that these skills will help you help others and make an impact on the world, one yoga session at a time.

Sign up for Your Yoga Teacher Course from YogaRenew

Does yoga teacher training sound like something that will enrich your life and put you on a new and better path? If so, you should sign up for YogaRenew’s online yoga teacher certification courses. We make becoming a yoga teacher an exciting learning process. Because our courses are online, they are convenient for people with all kinds of lifestyles.

Are you hoping to get your yoga teacher certification? If you’re in the early stages of the process, the first step is to figure out what type of program you would like to take. There are a lot of options, from in-person courses to online yoga teacher training certificate programs. Here are some of the most important factors to consider while you make this decision.

Consider Your Learning Style

You can be in the best yoga teacher certification program, but if it doesn’t match your learning style, you aren’t going to get a lot out of it. Think about how you learn the best. For some, it might be in a studio setting, for others it might be an immersive retreat halfway across the globe, and for others still it could be a completely online course. There’s no right or wrong answer.

Yoga teacher training isn’t like a gen ed course you have to take in college. You don’t just want to get by—you want to absorb and understand as much as you can.

You should also think about if you prefer something more structured or something more flexible and laid back. Even if you’re taking classes online, there still could be some that programs that operate on a stricter schedule and others that allow you to complete training on the timeline that’s best for your schedule. Think about your learning style and lifestyle while you make this decision.

Research the Instructors

The instructor plays a crucial role in your success throughout the yoga course. Do your research. Find out more about their teaching background and how long they’ve been training yoga teachers. You may also be able to find out who some of their previous students were and how they’re doing now. This is a great indicator of their success!

There’s also something to be said about how you feel about the instructor based on your impression of them. By looking through their site, reviews, and social media presence, do they seem like someone you’d like as an instructor? Go with your gut!

Evaluate Your Goals for the Program

While your ultimate goal may be to become a yoga teacher, there can still be a wide variety of sub-goals that should contribute to your decision-making process with a yoga training program. For example, what are the areas that you know you need to improve on the most before you can gain your yoga teacher certification? These are the areas you should be focusing on the most in your program.

Maybe you feel like your yoga skills are pretty strong but you need to gain a better understanding of anatomy before you become a teacher. Maybe you have impeccable flexibility, but you’re looking to expand your meditation abilities. By choosing a yoga program that gives special attention to your current weaknesses, you’ll become a better, more well-rounded teacher.

Always Choose Yoga Alliance-Certified

Regardless of your goals or schedule, you always want to choose a Yoga Alliance-certified program. If you want to work at a studio, you will also most likely be required to find a Yoga Alliance-certified program. You should never just make the assumption that a program is certified. Do your research and ask questions if you need to.

Every program that has this certification must meet strict course criteria, including teaching:

· Anatomy

· Sequencing

· Meditation

· Teaching practice

· Hands-on adjustments

· Prop use

When you enroll in a program that is Yoga Alliance-certified, you can be confident you’re getting comprehensive instruction.

Consider the Yoga Specialization

If you’re already proficient in yoga, you know that there are many different styles. While some programs will try to give you an overview of a variety of yoga styles, others will specialize. If you know right away that you want to specialize when you become a teacher, look for a program that does the same! On the other hand, if you’re not sure what kind of yoga you want to teach—or you know you want to teach several—find a program that has many offerings.

Get Your Online Yoga Teacher Training Certificate with YogaRenew

Once you’ve carefully gone through all of these elements, you will hopefully be able to narrow it down to a few yoga teacher training programs and eventually a single one. If you’ve determined that online learning is best for you, YogaRenew Online Yoga Teacher Training Program could be the answer. We offer instruction on yin, restorative, Hatha, and vinyasa styles of yoga and have options for 200-hour, 300-hour, and 500-hour programs. If you’re interested in learning more, reach out today! We’re excited for you to start this journey and would love to be a part of it!

The therapeutic and healing properties of yoga are well-known and studied. People from all walks of life come to yoga looking for relief from physical and mental trauma. Doctors recommend the use of yoga for patients experiencing chronic pain, mobility issues, and even some mental health concerns. Yoga can be gentle, it’s reflective and peaceful, and the spirituality of yoga practice can soothe even the most tired and tumultuous soul. Maybe that is what made me, a then 31-year-old first-time mother with no previous experience in yoga, roll out a mat for the first time during my baby’s nap. And maybe it is what drove me, two years later, to sign up for a yoga teacher training course.

An estimated that one in eight women or as high as 20% of women will experience postpartum depression. Common symptoms are insomnia, loss of appetite, intense irritability, and difficulty bonding with their baby. My experience with postpartum depression began just 24 hours after delivering my son. I became a paranoid, angry, and emotional mess. I went from being terrified that something would happen to him to having absolutely no interest in being a mother. I was exhausted, but I couldn’t sleep. I cried, and cried, and cried, and then would be numb for days. I didn’t understand what was happening to me. My doctor prescribed Zoloft and I felt like I was underwater. Nothing worked, nothing helped.

Before I had my son I was a runner. After I had him, during the worst of the postpartum, I tried running again. Running had made me happy, but it was now one more thing to do – there was no feeling of euphoria when I finished an especially long or difficult run. One day, I decided to try something new. I bought a mat for five dollars at our local Five Below and began surfing YouTube for a decent video. I was too self-conscious to go out and take a class. I didn’t even want to tell my husband who always supports me.

Stefanie and her son, Dom.

I found Yoga With Adrienne and queued up one of her beginners’ videos. Twenty minutes later I lie face up on the mat, a little winded, but feeling accomplished. Feeling hopeful. For the first time in months. I didn’t get to it every day. I was a working mom and we don’t always have time. But I made an effort and it gave me a ladder out of the well of depression.

I continued individual practice for two years before deciding to enroll in a teacher training program to build my own wellness program for postpartum women.

The community I found online through my teacher training program with YogaRenew gave me friends that shared my passion for yoga and healing. Learning about how breath work, which hadn’t been a focus in my limited individual yoga practice, could manage stress and bring awareness of self allowed me to battle minor depressive episodes. The program’s comprehensive overview of anatomy and physiology allowed me to finally begin building a program for women that I felt confident would be safe for anyone. I learned about adjustments and modifications to poses that both helped me enhance my individual yoga practice, but encouraged me to know that the women I will help in the future, even if they have limitations, will be able to use the knowledge I am gaining.

Yoga hasn’t been an outlet for me, it’s been an anchor. Something I can count on when everything else in my life seems chaotic and I feel myself spiraling towards a depressive episode.

Yoga teacher training has empowered me with more training and knowledge to know that even though my healing journey isn’t over I am headed in the right direction. There is something empowering about teaching others how to heal themselves.

Learning yoga helped me recover from a debilitating condition. In learning how to teach yoga and its philosophies I am helping other women like me recover from the same condition. Yoga teacher training isn’t just a way to learn yoga, it’s a way to learn a lifestyle change. It is a way to bring change to people that need it in their lives.