How to Become a Yoga Instructor and Profit From It

Teaching yoga is a highly fulfilling activity. Yoga teachers help spread the yoga philosophy of unity to others while helping them achieve their physical and mental health goals.

If this sounds like your calling, the good news is that you can become a registered yoga teacher and profit from it at the same time. If you’re wondering how to become a yoga instructor, then this post is for you.

Below, we cover all the details and requirements for yoga teaching, including doing your yoga teacher training programme to accepting payments from your yoga business. Let’s dive in.

The role of a yoga instructor

The role of yoga instructors is to teach yoga. This involves both the mental and the physical aspects of yoga.

On the mental health side, you can teach meditation and mindfulness techniques, helping people achieve peace, serenity and calmness of the mind as they observe emotions and thoughts without judgement.

Meanwhile, on the physical side, you can teach a variety of yoga poses or yoga asanas that help improve the quality of your students’ physical well-being. 

Benefits of being a yoga instructor

When you become a yoga teacher, you’ll be able to enjoy many advantages from spreading the practice of yoga to your community.

Some of them are: 

• Continuing your self practice while teaching others;
• Earning an income from doing something you love;
• Helping others enjoy the full benefits of practising yoga. 

Overall, teaching yoga is about encouraging others to tap into their inner physical strength and bringing it out through gentle yoga flows as they improve their fitness and mental health levels.

Training and certification

If you’ve been practising yoga for some time, and you’ve done some research on the topic of becoming a yoga instructor, you’ll realise that you don’t necessarily need a yoga certification to teach.

However, any fitness centre or yoga studio will require that you have the minimum number of hours completed under a registered yoga teacher course. Let’s explore some of the requirements in more detail below.

Choose the right yoga training programme

There are numerous yoga teacher training courses, each offering specialisation in a particular type of yoga. For example, you can choose from styles such as Vinyasa yoga, Yin yoga, Hatha yoga and many others.

When choosing your training programme, be sure that the class sizes are small enough to give you personalised and individual attention. Also check that there is more than one internationally recognised teacher offering the course so that you make the most out of it. Furthermore, check online reviews to see if your yoga teacher training school is reputable.

In addition, you’ll want to ensure that you do physical and not online yoga teacher training because the hands-on element of instruction is greatly removed with online courses. If you do opt for online teaching, be sure that it offers a hybrid model where you can attend classes in person and online to get the most benefit out of the course.

Complete your certification

Now that you’ve chosen among various yoga teacher training programmes, it’s important to complete your certification. For this purpose, you’ll need to study toward your goal by completing a Level 3 or Level 4 in Yoga Teaching.

Alternatively, you can learn to teach yoga at an accredited association. The minimum requirements are that you get a certificate that shows you’ve done a 200-hour yoga teacher training.

The next level is to do 300 hours of yoga teacher training, while the level after that is 500 hours of yoga teacher training. The time it takes you to complete these mandatory hours will depend on your individual pace and the pace at which your yoga instructor carries out the classes.

Another requirement for being a yoga instructor in the UK is to have mandatory CPR training and certification. Furthermore, you’ll also need to get a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check as well.

Specialise in different yoga styles

You can specialise in different yoga styles, but bear in mind that you will need to do lots of intensive yoga teacher training for each style. Therefore, it’s highly advisable that you specialise in one niche area of yoga and solidify your yoga practice by focusing on one area of yoga in its entirety.

Building skills and knowledge

You may think that once your yoga teacher training programme is over, you’re done. But teaching yoga requires a continued dedication to the practice. While there are no limitations in the industry in terms of your yoga teacher training certificate or diploma expiring, you should do the following three things to ensure you’re on top of your game.

Deepen your personal practice

It’s advisable that you do at least six months of training in yoga before you embark on your teacher training course. 

And once that course is finished, you should continue practising and deepening your personal practice, even if you have already started teaching others. Teaching yoga is a continuous effort that needs to build onto itself.

Learn anatomy and physiology

Other additional aspects that will really help your yoga classes is to learn anatomy and physiology. 

This is particularly useful if you’re going to be teaching children, prenatal or postnatal classes or vulnerable adults.

Study yoga philosophy

Yoga contains many ancient ideas that are over 5,000 years old. That’s why studying yoga philosophy in addition to its practical elements is essential. 

This will also be a part of your final examination in addition to learning yoga asanas during your yoga course.

Setting up your business

With your yoga training out of the way, you are ready to give yoga classes. But you need to set up your business first if you’ll be accepting payments for your yoga teaching classes. Here’s what you need to know about this step.

Create a business plan

Your path to becoming a self employed business owner should start by creating a business plan. In essence, this is like a road map you have for your yoga classes and it takes into consideration practically every aspect of running your business.

Prior to starting, you should consider the following questions: 

• Will you only teach classes or will you sell merchandise such as yoga clothes?
• Will you offer in-person training at fitness centres or will you offer online trainings?
• How soon do you project that your business will break even or reach profitability
• What style of yoga will you teach as part of your teaching methodology?

Answering these questions will help set you up for success and will even make your business idea more appealing to lenders, especially if you require funding for your business idea.

Register your yoga business

You also need to register your yoga business. This often means taking one of two routes. On the one hand, you can operate as a sole proprietor. On the other hand, you can operate under a limited liability company. 

Both have their pros and cons. It’s essential to look at those carefully before choosing a business structure that will meet your unique needs.

Find the right location or platform

Many gyms offer fitness classes, with yoga being a popular class that’s taken by millions of gym-goers in the UK each month. So, you can choose to partner with gyms and teach yoga from that type of location.

However, you can also offer online classes in yoga, but you’ll need to find the right platform for this activity and ensure your business is sustainable. Without the hands-on element, you won’t be able to give your students as much value from the practice as you would be if you were to give in-person yoga classes.

Find a way to easily accept payments

Another important practical element for your yoga teaching practice is to find a way to easily accept payments. In our modern world, students prefer to pay by card and you should cater to this need by having either a point-of-sale (POS) terminal on hand or by allowing your students to pay you seamlessly online.

With a POS terminal or tap-to-pay technology on your smartphone, you can accept debit and credit card payments alongside digital wallets.

myPOS makes this super easy for you to set up and get started with because of our wide variety of POS terminals and online payment acceptance solutions. What’s more, with myPOS you get instant settlement of funds with no hidden monthly fees.

Plus, you get your own merchant account that you can access for free and at any time you choose in addition to a business card to withdraw your payments and make purchases as you please.

Marketing and attracting clients

You’re now a certified yoga teacher that has attended a registered yoga school and you have the right yoga certification. Your business is established and off the ground. Does this mean that you stop here? 

The answer is definitely no. You need to continuously be working on marketing your yoga business and attracting clients. Here are some ways you can do this.

Build your personal brand

Start by building your personal brand. This is how everyone who interacts with you knows you for and what they remember you by. 

You need to make it as widely known as possible that you’re a qualified teacher who offers comprehensive training in yoga. You also need to indicate which type of yoga you specialise in.

Be sure to be consistent in how you portray yourself to the public and always be kind with anyone who has questions about starting yoga. It’s as much about being open and communicative with potential new students as it is about being respectful and helpful to your current attendees, all while displaying key leadership skills.

Use social media for promotion

You may wish to have a website created that’s dedicated to your yoga practice. However, you’ll want more than a website to promote your yoga business.

In fact, you’ll need to use different social media channels for this purpose and ensure that information about your yoga teaching style spreads to as many people as possible.

This requires a dedicated and concerted approach to marketing your yoga classes. You can do so organically at first, while supplementing your efforts with paid ads later on.

Network within the yoga community

As a practising yoga teacher, you should also consider networking within your yoga community. The purpose of this is to not only build strong and lasting connections and to acquire and attract new students, but also to deepen your practice.

Being a part of a professional body such as the Yoga Alliance will lend a lot more credibility to your regular practice and help you gain a name for yourself as you start teaching different yoga levels.

In addition, you can enhance your teaching experience with more refined lesson plans that help your students benefit at the end of the day.

Financial management

When it comes to financial management, you need to be on top of your game. While yoga is about both physical asanas and different breathing techniques that help one with the process of self discovery, your business needs to be seriously managed because you ultimately need your business to work for you. 

Let’s take a look at how you can achieve strong financial management.

Set your pricing strategy

Start by determining your pricing strategy. You can charge each student per hour for every class given. Another pricing method is memberships, where students pay a quarterly or an annual fee and come to class several times a week.

Manage your finances and taxes

Make sure to be keeping detailed records of generated expenses and revenues. 

As a registered business, you’ll need to file your tax returns for income earned by your business and then pay the necessary amount of tax to HMRC (His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs). You can always work with a finance and tax professional to ensure you are properly supported in filling out your tax forms. 

Explore multiple revenue streams

In exploring multiple revenue streams, you may wish to offer yoga merchandise for sale or other types of yoga classes in which you have a specialisation. For example, you may want to focus on niche target markets, such as teaching children’s yoga. 

Hosting yoga classes as a lead trainer at a different location, such as a local fitness centre, is another viable option. Alternatively, you can consider offering yoga services such as retreats or yoga programs for aspiring teachers if you have the necessary qualifications.

Conclusion

Modern scientific developments show that there are numerous mental health and physical well-being benefits to practising yoga. And if you are someone who is passionate about becoming the best teacher of yoga in your community, starting to teach classes is the first step to get your practice off the ground.

Teaching yoga requires immense dedication and study of relevant fields such as yoga anatomy, breathing exercises, and yoga asanas. However, once you’ve paved the way for yourself, you can start profiting from your classes and develop your business while you deepen your practice for yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What qualifications do you need to be a yoga instructor?

In the UK, you’ll need to have completed at least 200 hours of yoga teacher training from a registered yoga school. You’ll also need to have completed a CPR course. There is a final exam you need to pass, which covers not only the physical aspects of yoga but teaching techniques, anatomy, philosophy, and other key disciplines.

How long does it take to become a yoga teacher?

If you want to become a yoga teacher, you’ll need to have practised yoga for at least six months before your yoga teaching course. After this, there is a minimum of 200 hours of yoga teacher training for the initial certification, while 300-hour or 500-hour trainings are needed for further certification. The usual duration for an intensive yoga course is 22 to 26 days.

Is it worth getting yoga certified?

Yes, absolutely. Getting yoga certified means you’ll be able to teach yoga while offering your students a sound practice to deepen their knowledge and skills. It’s also about being legally compliant and ensuring your business operates according to sound principles on a solid foundation.