The latest Yoga Journal survey reports that the popularity of yoga shows no sign of fading: the number of practitioners in the U.S. is up nearly 30% in the last 4 years, and the money spent on classes and yoga products has nearly doubled to $10.4 billion. Every day, scores of yogis are deepening their commitment to yoga by signing up for a yoga teacher training program. Maybe youre thinking about it too?
A few weeks ago, we asked people who had just finished their teacher training to volunteer for an interview. We got a huge response! Heres a profuse thanks all those people who were eager and took the time to tell us about their experience as new yoga teachers.
The decision to transform from yoga student to teacher is very interesting. Whats involved in the decision? What goes on in the mind of students in a teacher training course? What is it like to teach your first class? It must be very scary maybe youre afraid your first class will be a complete disaster, that youll stumble in tree pose or forget your Sanskrit names. What if people dont like you, somebody gets hurt, asks you things you dont know, or what if youre faced with a silent wall of blank stares?
And, after the first class jitters have gone, how do new yoga teachers find jobs and students to teach? How do they market themselves? Whats the yoga scene like? In this article, well present some of the things that newly certified yoga teachers from around the globe have shared with us.
Of course, words of wisdom for new yoga teachers abound on the Internet, but they usually come from experienced teachers (check out www.teachasana.com). While that is definitely the source of some good advice, we thought you might be interested in the perspective of those that are in the process of transforming their lives right now. So, if youre thinking about taking that step and signing up for a teacher training program, and maybe even making a go of it and try to earn your living teaching yoga, read on. We hope youll find some advice and encouragement, and maybe even get that last nudge that causes you to go for it and follow your heart.
The Stories
In our research, we asked several dozen new yoga teachers a series of questions. Our subjects had some very diverse backgrounds and were found in a variety of settings (big cities, small towns, and rural villages in several countries). Heres what we learned in a nutshell:
Most respondents were female (96%), with a median age of 29 (the youngest was 22, a few people were in their late forties). On average, a person who decides to sign up for teacher training has practiced yoga for 7 years (one person had practiced for less than one year, but many people said theyve been doing yoga for more than ten). The average cost of a training program was $2960, with the priciest being $6438 but of course this depends on the type of program, and whether or not its in a faraway location which includes accommodation.
After reading everyones questionnaires, we realized that consolidating the data and trying to weave a single story out of our survey would be a silly exercise. We cant write a decent generic article about new yoga teachers because their stories are by and large unique and vastly different from one another. Thats why weve decided that in the coming weeks and months, well feature some individuals with their personal stories on the YogaTrail blog.
Having said that, a few universal truths did emerge from our survey, the first of which being that every person who decides to become a yoga teacher is clearly very passionate about yoga. When asked why they wanted to be a yoga teacher, a typical answer went like this: I wanted to finally do something for a living that I believe in 100% (Elles Theulen, UK countryside).
None of the people we interviewed regretted their enrollment in a training program. For some, the decision was just another natural step on their yoga journey. But for quite a few people, getting on the teacher track was quite a change in direction. For example, Michael Palermo (Chicago, USA) recently decided to make a go of it as a yoga teacher:
Ive been looking to transition from being a lawyer (20+ years is enough!). This spring I saw the teacher training notification, and thought, I like teaching and I like yoga so why not teach yoga? and it felt like the right thing to do. So far, it has been.
A year ago, Marie-Josée Dupuis (Rouyn-Noranda, Québec, Canada) owned a busy restaurant. Now shes decided to do something else:
I had been thinking about the becoming a yoga teacher option for quite a while, without really considering it. You know, like the thing you know that exists, and would be so great, but that is (in your head) not very achievable So I registered, and after my first weekend in the program, everything I was scared about was gone.
Whatever the story, it invariably had a happy ending: everyone we interviewed was very, very happy with their decision to become a yoga teacher.
The Training Program
All of our respondents said that their teacher training was transformational. They also said that it was very hard, but that without exception they would do it again. Everyone also felt that their training did a good job of preparing them for teaching yoga, but that the training helped them to realize that learning to be a yoga teacher is an unending process that only begins with the completion of a teacher training program.
There are many teacher training programs out there. Their main differences involve location (ranging from urban yoga studios to isolated ashrams) and schedule (some are intensives, typically lasting up to a month, while others are spread out over many months of weekends and evenings). Some schools focus only on the physical asanas, while others teach yoga as a lifestyle on many levels, so they focus more on spiritual growth. In general, a program costs quite a bit of money, and even those that dont require you to take a break away from the rest of your life will require commitment.
How do you choose the right program? Advice from our new teachers was varied. A lot of people recommended trying out a place before signing up, and taking some classes first with the teachers at a place to make sure that they teach what you want to learn. Many people also indicated that they used word of mouth and recommendations to help them make their decision.
The Business of Teaching Yoga
New teachers are finding the yoga world to be pretty competitive not only in large cities where studios may want their teachers to have several years experience, but also in small towns and in rural settings. One person who lives in the countryside even described how she caught a rival teacher removing and covering up her flyers at the local grocery store.
One smart thing to do seems to be to find your niche. It is hard with so many yoga teachers looking for work but that only motivates you to find what sets you apart, says MaryAnn McIvor (Charlottesville, VA, USA). Also, you may want to talk to yoga teachers and studios and ask to be considered for substitute teaching, as a way to get your foot in the door.
You might like to know that the majority of our respondents say that in the near future, they will not be able to earn a living from teaching yoga. For many of them, that is a distant goal to shoot for in the future.
Interestingly, we learned that many new yoga teachers have some trouble with marketing themselves. Yoga is not supposed to be about making money, and many yogis are typically uninterested in entrepreneurship. Moreover, the business aspects of being a yoga teacher are not commonly taught in teacher training. Linnea Evalill Ahlgren (Moscow, Russia) says:
So far Im finding myself way too humble to do any kind of marketing. It is even difficult telling my friends when I am teaching.
New yoga teacher Brittany Cloud (Saint Louis, MI, USA) says:
Marketing is the most difficult aspect for me. I find that a lot of people who are into yoga are more inward focused like me. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to step out and go public with it.
Many teachers combine traditional marketing (flyers and business cards) with an Internet presence either by having their own website or, more typically, with a pro Facebook page. A lot of our interviewees that have already found teaching engagements say that it was talking to people (be it friends and acquaintances, yoga teachers, or yoga students) thats produced the best results.
Some yoga teachers out there feel that students will manifest automatically over time, as word about their teaching gets around but this implies that theyre already teaching lots of classes, so were not sure how thats supposed to work for a brand new teachers. Of course, not marketing yourself is one (perfectly acceptable) strategy
While were on the subject of marketing: for any yoga teacher (new or not), YogaTrail will be the place where people will easily be able to find you and where you can distinguish yourself in various ways so youll accomplish a good deal of marketing by just having a presence on our site. The YogaTrail launch is imminent if youre eager to be among the first to get into our beta tests, now would be a good time to request an invite
Bottom Line
We asked: if you had one piece of advice to give to someone who wants to become a yoga teacher, what would it be? Well quote Amy Quinn (Central Coast, Australia) who echoed the general sentiment: Just do it! Your true life begins on the other side of fear!, and Jimena Patiño Martínez (Mexico City, Mexico): Dont be afraid, you are as capable as any!
When we asked what people enjoy most about teaching, it invariably was about the end of class and the visible effect thats produced in students when they come out of savasana. Heres Samantha Logan (Albuquerque, NM, USA):
I enjoy watching students go through their journey and being reminded of my own. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing a smile of peace on someones face while they are in savasana.
Maybe Elles said it best when she wrote:
what I love is the moment at the end of the class, when people have become quiet and sit so peacefully, patiently, contentedly. When they open their eyes again they are different people from the ones that walked in the door at the start, the rush of time has made way for something else, and it shows.
Thinking about becoming a yoga teacher? Tell us if this post has helped you in some way.
UPDATE:
YogaTrail is fully live and open to the public so if youre a new yoga teacher, come and create your listing right now. Its completely free (really!), and its probably the easiest and most effective way for a yoga provider to present themselves in front of yogis in their local area. Let people find you!
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