Professional Development: Yoga Teacher Training Options

You’ve completed your 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training, maybe gone on to do a 500-hour program, you’ve taken hundreds of classes, taught a few hundred more.

Now after giving teaching your all for a while, you’re feeling like you need fresh inspiration. 

The time has come for you to step back in the seat of being a student.

This is a completely normal cycle of teaching yoga - or teaching any modality. Inspiration and new energy is key to continued success and avoiding burnout as a yoga teacher.

Think about it - you are constantly filling someone else’s cup - now it is time for your needs to be met, and hopefully exceeded, so that your cup runneth over!

Yoga is incredible in that it’s so broad and there are many different avenues you can take once the yoga door is opened for you.

Maybe you started in traditional Ashtanga but now are interested in facilitating sound bowls, or you did a 200 Hour TTC in Vinyasa but want to learn to teach Kundalini.

It’s all available to you! Yoga does not discriminate - and most continuing education courses don’t have requirements other than a baseline 200-hour training.

Whatever your interests, here are some great ways to expand your horizons and learn new things in the yoga world and beyond.

Professional Development Yoga Teacher Training Options to Consider

Yoga Blogs and Publications

Online resources (like this very website!) are a wonderful way to learn more about yoga and inspire your teachings. 

Depending on your interests, you can read up on yoga philosophy, learn more about the business of yoga, research poses and Sanskrit or discover a fresh spiritual perspective that might inform your dharma talks. 

You can also nerd out on anatomy and learn all about the different muscles and joints, or find quotes that speak to you that you can share with your students.

Yoga magazines are also a great source of knowledge, as you can learn what’s going on in the yoga industry and catch up on upcoming events and trends. 

Classic yoga texts, both in the spiritual and physical domain, also provide endless learning opportunities.

From the Bhagavad Gita to Light on Yoga, books can give a powerful backbone to all yoga teachings.

Online Learning

In addition to the yoga options already offered on websites like YouTube, during the pandemic, many amazing teachers and institutions opened up online classes and trainings that had never been offered before.

Prior to covid, most places only felt that in person was the way to go - but that all changed when we needed yoga more than ever during lockdowns, and online programs allow students from anywhere in the world to practice with them and even do full teacher trainings.

Various yoga apps and websites offer classes from a plethora of teachers, giving you inspiration at your fingertips - literally.

You can pick up some great teaching points, discover a new sequence or find a great spiritual message all while practicing at your own pace in your own place.

In-Person Workshops

Since studios are back in business, there are many types of in person yoga courses you can jump into on any given weekend, usually during off-peak hours.

Since workshops are low commitment and typically affordable, it’s a great way to try out new modalities and expand your teaching skills without signing up for a whole training.

Depending on where you live, you can find workshops ranging from arm balances to chakra balancing and everything in between.

If you’re interested in learning things that are complementary to yoga, you can also brush up on Ayurveda or mantra chanting in a weekend workshop - and maybe discover a new passion.

Continuing Education

Want more than a workshop can give you but less than a full teacher training? Look into yoga continuing education courses!

These are shorter trainings that are typically sanctioned by Yoga Alliance to qualify for continuing education hours.

These modules might be a deeper dive into something you already teach, or a chance to learn something new from a teacher you haven’t studied with before. 

These courses might be offered as a standalone program or as part of a bigger teacher training protocol - many 500-hour trainings offer shorter modules (25 - 75 hours of training) that teachers can pay to join - and it will be a great chance to dive back into learning and get the feeling of a teacher training without giving up a huge chunk of your time.

Yoga Retreats

Even when your job is teaching yoga, you still need a vacation from time to time.

When you’re ready for a break but still want to keep learning, try going on a yoga retreat!

You’ll be able to learn from another teacher or group of teachers, pick up new styles and skills and hopefully relax (and maybe get a massage) at the same time.

There are options for all budgets and interests, ranging from two-day weekend getaways all the way up to 7 or 14 day international retreats.

Going on a retreat is also a great way to test-drive a teacher or style and see if it  is aligned with yours, in case you’re interested in doing a further training with them.

Yoga Teacher Trainings

If you’re really looking to learn more and deepen your yoga knowledge, consider signing up for another intensive training.

When you have been a teacher for a while, it’s great to shift to being a student and let your teaching mind relax for a chunk of time.

Even if you’ve gone through a 200-hour training, you can always sign up for another one as a refresher or go on to get your 500-hour certification…  and beyond.

The joy of teaching yoga is that you most likely started as a student - and you can always return to being that student, allowing someone else to inspire you.