The Ultimate Guide to Becoming a Yoga Instructor

The practice of yoga can be a gratifying way to keep fit and physically flexible. With the many physical and mental health benefits that yoga provides, it is easy to see how it can quickly become more of a lifestyle than just a wellness hobby. 

If you have fallen in love with practicing yoga and want to turn your wellness into a career as a yoga instructor, this is the blog for you. We will stretch way down into what it takes to become a yoga instructor, how to protect your career with yoga instructor insurance, and some of the best things about teaching yoga. Roll out your mats and take a deep breath as we immerse ourselves into the ultimate guide to becoming a yoga instructor. 

What Yoga Instructing is Not

Before we get too deep into how to become a yoga instructor, it is important to dissect some things that yoga instruction does not involve. There are many myths about teaching yoga that are simply not true. Some of the common misassumptions about teaching yoga include:

You have to be the best at yoga to teach yoga.

While it is important to understand the principles of yoga, teaching is not about being the best or most flexible. Instead, yoga instructors need to have a passion for helping others achieve their wellness goals and have the ability to communicate. As you will discover while teaching, the ability to communicate your instructions well is an essential part of your teaching success. 

Teaching yoga is all about the poses.

Instructing yoga is much more diverse than just knowing the poses and being able to tell others how to achieve them. Just as yoga itself has multiple layers of application, becoming a yoga instructor involves several different elements. As you start your career, you will need to consider the business side of things, how you will protect yourself from a lawsuit, what yoga instructor insurance you will get for coverage, where you will instruct, and other factors. While the physical side of becoming a yoga instructor is crucial, be ready to take on many hats to have a successful career as a yoga teacher. 

Becoming a yoga instructor is easy.

This myth has been a pervasive rumor that just is not correct. While yoga instruction can be a very fulfilling career, it will also take a good deal of work. The truth is, becoming a yoga instructor is a fantastic career if your passion is promoting wellness and you enjoy helping others to be more healthy. Becoming a yoga instructor can undoubtedly be worth it, even though it will take time and effort. 

Necessary Steps to Becoming a Yoga Instructor

When you first decide on a career teaching yoga, it can be overwhelming with all that you need to do to prepare yourself. In addition to your training, you will want to ensure that you’ve written a yoga teacher bio and that insurance for yoga instructors is taken care of, you have a place to teach either online or in-person, and you have the appropriate certifications. 

Here are some essential steps that every aspiring yoga instructor should take:

1. Get the proper training: In order to become the best yoga instructor you can be, it is necessary to get the appropriate training. Typically, you can typically receive training with about 200 hours of instruction, though it will vary depending on the program you choose. Be sure in your training that you will feel equipped to lead your future students in their yoga endeavors. Be sure to ask questions, study hard, and learn all you can from your instructors. 

2. Get yoga instructor insurance: As a yoga instructor, you may have clients that injure themselves while under your instruction. Insurance for yoga teachers helps cover you in case a lawsuit is filed against you and protects your financial stability. When you search for yoga insurance, be sure that it will provide protection for professional liabilities, general liabilities, and product liabilities. These coverages, identity theft protection, and additional benefits are an essential part of the best yoga instructor insurance. Psst. We will discuss more about this in a bit. 

3. Practice teaching: One misunderstanding that new yoga instructors often fall victim to is that you will start teaching right after training and be as good as it gets. However, building your confidence as a yoga teacher will take time. In the meantime, practice teaching and grow yourself as an instructor. This practice will help you find your voice and develop your teaching style. The more you practice, the better you will be. 

4. Start charging money for your yoga classes: Once you have received your training, an important step is to start charging for your teaching services. Whether you teach in a studio, at home, in private venues, or online, there is ample opportunity to make a career out of teaching yoga. 

5. Read up on your studio requirements and modality-specific requirements for yoga instructors: As each studio will have different requirements, certifications, and regulations for fitness instructors, be certain that you are following the rules for your area and state. 

What Every New Yoga Instructor Needs to Know

In addition to the practical training you will receive from your yoga course, there are slime things every yoga instructor will need to know to have a successful career. You are already learning how to teach the poses, breathing, anatomy, and benefits of yoga, but here is some sage wisdom for when you are just starting your career. 

• Be patient with yourself: As you get into teaching, there is a lot to consider, work on, learn, and remember. Take the time you need to be the best you can be. Remember that you will look back one day and realize how far you have come, but be kind and patient with yourself as you learn and grow.
• Know where you will teach yoga: A considerable part of getting started is determining where you will teach your students. Are you going to teach in a yoga studio? Will you create your yoga studio? Of course, it does not have to be in a studio location. The possibilities are nearly endless for sites. You may consider private lessons where you go to your clients' homes or perhaps host classes in your home. You could also partner with a coffee shop to have a yoga and coffee morning or simply perform your courses online.
• Accidents can and likely will happen over the course of your career: Unfortunately,  teaching yoga does present the risk of liabilities. Potential liabilities could include injuries, falls, over-extensions, bad reactions to a cleaner, etc. When these or other incidents occur, you could be held liable to the injured party for medical bills, lawyers’ fees, income loss, and other related expenses. As you start your career in yoga, understand that there is a definite possibility for an accident to occur. It is necessary that you prepare ahead of time to be financially ready in case of an unfortunate event. 
• Yoga insurance is a must: Because of the reasons listed above, you must prepare yourself for a potential lawsuit or claim against yourself with yoga instructor insurance. Insurance for yoga teachers will help cover the event of a lawsuit or property damage. Yoga insurance helps keep your assets safe when a lawsuit is filed and enables you to avoid paying out of pocket.
• Not all yoga insurance is the same: When looking for yoga instructor insurance, be sure that the coverage will be enough for your needs. You will want to know if it covers professional, general, and product liability and offers incredible benefits. You will also want to ensure it will be an excellent price to meet your budget and business. The yoga liability insurance you get from beYogi has excellent professional, general, product liability, and additional protection like identity theft coverage. You can learn more about beYogi’s insurance for yoga instructors on this page.

• Know the benefits of your yoga insurance: After finding the right coverage, dig into some of the perks offered by your yoga insurance provider. These days, mere coverage does not cut it; it is all about the benefits for policyholders. These perks are just the icing and make it that much sweeter to be protected with yoga instructor insurance. beYogi offers some remarkable benefits to its policyholders just for yoga instructors. These perks include deep discounts on the products and sites you will use every day, a professionally designed website, access to affordable health insurance plans, identity theft protection, and deals on CEUs. 

Cool Down: You are Just Getting Started

Congratulations on pursuing a new career as a yoga instructor. We hope you found this guide helpful and informative. Here at beYogi, we are here to help the new generation of yoga instructors. Contact our team if you have questions about yoga instructor insurance or to get started on your coverage.