Everything You Need to Know About 95-Hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Training 

Teaching yoga to children is such a rewarding experience.

Not only are you able to teach mindfulness and healthy habits in a fun environment, but you are also able to make a difference in the lives of the kids who attend your class. 

A 200 – hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification is the main level required to teach yoga. After getting your 200-hour or 300-hour training there are many additional certifications available for teaching specialized populations and one of those is kids’ yoga! 

While it is possible to teach children’s yoga without going through a training program and getting certified, most of the places that offer kids yoga classes want a yoga instructor that has gone through some level of training. 

Most trainings range from 10-95 hours depending on the amount of information taught in them, so it is important to take the time to research what is available and what fits your needs.

In order to be a registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (R-CYT) through the Yoga Alliance, it is necessary to complete 95 hours of training with a registered yoga school and 30 hours of teaching. 

Although this is necessary if you want to be registered with the Yoga Alliance and it is possible to complete a shorter training and still teach children’s yoga, there are many invaluable components of a 95-hour program to consider when deciding what is best for you. 

So, let’s take some time to go over the details of what to expect in a 95-hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Training program. 

What to Expect in a 95-Hour Children's Yoga Teacher Training Program

Class Planning

A typical 95-hour training will devote a lot of time to class planning as there is a lot to consider when teaching this population. 

One of the most important aspects is the duration of a class.

For kids ages 2-5, 30-minutes is a good amount of time to keep their attention and interest. For kids ages 6-10 the classes can be longer as they can stay focused for a longer amount of time, and those classes are usually 45-minutes or an hour.

Most trainings will also go over kid-oriented themes, poses, breathing techniques, positive discipline, and mindfulness games that help channel the energy level of the children. 

How to Support Kids' Social and Emotional Well-Being

 Just like adults, kids have their stages of social and emotional growth and well-being that factor into how well they will respond to your class.

A 95-hour training will provide many tools for all sorts of scenarios that can come up in an average class such as constant interruptions, losing focus, and managing tantrums. 

There will also be a good amount of focus on turning each moment into a teachable moment, including discussing gratitude, coping strategies, being part of a team, positive self-talk, and how to handle all of the various emotions we all experience. 

Children’s Physical Abilities

It’s true that children are very flexible and soak up information like sponges.

However, it’s important to remember that a student that is new to yoga should still start with beginner-level poses and work their way up.  Yoga teaches balance, flexibility, and coordination, while enhancing memory, focus, and comprehension.

Just as you would not teach Crow pose to a beginner student in an adult class, it’s important to let kids work their way up to advanced poses based on their physical abilities and interest. 

How to Teach Various Ages and Abilities

Expanding on learning how to work with kids’ physical abilities, a 95-hour teacher training program will offer valuable information for teaching all stages of children from infants to toddlers, school-age children, and even teens, as this age is an important transition between childhood and adulthood.

Each age group has their own needs and interests to fulfill. 

For example, a school-age age class consisting of 7–10-year-olds will not want to do the same activities as a preschool-age class and while preschool kids will enjoy following the example of older kids, many older kids will not be interested in doing yoga with “babies.”

Marketing and Business Management

Whether you are an individual yoga teacher marketing yourself or you are managing a studio or kids yoga business, there are many things to consider for success.

Finding a marketing strategy that you are comfortable with and can afford, as well as planning a business budget, getting liability insurance, managing clients and/or other yoga instructors are just a few of the topics that most training programs will discuss and provide tools for accomplishing your goals.

On top of that, being able to build your network through the other instructors in your training is an added bonus for both business prospects and your own circle of support and inspiration. 

Practice Teaching

After going over all of the information, tools, poses, and things to consider when teaching children’s yoga, it can seem overwhelming putting it all together and even remembering that you will be teaching individual classes. 

Conquering Teaching Fear 

Being able to practice teaching classes to your training group during the training, as well as having the opportunity to shadow more experienced teachers in their children’s yoga classes and be mentored by them when you start teaching is a big part of most children’s yoga teacher training programs. 

As you can see, there are a lot of information and important tools provided in a 95-hour training and these are just some of the main topics and experiences you can expect to learn.

Between all of this information and your own enthusiasm, interest in working with children, and creative energy you will be set up for success. 

Teaching children yoga is a wonderful way to encourage positive wellness strategies for a lifetime as yoga allows space to explore the mind-body connection and teaches kids how to tune into their emotional and mental state on a regular basis. 

Being able to provide a practice to build on throughout their lives and giving them healthy habits from which they can continue to grow and thrive is a wonderful thing to offer.

So it is important to also allow yourself to start with a good foundation to build on and thrive as well and that all starts with the training program you choose.