Train to be a Yoga Instructor
If you are already considerably advanced in your yoga practice, and are interested in training to be an instructor, many of the reputable yoga centres and organisations listed above also offer courses for those training to be a yoga instructor.
The British Wheel of Yoga in fact offers a number of teacher training courses that give you an internationally recognised accreditation in the instruction of the sport. Below are a list of the prinicipal teacher training courses offered by the BWY:
Teacher Training Diploma
The Teacher Training Diploma offered by the British Wheel of Yoga is a 500 hour course that can take between two and four years to complete and is the nationally recognised qualification required to practice yoga as an occupation. You need to have practiced yoga for over two years to be admitted onto a BWY Teaching Diploma course students. Additionally, many first complete the BWY Foundation Course as well. The BWY run courses all over the UK and more information can be found on their website.
Some of the themes covered in the course include; anatomy and physiology, pranayama, history of yoga and the philosophy of yoga.
If you obtained a teaching qualification from another organisation, but would like accreditation from BWY, you can do the Integration Course for yoga teachers and this requires one day a month of your time for 10 months.
In Service Training
In the interest of promoting the professional development of yoga instructors and also the status of BWY, every year they require diploma holders to take courses. Referred to as “In-service Training”, a number of days are provided in each region to cater for your schedule.
Training Abroad
The opportunities for training abroad are now numerous. There are official bodies across the world who generally recognise the validity of each others qualifications, therefore making it possible to study as an instructor in another part of the world and then return to the UK to practice. You could, for example, head to Australia, the USA or follow the age-old tradition of a pilgrimage to deepest yogic India.
The following are a couple of useful websites to consult when thinking of training as an instructor abroad: