8 Benefits Of Becoming a Yoga Instructor

Being a yoga instructor is about more than making money. Read here for 8 benefits of teaching yoga to others that you might not have considered!

In 2016, more than 36 million Americans practiced yoga, up from 20.4 million who practiced in 2012. Yoga is a popular lifestyle choice for many people, but it is also a bustling industry.

For some, yoga is even an opportunity for fulfilling and challenging employment.

Becoming a certified yoga instructor is an investment of time and money, but the rewards that you get back make it well worth it. As a yoga instructor, you have unique opportunities for personal and professional growth that not many careers can provide.

Making money is great, but there are many other benefits of becoming a yoga instructor that may make it the right next step for you.

Below, we’re going into detail on the top eight reasons why you should consider getting certified to teach yoga to others. Read on to learn more about the benefits that, as a yoga instructor, you could soon be enjoying for yourself.

1. Improve Your Own Yoga Practice

If you’ve been practicing yoga as a student, you’ve probably had some opportunity to explore different poses and styles. You may have even worked with a yoga instructor who gave you useful and thoughtful guidance.

That’s an important foundation for any yoga practice, but it can also be limiting. If you find that there’s a style of yoga or a pose you don’t like, you don’t have to do it.

If you choose to become a yoga instructor, however, you’ll be challenged to improve your practice. You’ll be inspired to take it to a deeper level than you ever could as a student.

As a yoga instructor, you may even be introduced to poses you never knew about as a student, when your yoga practice was in someone else’s hands.

Getting to explore and attempt new poses, new methods of breathing, and new yoga philosophies will expand your personal practice. You can share that will your students, but also use it as a foundation for your own growth and development.

2. Strengthen your Mental and Physical Health

Yoga is one of the most complete ways to address both your physical and mental health.

Physically, the benefits of doing yoga include:

• Increased flexibility
• Muscle strengthening and toning
• Increased energy
• Circulatory health and cardio health
• Improved digestion and metabolism

There are also mental health benefits to doing yoga such as:

• Increased self and body awareness
• Stress relief
• Sharpened attention
• Improved concentration
• Boosted confidence

As a yoga instructor, you’ll have the opportunity to notice all of the different ways that yoga contributes to an improved sense of self.

Becoming a yoga teacher requires you to dedicate more time to your practice than you could as a student. While that is a big commitment, it also gives you a bigger opportunity to benefit from the physical and mental aspects of a yoga practice.

You may even discover a new technique or pose that you’d never know about before, and find that it makes the biggest difference in strengthening your overall health.

3. Job Flexibility

For many yoga instructors, teaching yoga classes is just one of several things that they do.

Because most yoga studios hold classes seven days week during various time slots, many yoga instructors have the flexibility to work as often or as little as they want.

If you’re trying to make extra income to support a freelance or otherwise part-time career, becoming a certified yoga instructor is a great way to do that. You’ll be able to do something fulfilling, while still having the time to pursue your other passions.

A career as a yoga instructor may also be attractive to parents, who want to work part-time while their kids are in school, but still be available for their children during mornings, afternoons and weekends.

Working as a yoga instructor is also a very mobile career, and you can do it from almost anywhere in the world.

You may want a job that will give you an opportunity to travel. Or you may have to move often for your spouse’s career and want work that you can do from anywhere you end up.

Whatever the reasons, if you’re looking for a flexible job opportunity, becoming a yoga teacher could be the ideal choice for you. You may even end up opening a studio and managing your own business one day.

4. Helping Others

Yoga is spreading in the United States, and one of the most appealing things about it is how diverse it is.

From Vinyasa to Ashtanga to Hatha, there are many different types of yoga. There are also many different reasons why people choose to practice yoga in the first place.

Some practice yoga because they want to be more flexible, or because they want to strengthen and tone their bodies. For others, the goals are to achieve a calmer and more relaxed mind.

Businesses often sponsor yoga classes as a way to prioritize employee well-being, and some schools offer yoga and meditation as a substitute for disciplinary action.

Whatever the reason for someone doing yoga, as an instructor, you are in a position to help them achieve their individual goal.

You can draw on your knowledge and experience to connect with a person, and guide them through their practice in a way that is helpful and meaningful to them. That will benefit them not only when they are in a yoga class, but in their daily life as well.

5. Build Confidence and Social Skills

For students, yoga class is a place where you go to relax and surrender. It’s more about being reactive than proactive, and for many people, that’s a welcome change from their everyday life.

As an instructor, however, you are in a very different position. You are the leader in the room, and you need to have the confidence and fortitude to respond to a variety of different situations.

Because yoga can be very physically and mentally demanding, lots of students respond to it in different ways. What all students have in common, however, is the trust they put in the instructor.

When you’re the teacher, your students are relying on you to give them what they need. For some that may be gentle guidance, while for others it may be more detailed instruction.

You will find yourself interacting with different kinds of people from different circumstances and walks of life. Being in that environment and holding a position of leadership can lead to improved social skills and confidence. You can benefit from that throughout your life.

6. Learn More about Your Body

To become a certified yoga instructor, you have to learn more than just yoga poses, breathing, and meditation.

Yoga can be a very physical activity, and as a teacher, you’ll need to have an understanding of anatomy and alignment so that you can help your students practice safely.

As part of becoming an instructor, you’ll gain a better knowledge of how your body works and how to practice safely so that it stays strong and healthy for years to come.

This will benefit those you teach, but it will also allow you explore other physical activities — such as running or cycling — with a better awareness of your body. As a result, you can stay injury-free and healthy.

7. Be a Part of a Yoga Community

As a student, yoga can be a very private and personal experience. Often that’s what a practitioner is looking for out of a class, but being a yoga teacher offers you something more.

Once you become an instructor, you’ll find yourself a part of a community of other yoga teachers and leaders who enjoy sharing their knowledge and experience. You may pick up some tips and techniques that you want to incorporate into your own teaching style.

You’ll have an opportunity to be a more active and involved part of the yoga community and can form relationships with other instructors that will last throughout your life.

8. Practice Anywhere, Anytime

One of the biggest benefits of becoming a yoga teacher is that you’ll have the ability to be your own yoga teacher.

Rather than relying on a studio’s schedule or rushing to get to a class on time, you can practice whenever you want, wherever you are. Once you’ve completed the certification to become a yoga teacher, you’ll understand how to guide your practice from that perspective.

It’s always useful to learn from others and you may still want to join yoga classes when you can. But, as an instructor, you won’t have to rely on anyone other than yourself to practice.

Every time you go to your yoga mat, you’ll be able to design a practice that gives you exactly what you need on that day and in that moment.

Ready to Explore Becoming a Certified Yoga Instructor?

Because yoga is so popular across the country and around the world, certified instructors are always in demand. If you’re looking to explore a new, fulfilling career, becoming a yoga teacher could be right for you.

For more information on yoga and other certifications, please feel free to contact us at any time.