Yoga in any of its many different forms can be a rewarding experience, physically, emotionally and spiritually. While many yoga practices were brought to the West by skilled Yoga masters from India, gaining a yoga certification does not require travel to the Far East, living in a monastery, or embracing any different type of religious philosophy.
Yoga certification programs and yoga teacher training can be found in many yoga centers around the country in most major cities. Although yoga is a continuous lifelong process of education and attainment, you can get started quickly, with some training certifications available in sessions at short as 90 days. Depending on the extent you wish to study and the school you choose to attend, the course of study may be much more rigorous. With your new yoga instructor certification, you may be qualified to conduct yoga classes of various sorts at any number of local yoga centers in your community. There are also online learning centers where you can earn your certification through an online course of study.
When you set out to become certified as a yoga instructor, you will want to learn at least one of the various types of yoga, and choose a specialty that suits your spirit. Each of the many different styles of yoga have relative advantages, with some focusing more on fitness and health, and others focusing more on inner awakening and the spiritual self through a combination of physical yoga routines and meditations. Ashtanga yoga teacher training for example, prepares you to teach ashtanga yoga, a dynamic and aerobic practice that promotes both physical fitness and mental awareness. This style synchronizes breath with movement, and is a powerful style of yoga that provides its students with tremendous benefit. Kundalini yoga teacher training prepares you to teach the special type of yoga called Kundalini, which seeks to awaken a powerful spiritual energy through a combination of physical exercises and meditations. Hot yoga teacher training teaches you all about Bikram yoga, informally called "hot" yoga, so-called because it is practiced in a heated room of between 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
You may also wish to specialize as an instructor for specific audiences. Many yoga training centers throughout the country, including New York City, California, Florida, and Long Island, offer yoga classes specifically for kids, and even prenatal yoga classes with special exercises for pregnant women.
In many cases, teachers and practitioners of yoga combine different yoga styles with other practices to achieve different results and goals. Some teachers of yoga also are able to guide students to use techniques as arcane as self hypnosis to achieve personal goals.
Becoming a yoga teacher can be a very rewarding experience and an excellent career path, while also giving you an excellent opportunity to advance your own yogic abilities and unleash your own powers and energies through this wonderful and mystical practice.
