Become a Yoga Teacher in India: A Step-by-Step Roadmap to Your Dream Career

Yoga fosters balance between mind and body and has a beneficial effect on the physical and mental health of the practitioner. You might be interested in becoming a yoga teacher if you like to practice yoga and help others do the same. Reading more about this profession will help you decide whether or not you should become a yoga teacher.

Below, we tell you the procedure to become a yoga teacher step by step and how you can become certified to run a yoga center. Yoga is an ancient Indian practice that has been embraced by people from across the world today. With the growing popularity of yoga, there has also been a demand for yoga teachers.

This guide takes you through every step needed to become a certified yoga teacher in India. It is a commitment to become a certified yoga teacher, but the rewards are numerous. This journey offers personal growth, the opportunity to work with similar individuals, and satisfaction in teaching students through the life-altering practice of yoga. If you are ready to begin, let us begin on how to turn your passion into a career as a yoga teacher.

How To Become A Yoga Teacher In India In 6 Steps?

These are the steps that will take you through how to become a yoga teacher in India, from learning yoga to practicing yoga to teaching it as a certified teacher:

1. Join an accredited yoga training center

Before you move to instruct others in this age-old discipline, you might be required to have an in-depth knowledge of yoga practice on your level. Since you intend to be professional, join a centre that has accreditation from the Yoga Certification Board (YCB).

This is the government-recognised organisation that certifies professionals in yoga. Seek institutions approved by the YCB as “leading yoga institution“, “yoga institution” or “yoga training centre.” In case you have to undergo private yoga training by an instructor, seek a teacher certified by YCB, who will take you to your certification.

2. Get trained

As a member of a YCB-recognized center, you can opt for two options. The first is yoga education and training, which is the most useful if you would like to teach yoga. The second option is to be certified as a yoga therapist. From the category of yoga education, you can register for different courses to become certified as a yoga instructor. All the courses will certify you at five levels:

Yoga Volunteer: This is the beginning certification and it can be undertaken by anyone who is under 75 years old. You will have to take 36 hours of training and help with group yoga classes or yoga breaks in the workplace.

Yoga Protocol Instructor: You must attend class 10 in the majority of the YCB schools prior to applying for training to become a yoga protocol instructor. You must undergo 200 hours of training within three months (part-time) or one month (full-time) to become certified.

Yoga Wellness Instructor: This is for students who want to learn yoga to prevent diseases and stay healthy. This course requires 400 hours of training, and YCB schools request that you pass class 12 to join this course.

Yoga Teacher and Assessor: For this course, most of the YCB institutions seek students who possess a bachelor’s degree in any stream from a recognized university. This requires 800 hours of training, distributed over nine months (full-time) or 15 months (part-time).

Yoga Master: This necessitates applicants to have a minimum of 1600 hours of course work. Faculties prefer a graduate of any stream from a known university.

These YCB training routes are not solely reserved for individuals with the above-mentioned educational qualification. Some YCB centers are provided with the option of accepting candidates who lack the above-mentioned qualifications. For instance, you can still engage in yoga master training without an undergraduate degree, provided the institution you choose is lenient to this requirement.

3. Get certified by the YCB

All the aforementioned YCB certifications require the candidates to appear for an independent test. You can prepare for an exam based on a valid syllabus prescribed by the YCB. The yoga volunteer test is purely theory-based, whereas the remaining four certifications consist of tests with practice as well as theory. Theory tests usually consist of objective-type, multiple-choice questions (MCQ). Practical tests usually take an hour, during which you showcase your yoga skills, teaching, assessment skills, application of knowledge, and work experience.

4. Start working

Once you have taken your exam, your identity card and certificate are given back to you by the YCB. Once you have those, you can teach yoga at your level of certification. You can teach at a YCB-approved center if you qualify to teach. You can teach in yoga colleges, gym clubs, hospitals, and anywhere else yoga teachers can teach. You can even start your own training center, although it is more effort to have your practice approved by the YCB.

5. Get your institution accredited by the YCB (Optional)

If you are going to set up a new institute of yoga, you can obtain accreditation with the YCB. The applicant institutions are anticipated by the board to meet the given requirements. Accreditation is mandatory if you are prepared to train professionals of yoga for certification with the YCB.

6. Maintain your personal certification

From yoga volunteer to yoga master, all certificates of the YCB’s yoga trainers are eligible for five years from the date the YCB releases its results. The board offers a service called the Continuing Yoga Education (CYE) programme, whereby you can renew your certificate. The CYE program has the following requirements before you can renew your certificate:

• A summary of how you performed over the certification period
• An orientation program that builds your expertise as a yoga expert
• The CYE programme (CYEP) lasts two to three days. You have a choice of one of the following versions of the programme:
• Taking a two-to-three-day CYEP at an elite yoga center
• Taking part in an online CYEP where you give a report on students you had prepared and other accompanying documents before sitting an exam before the committee
• Once you have completed your first CYE program, the committee can bestow lifetime certification upon you or request that you return for another CYEP.

Required skills for becoming a successful yoga teacher in India

In addition to the required education, it would be useful if you also gain the following skills. These would qualify you to be a good yoga teacher.

Good communication skills

Effective communication skills need to be cultivated by every teacher (not just a yoga teacher). As you are destined to be a teacher, your task would be to impart your knowledge to the students in the proper manner. So, it would be helpful if you start cultivating your communication skills from day one itself.

Ensure that your teachings and instructions are clear. You must be able to execute techniques and forms flawlessly so that your students can learn from you. Your students, most of the time, would be novices and would require your instructions on a daily basis.

Coordination

In the group classes, you would be handling between 15 and 20 students in a class. So, coordination skills would be helpful in handling different students. Not all of them would be equally good. So, you would have to spend your time with beginner students, intermediate students and also students who are interested in learning yoga but would probably be weak somewhere. Your role as a yoga teacher would be to guide them and encourage them in the right direction.

Patience

Yes, another crucial aspect that you would need as a yoga teacher is patience. You would need patience for two reasons: If you want to be a self-sufficient yoga teacher, you would need patience since you would take time to find clients and develop a good client base. You would develop your client base gradually. Sometimes, you might even lose some of your clients. So, patience is a crucial aspect of becoming a yoga teacher.

You would also need patience when teaching yoga in the classes. In order to maintain the proper atmosphere in the classes properly, patience is needed.

Discipline

It is the key to conducting successful yoga classes. You must make sure, as a yoga teacher, that there is discipline in your classes. Unnecessary noises from phone notifications or any form of distraction will lead to a negative environment in the classes. This will not be favorable for learning yoga. Make sure, therefore, that there is discipline in your classes.

How to Get An Institute Certified By The YCB?

The first is that your institution is a legally constituted and registered body under the Societies Act (1860), Trusts Act (1882), or central/state laws. Besides this, there are other conditions depending on the level of accreditation for which you are applying. These are the four levels of accreditation offered by the YCB:

1. Leading Yoga Institution

• Qualification standards are high in this category, the highest accreditation a yoga centre or institute can be awarded by the YCB. Apart from being a legal entity, an organisation is typically required to satisfy the following standards to be regarded as a top yoga institution:
• The institution is 15 years old, as is the yogic tradition.
• It has 10 years of experience in educating people in yoga education, training and therapy courses.
• It has qualified at least 500 institutionally trained yoga practitioners prior to requesting this accreditation.
• It is willing to run the Continuing Yoga Education (CYE) programme of the YCB once recognized by this body.
• Once the YCB has recognized a centre as an excellent yoga school, it may:
• Offer training courses that are equivalent to YCB certification for yoga professionals
• Carry out tests for the YCB certification courses for its own candidates
• Schedule CYE (Continuing Yoga Education) courses for certificate renewals
• Arrange workshops, seminars and conferences to disseminate and develop yoga

2. Yoga Institution

This accreditation is just below the Leading Yoga Institution level. To qualify, an organisation must satisfy the following requirements:

It must have a minimum of five years’ experience in the industry, providing yoga education or training courses.

It must graduate a minimum of 100 certified yoga professionals prior to applying for this recognition.

Through YCB accreditation, a yoga institution may operate training courses for YCB certifications such as:

• Yoga Protocol Instructor
• Yoga Wellness Instructor
• Yoga Teacher And Assessor
• Yoga Volunteer

This centre can now also hold YCB certification exams for students of its own.

3. Yoga Training Centre

This is the foundation certification for a YCB-accredited centre that educates students. In order to be certified, the centre must have a minimum of two years of experience running yoga training programmes for students. Once accredited, the centres are eligible to run courses that train students to become eligible for the following certifications:

• Yoga Protocol Instructor
• Yoga Wellness Instructor
• Yoga Volunteer
• A certified centre may also administer certification tests for the same.

4. Yoga Therapy Centre

When a centre acquires four years of experience in running courses on yoga therapy, it can be accredited as a yoga therapy centre by the YCB. This accreditation enables a yoga centre to run training and certification tests for the following:

• Assistant Yoga Therapist
• Yoga Therapist
• Yoga Volunteer

Conclusion

Becoming a yoga teacher in India is a transformative journey that blends passion, discipline, and deep spiritual growth. By choosing the right training program, immersing in authentic teachings, and gaining hands-on experience, you can build a fulfilling career in yoga. Embrace continuous learning, share your knowledge with others, and stay dedicated to your practice. Your path to becoming a certified yoga teacher starts now—take the leap and follow your dream!