During the Coronavirus pandemic, we watched as millions of people were stuck in their homes, isolated and looking for some form of human connection. Many people turned to mind body practices, such as yoga and pilates, to learn how to find some gentle movement in the body while also tapping into a peaceful frame of mind. These practices helped many of us get through one of the darkest times the world has ever seen. Breathwork practices helped a lot of people to overcome symptoms of Coronavirus and other respiratory illnesses.
Many people lost their income during the covid pandemic and were struggling to pay bills. While there were a lot of freezes placed on eviction and foreclosure processes, it was still a struggle to put food on the table for many people. A lot of people became interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor to help supplement their income during this time. When people set out to learn how to become a certified yoga teacher, they learn it is not as challenging as it once was.
There was a time when aspiring yoga teachers had to study with their guru day in, and day out to get certified to teach yoga. Yoga teacher trainees used to have to spend thousands of hours to please their teachers so that their teachers would give them the blessing to teach. It was a lot like the relationship between Daniel and Mr. Miyake in Karate Kid. Times have changed, and we have progressed on to better training conditions for those who would like to teach yoga.
There are now a lot of online yoga teacher training options. The starting point is the 200 hour yoga teacher training. With this certification, a yoga teacher is certified to teach yoga anywhere, to anyone. However, this is the basic certification, or a foundational course. It does not cover all there is to know about yoga, but rather teaches you a few basic breathing practices and the most common yoga poses. It skims over yoga philosophy and teaches topics that yoga teachers need to understand, like how to sequence a yoga class.
Once one has completed the 200 hour yoga teacher training certification, the next step is the 300 hour yoga teacher training certification. This is a more advanced yoga teacher training course that covers more advanced topics. Once yoga teachers have completed both the 200 hour foundation course and the 300 hour advanced course, they are considered 500 hour yoga teachers. This is the level that yoga teachers want to be at in order to make the most money for their time and have the most respect in their industry.
Many yoga teachers make close to six figures a year, and some even exceed that. Teaching in online environments can help to increase income for yoga teachers. Many yoga teachers are also turning to pop up yoga classes and airbnb experiences for yoga teachers to help create income opportunities. The sky is the limit with mind body practices and yoga teacher career opportunities.