Yoga teacher
Yoga teachers teach yoga as a form of exercise to increase fitness and wellbeing.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a yoga teacher, you could:
- design course and lesson plans to suit different abilities
- teach simple and complex yoga positions
- adapt positions for conditions like pregnancy or arthritis
- teach breathing techniques
- assess students and review your own courses and teaching skills
- market your classes and do business admin tasks, if you're self-employed
Working environment
You could work at a fitness centre or at a health centre.
Career path and progression
With experience you could run your own yoga workshops or yoga retreats.
You might also:
- train as a yoga therapist
- specialise in working with particular age groups
- take further qualifications to train and mentor new yoga teachers
- combine yoga teaching with teaching other fitness classes
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
- customer service skills
- the ability to work on your own
- leadership skills
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to teach pupils how to do something
- the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
- patience and a calming manner
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- have insurance
- pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- specialist courses run by private training organisations
You can do a yoga teaching qualification at college or in a community learning centre.
Courses include:
- teaching yoga to children aged 5 to 16
- yoga teaching
- teaching gentle years yoga (for those working with older adults)
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
More Information
You can train as a yoga teacher by taking courses with a professional body, for example:
Some knowledge of anatomy and physiology will be useful.
Career tips
You'll usually need at least 2 to 3 years' experience of practising yoga with a qualified teacher to teach it yourself.
You may find it helpful if you have a background in teaching exercise and fitness.
Further information
You can find out more about teaching yoga from:
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External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.