24/09/2025
I love this!
I've been thinking a lot about training these last couple of months and why it's important in this unregulated yoga world.
Technically, anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a yoga teacher.
I, personally, find this problematic but I also acknowledge that there are many paths to becoming a yoga teacher.
If you are beginning your yoga journey, and testing out classes and teachers (which you should!), just keep a few things in mind...
: How much training should a yoga teacher have? :.
The baseline is 200 hours of formal teacher training. That’s the worldwide standard for learning yoga safely and responsibly—covering postures, anatomy, philosophy, ethics, and teaching methods.
But training doesn’t always look like a certificate. Some teachers study in ashrams or directly with a guru, some complete long-term apprenticeships, and many continue with advanced or specialized trainings (like trauma-informed, somatics, or prenatal), which are completed post-200 hours.
The important part?
Your teacher should have a solid foundation, know what they don’t know, and be clear about the scope of their training. A good teacher will say things like:
“I don't know”
“I don’t have enough training/experience in that area”
When you’re choosing a teacher, look for depth, honesty, and commitment to ongoing learning—not just a certificate on the wall.
