Retraining: how to become a yoga teacher?

Yoga teacher: a profession of well-being

Yoga is a sporting practice that consists of a set of postures, and which is based on breathing in order to influence the well-being of an individual. This discipline has benefits on the body, but also on the mind and spirit.

To teach yoga, being passionate is important. The teacher will have to pass on his knowledge to his students and therefore be familiar with the practice, understand it, live it and have already experienced it on a personal basis. This job requires a comprehensive understanding of the discipline. In addition to the sporting dimension, the teacher will have to understand the philosophical and spiritual issues in order to offer his students a complete experience, combining physical postures and mindfulness exercises. In addition, the teacher should also know farea proof of pedagogy and have a real desire to share and support.

How to become a yoga teacher? What degree to teach this discipline?

Yoga is a unregulated discipline. It is therefore not mandatory to have a diploma or certification to teach it. However, training before embarking on this new profession is strongly recommended. Indeed, it is by training yourself that you will have the possibility to acquire the necessary skills in physiology, nutrition, anatomy… Similarly, it will be an opportunity to develop your pedagogical side because regardless of the discipline taught, being a teacher requires patience and a willingness to transmit.

What training and where to train to become a yoga teacher?

There are many independent training preparing for the profession of yoga teacher. In order to choose the most suitable one for your conversion project, it is important to ask yourself the right questions. Indeed, training organizations offer more or less long courses, more or less expensive, face-to-face, entirely remotely, which make it possible to carry out internships, etc.

A criterion that should not be overlooked, however, is the quality of the lessons offered. Because not all courses are created equal. Patrick Tomatis, in charge of the National Union of Yoga Teachers (SNPY), explains ” that it is possible to find on the internet many training courses that offer to learn the trade in 200 hours. “According to him, this is however” insufficient to acquire all the knowledge necessary to practice the profession. Indeed, according to a study* conducted by the SNPY in 2021, 67% of teachers surveyed claim to have a training of 4 years or more, including 60% having completed more than 500 hours of training in all.

While most courses do not lead to a degree, ” some are now Qualiopi certified, a good thing since this guarantees the seriousness of the lessons. This is the case of the French School of Yoga. In effect, ” the establishment, which is located in Paris, is registered in the Répertoire Spécifique, the 1st level of France Competences. This then allows him to issue a certificate to learners at the end of the course.

VSertain other training courses, if not recognized by the State, are recognized by the profession and certified by reference organizations such as the network Yoga Alliance Ininternational. Originally from the United States, it is the oldest yoga association in the world. It references several thousand schools and specialized training courses on an international scale. Courses available in France are identifiable on the association’s website.

At the national level, associations such as the UPY (Union of Yoga Professionals), the FNPY (National Federation of Yoga Teachers) or the French Federation of Hatha Yoga, also group together training and ensure their qualitative aspect.

Financing your training

Several options are available to you to finance your training, but some conditions must be taken into account. If you plan to use your Personal Training Account (CPF), be aware that the training must then be registered in the National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP). For the moment, only training courses offered by the French School of Yoga are eligible.

Other solution ? Go through Pôle emploi, your OPCO or even the Transitions pro association in your region. Each of these organizations can help you in your retraining project and can, if necessary, finance all or part of your training course.

Getting into the business

Once your professional retraining project is complete, comes the time to enter the job market. However, taking your first steps as a yoga teacher is not always easy. If the development of practices related to well-being works in favor of this profession, supply often exceeds demand.

” I think the profession of yoga teacher appeals “says Patrick Tomatis. However, some are sometimes discouraged about the reality of the job. “ The survey we conducted last year shows that only 5% of yoga teachers can live solely from this activity. The business requires a significant investment. »

In order to overcome these difficulties, it may be a good idea to carry out a gentle conversion. ” If you have an activity that you can reconcile with your yoga classes, it may be wise to reduce it at first, before stopping it completely once you have found some stability as a teacher. . This will allow you to ensure income and a certain financial situation.

However, in order to make a full living from this activity, it is important to work on your reputation and skills. The yoga teacher can practice in various types of structures: sports centers, yoga studio, associations… In order to develop a clientele, you can also choose to give private lessons. The use of a website or social networks may then be useful for you to offer your services. In addition, it is possible for you to specialize to choose to practice only one type of yoga, or to choose to teach only one category of the population (adolescents, pregnant women, elderly people, people in disability, etc).

If becoming a yoga teacher is not necessarily easy, it is nonetheless a passionate job that will allow you to live and transmit this practice on a daily basis.

^{* Survey carried out by the Sphynx, for the SNPY, between February 18 and March 14, 2021. Respondents are divided into two separate samples: those representing the French population (1,000 responses) and those representing “yogis” (18,248 responses).}