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Yoga Teacher Training Licenses and Certifications

You may be new to yoga and be curious about taking a yoga teacher training. You may have lots of questions to find out what program is best for you and what are the licences and certifications needed to instruct yoga. Currently there are no required licences to instruct yoga anywhere in the United States as a whole. Some individual institutions may require some type of certification and even require you to be a registered yoga instructor thru the Yoga Alliance at a minimum of 200 hours.

 

Upon taking my yoga teacher training at It's Yoga San Francisco in 2000 many of us did not know what yoga alliance was. We knew that we loved the practice and wanted to share the teachings as they were taught by us by Larry Schultz and thru the lineage of Pattabi Jois.We all received our certs. signed by Larry and began teaching as much as we could. We were rarely asked if we had a Yoga Alliance Certification, actually no one ever asked.

At Yoga ah our 200 hour level one training is recognized by The Yoga Alliance under the umbrella of It's Yoga International. Upon graduation you do not have to register with Yoga Alliance unless you want too. Once you register with Yoga Alliance you will be required to pay fees annually to maintain your RYT status. Yoga ah also offers you to be certified by Amber Gean who believes in the student instructor relationship where a special bond is formed and becoming a good yoga instrutor far exceeds Yoga Alliance standards. We believe in making sure you have the tools you need to bring yoga where ever you go, Yoga Alliance and beyond.

Yoga ah's Advanced 5 day Rocket Trainings are designed to give you an opportunity for continuing your education as a yoga instructor. During the 5 day training you will have an opportunity to refine you teaching and your practice. At Yoga ah it is our mission to bring you an authentic yoga experience. Upon graduation you will receive 50 - 100 hour continuing education credits in Advanced Training Methods. 

To summarize when you are researching Yoga Teacher Training Programs, choose based on the studio itself. Is is established? Has it been recommended? At Yoga ah we would advise not to get too wrapped in Yoga Alliance, while they may offer minimum standards, most of your clients will hire you based on your ability to share the practice with others from an authentic place within you. At Yoga ah you will have all the tools you need to lead a wide range of students.

Often people walk into It’s Yoga with worry, stress and tiredness written all over their faces but when they leave, they show the effects of Ashtanga Yoga: they feel better and look better, lighter, freer, more relaxed and energized. This is why to me, teaching Ashtanga Yoga is a kind of self-realization; every time I lead class I, as a teacher, grow and express the insights of my own yoga. I see people take in the practice from various angles and develop, change and transcend their limitations, realize their possibilities.

In Memoriam: Larry Schultz, YogaDragonden (1950-2011)