What qualities and qualifications do you need to be a yoga instructor?

Over the past decade or so, yoga has become quite popular and its reach continues to expand. In order to meet the growing demand for yoga teachers and instructors, yoga schools have significantly grown in numbers. Some of the towns have developed into yoga hubs and students and learners have been joining them to acquire certificates in the ancient practice. But do all of them succeed as a good yoga teacher? The answer is No. Like any school or university teacher, only those yoga teachers make a good career in the field who remain consistent in their practice, master the skill, and specialise in the subject. In addition to this other attributes like keeping students engaged, being able to clearly communicate instructions and attention to detail go long way in making a teacher successful.

Notably, the world no longer tolerates the average and therefore one has to stand out in their field in order to progress. Even during performance assessment of an employee, ‘meets expectation’ remark refers to poor show and the concerned person is often nudged to either improve or quit. So, setting yourself apart from the crowd is key to success.

Some of the most essential qualities to be become a yoga instructor are listed below.

Good communication and inter-personal skill

This is a pre-requisite for success in any field. On the workplaces, it has been seen that good communication and inter-personal skill leads to higher productivity. It is always important that you clearly express your thoughts and convey your ideas. Lack of it always leads to misunderstanding. Good communication together with excellent inter-personal skill forges bond between teachers and students. Since yoga is much more than asanas and pranayamas and deals with various aspects of life philosophy, it is essential to have good communication skill for sharing learning and knowledge.

 

Pleasing personality

While being happy is important, making others also feel happy is divine. A person with pleasing personality easily develops deep relationship with anyone. No wonder, the attribute is one of the essential qualities for any job. Having a pleasant personality can also put the students at ease and make them comfortable to ask any questions that come to their mind. When you have a great connect with your teacher, the joy of learning increases manifold. It is important to show personal interest in the growth of your students and such teachers succeed in this field.

 

Innovator

A Yoga teacher should not just stick to conventional and traditional techniques always. There are times when knowledge has to be imparted in a fun way and with a new approach. It is important to customise certain asanas and techniques to suit the requirement of the learner. A person who is in love with Yoga would always be able to bring innovation in the form of props, surroundings and techniques. Yoga instructors who possess the gift of innovation and creativity are more likely to succeed than others.

 

Passionate

Anything that you are passionate about inspires you to excel. A Yoga teacher should be in love with their job in order to deliver their best and enjoy it to the fullest. Something that you like to do even outside your work hours is no longer just work but your hobby. If your day starts and ends with Yoga and you are connected with your inner self all through the day through meditation and mindfulness, you will make for a good Yoga teacher. These are the people who can inspire their students to not settle for less than the best.

 

Open to feedback

A good Yoga teacher is secure, confident and open to what others are saying. It is important to take feedback from your students as it not only helps you grow but not stay stuck in similar ways and approaches. Every individual is unique and they may learn in a different way. A good Yoga teacher should try to modify their approach depending on the requirements of the student. For instance, a child may have more flexibility, but less focus and an elderly may be follow instructions better than a young person, but may lack strength to perform certain asanas.

In addition to these attributes, a certificate from well-recognised yoga school is essential to become a teacher. Those with longer experience in yoga always have edge over others. Yoga is a lifelong journey and the scope for improving your knowledge base will always be there. While the basic qualification to become a Yoga teacher is getting certification in 200 hour course, one should try to update themselves and do advanced courses for deepening knowledge. 500 hour course can help you become a more confident Yoga instructor and add to your existing knowledge. There is no dearth of Yoga courses and only sky is the limit as far as learning in this field is concerned. There are many teachers out there who do PhD in Yoga and write books on the ancient practice.

Since yoga is not just physical exercise but a spiritual journey to attain Moksha or liberation, a good yoga teacher must create an ideal environment to ensure mental peace, state of positivity and high energy and aura.