10 Tips: Which 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training To Choose

How Do I Know Which 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training Course To Choose From?!

If you’re wondering how to become a yoga teacher then the simple answer is a yoga certification from a Yoga Alliance 200 hours yoga teacher training course.? However, deciding which 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) to choose, is a significant decision that will determine the kind of yoga instructor you’re going to be, and the progress of your own yoga practice.? Embarking on the right 200 hours YTT to become a yoga teacher, will be a life changing experience, that you and your future clients will appreciate forever.

I will always be grateful for my first 200 hours yoga teacher training, for what it taught me, but also for what it didn’t.? It meant I had to go on to take more courses, so that I felt I had a larger palette of skills, to be able to help a wider range of students, benefit from all that yoga can offer.? I saw what the course was missing, what could have been better, and therefore what kind of yoga instructor training course I wanted to give in the future.

With so many options out there, it’s essential to consider various factors to suit your needs and goals, when considering which 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training course to choose from.? You want to become a yoga instructor that teaches with integrity, professionalism, and confidence, and picking the right course should support you in achieving that.? So here’s a guide to help you make an informed choice:

1. Live (in person) or Online 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training Courses

Live Courses

• Benefits Immersive, engaging, and 3 dimensional experience, outside of your normal environment where you can get individual and instant assistance from the teacher.? Easier to have conversations, and questions and answers time, without any timetable restrictions.? Benefit from hands-on adjustments, real-time feedback, direct interaction with the teacher and fellow students where you get to have real teaching experience teaching others, and a sense of community and friendship.

Online Courses

• Benefits Possible flexibility to learn at your own pace from the comfort of your own home, less expensive, less intimidating, less interaction, no need for travel, accessibility from anywhere, and ability to revisit sessions if recorded.

Recommendation

When deciding which 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training type to go for, choose a live course if you value: direct interaction and feedback with a teacher, practice teaching with other students, and the comradery of working with, and sharing the experience with, your fellow students.? You’ll support and get to know each other as you go through the course together, creating friendships with others that share the same passion for yoga as yourself.

For thousands of years yoga and meditation have been passed down from teacher to student in person.? They need to form a friendship and connection that cannot be achieved properly online.? You wouldn’t train to be a basketball coach or dance teacher online, and as a physical practice, yoga ideally should also be taught in person.

2. Local Courses or Going Abroad

Local Courses

• Benefits Convenience and comfort of staying close to home, no accommodation or travel costs, less time commitment, and the ability to more easily maintain daily routines.? Local courses are often over a longer period of time which carries other benefits listed below.

Abroad Courses

• Benefits Immersive experience in a (usually sunny) country or culture, potential for deeper transformation, excuse to travel and tag on a holiday before/after the course, and exposure to diverse teaching styles and traditions.? Often over a shorter period of time and more intensive, so students aren’t away from home for too long, which carry the benefits listed below.

Recommendation

If you’re open to adventure and can afford the time and expense, a 200 hours yoga teacher training abroad can be exciting, and a great opportunity to get away from your normal environment and possibly add on a little holiday. If the course is a 2 or 3 weeks intensive, then in the long run you may actually use up less time than a course near home, that might take up every weekend for 6 months for example.

3. Short or Long Duration Courses

Short Duration Courses

• Benefits Intensive schedule, quick certification, ideal for those unable to commit to a longer schedule due to limited time, as only have to commit to a set short period of time (usually 2 – 3 weeks).? Often residential courses, away from home, which enable you to get fully immersed in the world of yoga, and form close bonds with the rest of the group, as per the benefits of abroad courses above.

(Note: as of January 2025 all Yoga Alliance 200 hours teacher training courses must be a minimum of 3 weeks.? So if you can only spare 2 weeks, look into taking the course this year!)

Long Duration Courses

• Benefits Less intensive learning schedule, more time to integrate knowledge and practice, allows for balancing other life commitments if a local course.? If a longer course abroad, then you get the opportunity to immerse yourself into the culture, and spend longer in another country. If a longer local course, then they’re often over many weekends, or even 1 evening a week over a year, to allow for less time off your career, and therefore the benefits of a local course above, will apply.

Recommendation

Choose a short duration 200 hours yoga teacher training course for an intensive, immersive experience, especially if you can’t spare more time off work, and the opportunity to go abroad if possible. Opt for a more local long duration course if you prefer a gradual pace, can’t take a chunk of time off work, and need to balance other life commitments.

4. Small or Large Groups

Small Groups

• Benefits Personalized attention from the teacher (not feeling lost in the crowd), closer bonds with other students and teachers, more opportunities for questions, discussions, and feedback.? Small groups give the teacher the opportunity to delve into the students’ areas of interest, goals and objectives, and work on their personal yoga and meditation practice, not just train them in how to teach others.

Large Groups

• Benefits Diverse perspectives, broader networking opportunities, dynamic group energy, and opportunity to work with a lot of different body types.? Not feeling like you will be singled out because you can blend into the crowd.

Recommendation

200 hours yoga teacher training courses with small groups are more ideal, especially for those seeking personalized attention, and a close-knit connection with their fellow students, and the teacher.? Some larger groups may consist of 30 – 100 students where the teacher can’t be expected to know everyone’s name, and there is a disconnect and distance between them and the students.? Group discussions, and personalized feedback from the teacher, are an important part of the 200 hours yoga teacher training course experience.

5. India or Elsewhere

200 hours Yoga Teacher Training in India

• Benefits Experiencing yoga’s where it originated, often taught by Indian teachers who have a deeper and more authentic connection to the culture.? Life in India is more affordable than Western locations, and offers a culturally diverse experience in regards to foods, scenery, language, lifestyle and norms. Students will experience the traditional culture of hierarchy, respecting one’s teacher, and maintaining the guru student relationship.? Courses will often have many students, which carries with it the benefits mentioned above.

200 hours Yoga Teacher Training Elsewhere

• Benefits Wider variety of styles and teaching philosophies, more familiar environments enhancing a sense of safety.? Often lower travel costs and more convenient logistics, easier integration and less of a culture shock.? Teachers outside of India tend to be more open minded in their teaching of yoga as it has evolved through the ages, more flexible in discussions, and form closer bonds with their students due to mutual respect and less of a ranking distance.? They tend to be more up to date with new medical and scientific discoveries relating to yoga and meditation, and more inclusive, in the environment they create for the students.? Accommodation tends to be more comfortable, the environment safer and more sanitary, with a wider range of food accommodating for allergies and intolerances.

Recommendation

As we know, yoga originated in India, so many consider a 200 hours yoga teacher training there more authentic, with the ability to immerse themselves in the people and culture that yoga began in.? However the culture shock of being in India in regards to food, sanitation, poverty, language and cultural differences, can prove to be an unpleasant and stressful situation for many students, who are already feeling under pressure to assimilate a lot of information, and pass the course.? Life in India tends to be cheaper than in many other locations, but food options are less flexible, and the environment more strict due to traditions in hierarchy.? We recommend both depending on your preference.

Further Tips

6. Reviews / Testimonials

It is really important to look for reviews on Google and Facebook from past students to asses the quality of the 200 hour yoga teacher training course, and the yoga instructor.? Don’t bother reading ‘testimonials’ on their website, as they can be made up and put there by the person creating the site.? Make sure there are at least 50 + reviews, that they are legitimate, and that the reviews are more than 2 years old.

7.? Style of Yoga

Really take some time to consider what style of yoga you want to be able to teach, which to begin with should be the style that you enjoy practicing yourself.? Later you can consider taking further courses in other styles.? Be aware that if you take a Yin Yoga teacher training course, which is a style that is only around 40 yrs old, and not actually based on the traditional lineages of yoga, then you are limited to only being able to teach that style of yoga.? And a course in Ashtanga or Bikram yoga, will only cover how to teach those set sequence styles.? Therefore it may be worth considering a broader more flexible style like Hatha or Vinyasa, or a course that covers a few different styles.

The Indiv Yoga 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training for instance, trains it’s teachers to be able to blend Vinyasa, Hatha and Restorative Yoga techniques, so that teachers can create and tailor classes for different types of individuals, giving them more possibilities.? Take time to look into how rigid the course is if it’s a set sequence style, or whether it’s more flexible and covers a wider range of class structure options.? The important thing is to have a yoga certification in a style that you enjoy, and will therefore enjoy teaching.? The range of clients you can offer yoga to will be more limited, but you can take further courses afterwards.

8.? Curriculum

Ensure the curriculum covers all key areas such as asana, pranayama, meditation, anatomy, philosophy, the history and philosophy of yoga, teaching methodology, class sequencing and structure, and of course, enough time is dedicated to practice teaching.? You should finish the course having taught full 75 minutes classes (not all courses do this!) so that you feel fully confident and ready to teach full classes as soon as you leave the course.? It is also important to make sure that the course covers the practice of mindfulness and meditation.? After all, until the late 1800’s, the practice of Yoga was simply meditation, so respect for this fundamental, and hugely beneficial practice, must be given on a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Course.

9. Accreditation

Verify that the course is accredited by the USA Yoga Alliance.? This is the most internationally recognized and reputable organization worldwide.? With the RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher) 200 hrs yoga certificatation, you can get insurance and accreditation from the yoga organizations in your own country.? Indiv Yoga has trained over 400 Yoga Alliance 200 hours teachers, that teach all over Europe, USA, Canada, UK, North Africa, the middle East, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

10. Teacher Trainer’s Experience:

Check the qualifications and experience of the lead instructors.? It is important to know:

• How long they’ve been practicing yoga and meditation for?
• How long have they been training yoga teachers?
• When they certified as a yoga teacher, and then as an ERYT500 teacher trainer?
• How many yoga teachers have they trained?
• Are the reviews you’ve read specific to that teacher, or about the organization/school as a whole?? Make sure you thoroughly research the lead teacher and their personal reviews.

Conclusion

Choosing the right 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training course requires careful consideration of your personal circumstances, preferences, and goals. By evaluating all the factors including location, duration, group size, and cultural experience, you can find a program that not only certifies you as a yoga teacher, but also enriches your personal practice and understanding of yoga.? Of course the price of the course is going to play a part in your decision, but don’t let this be the deciding factor.? It’s worth spending money on a good course, instead of feeling that you need further training afterwards.? If you leave the course confident and professional, and have been well trained, then you’ll make your money back quicker, then you would on a lower quality course.? People can spot a good yoga teacher a mile away, and with the increase in competition you want to stand out, and be the best yoga teacher you can be!

If you’re interested in learning more about the Indiv Yoga 200 hours Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Course then click on LEARN MORE!