Have you ever notice that yoga instructor certification cost has gotten a little bit wacky in some corners of the world?
If you’re wondering ‘how much does yoga instructor certification cost?’, then you’re in the right place. You can find some YTT courses for just a couple hundred bucks and others upwards of $5,000, making the price range wildly unpredictable in many cases (Not to mention totally unaffordable, too). But why is there so much variety in the prices?
The cost of a yoga teacher certification can be substantial. Picking the best certification for your budget and your goals is one of the first and most important business decisions you will make as you embark on a yoga instructor career.
Yoga teacher training programs are not regulated by the state or federal government. Therefore, they can vary widely both in cost and content. How much you pay for your yoga teacher certification depends on where you chose to take your training and what kind of training you select.
How Much is a Yoga Instructor Certification Cost and What to Avail?
As discussed, the cost and content of yoga instructor certification programs vary, but there is surely a program to fit every need and budget. You can complete a certification online through self-paced modules and video instruction, or you can fly to India to earn a yoga instructor certification in the birthplace of the practice. The right certification for you depends on your reason for seeking a yoga instructor certification.
Are you in it for fun, self-improvement, or are you launching a career as a yoga instructor?
The Yoga Alliance
Most yoga instructor certification programs in the United States are certificated by the Yoga Alliance. The Yoga Alliance is a United States-based nonprofit membership and trade organization made up of yoga teachers and professionals.
So then, if you are seeking to use your yoga instructor certification to teach in any manner – privately, in a studio, or a donation-based setting, a good argument can be made for attending a program certified by the Yoga Alliance.
If you participate in a Yoga Alliance certified program, you can expect a certain class makeup. The yoga teacher instructor training includes:
- 100 hours of techniques, training, and practice to include analytical study and guided practice of asanas, pranayama, and kriyas
- 25 hours of teaching methodology to include communication, teaching styles, teacher qualities, learning processes, and business principles
- 20 hours of anatomy and physiology to include instruction on the human anatomy including organs, systems, chakras, and the benefits and contraindications of yoga asanas
- 30 hours of yoga philosophy, lifestyle, and ethics for yoga teachers to include the study of traditional yoga texts, yoga teacher ethics, yoga precepts, and philosophies
- 10 hours of practicum to include practice teaching, receiving and giving feedback, observation of other teachers, assisting students during another instructor’s class
The cost of a Yoga Alliance certified teacher training program varies from about $1,000 – $3,000, depending on the location. It isn’t the least expensive option for a yoga instructor certification, but there are some benefits:
- A thorough and regulated curriculum
- Practical teaching experience
- Opportunity to register with the Yoga Alliance
- Affordable options
Here are the main things that contribute to the costs of a yoga instructor certification program
1. Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Schools
Yoga schools registered with the Yoga Alliance are both the cheaper option and the more expensive option. Compared to certain schools of thought and yoga schools, such as Bikram yoga, a Yoga Alliance certification program will be about half the cost of any Bikram teacher training program.
However, a Yoga Alliance registered yoga school will have slightly higher teacher training prices compared to other in-house certification programs for several reasons.
First, the Yoga Alliance oversees teacher training programs that are a bit hefty in nature, such as the 200-hour and 500-hour courses. Because these are intensive in nature, oftentimes lasting a month or more, they will have higher prices.
This usually includes accommodations and meals, so it all balances, right?
Another reason why Yoga Alliance programs are more expensive is because of the security of being a part of a reputable membership such as Yoga Alliance. Their standards are at a certain standard by the Yoga Alliance, so you can be assured that you are getting quality training.
A Yoga Alliance YTT program will typically involve an in-depth study of yoga philosophy, anatomy and physiology, meditation, teaching methodologies, and yoga poses. You will likely have assigned reading from Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, or the Bhagavad Gita.
If you’re getting your yoga certification for teaching, then becoming an RYT with the Yoga Alliance is a pretty good investment.
2. Reputation of the Yoga School
Some yoga schools are world-famous in the yogi world. Their daily yoga classes are jam-packed, making an otherwise normal-looking yoga studio feel like a massive sauna.
They’re located in places like Costa Rica, Bali, Thailand, or some other faraway place where dreams come true.
Some of Instagram’s most famous yoga teachers are hopping into these popular yoga studios to lead exotic yoga retreats in a picture-worthy destination. #yogaeverydamnday am I right?
Well, those yoga studios and yoga schools will likely fill up fast and come with a high price tag. If you can swing it, though, it will probably be worth every penny.
And if not?
Those other yoga studios will also be incredible and worth every penny, just a lot fewer of them.
3. Level of YTT
Perhaps you are already a registered yoga teacher and you have an interest in supplemental certifications. These can be done over the course of a weekend retreat or a fun weeklong yoga retreat.
Smaller training programs like this will oftentimes be more affordable and more accessible than full certification programs.
A 200-hour yoga teacher training will be over $1,000 at the very least, typically over $2,000.
The tuition of a 500-hour yoga teacher training course will be slightly higher still than that of a 200-hour program.
4. Location of Yoga Teacher Training Course
If you are strictly looking for YTT programs that are within your budget, then maybe you should let the location determine your selection. Certain destinations are notoriously overpriced, such as Costa Rica and Bali. Other places hardly cost a dime, like India.
The majority of cheap yoga training will without a doubt be in India, where you can learn from certified yoga instructors right in the heart of it all. Develop your personal practice with the guidance of an original RYT at the birthplace of yoga.
Oftentimes, for less than $1,000.
Costa Rica, on the other hand, is one of the pricier destinations of all. You will have to first sift through the ultra-luxury, ultra-westernized packages.
5. Style of Yoga
Certain yoga styles are on the high end for prices, such as Jivamukti yoga and Corepower Yoga. Others, however, will be fairly affordable, like AcroYoga and yoga Nidra programs. (They are usually shorter in duration too.)
You will be able to find affordable certification programs that are based on hatha yoga and vinyasa yoga. These two yoga styles are versatile and serve as a foundation for most other yoga styles.
This opens up the market to a lot of yoga schools, which brings down prices.
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