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How to become a yoga coach?

Do you want to embark on your life as a yoga coach but aren’t up with the details? Becoming a yoga coach may seem to be a daunting task at first if you don’t know about it, but as soon as you learn about the requirements, you are surely going to love this incredibly rewarding career.

The yoga coaching process allows you to help others develop tremendous personal growth as well as deepen your own soul and emotional skills.

How to become a yoga coach? yoga coach

To become a yoga teacher, you don’t only require some certifications and skills, but a strong dedication and a motivated person.

So, without any further ado, let’s break down into the details necessary for becoming a yoga coach who actually nurtures his students!

What is yoga coaching?

Yoga Coaching [YC] is a training that provides its participants’ knowledge of in-depth tools and postures that help the body grow and recover physically and mentally. It provides you with energy, the ability to manage and cope with stress, therapies to aid in the process of mental clarity, and decision-making ability. Different therapies strengthen your sphere of action by stimulating your endocrine and nervous systems, resulting in charisma and creativity in the coaching process. 

A typical yoga coaching session includes

  • 25 percent theory 
  • 15 percent feedback of what stimulates you the most
  • 50 percent short mind and body exercises
  • 10 percent of home exercises

What does a yoga coach do?

Now that we are well abreast of what is included in a yoga coaching session, we can move to the suites of a yoga coach.

A yoga coach is no less than a fitness and wellness trainer who teaches his students the various stretching poses, how to practice meditation, and how to bring mindfulness into their life using it. He trains each student personally with utmost attention so that no one feels less compatible than the other.

But, you can’t become a good yoga coach by just getting the best certifications. A yoga coach or a yoga trainer is a person who guides his students and has effective cueing methods. So, let’s discuss what the duties of a yoga coach are and what do they actually do

1. Yoga coaches help students learn and practice yoga

Being a yoga teacher, the first responsibility that is imparted to you is teaching and bestowing the treasure of the ancient gold art of yoga to your students. A yoga coach is assigned a life-transforming resolution indeed who is liable to spread the wisdom of yoga to his students.

He teaches the different asanas to all the students in a way that is approachable and understandable by everyone. He trains the different poses along with proper alignment to the students. 

To teach the correct poses and postures, the following tips are led by the coach to the students:

  • Design a comprehensive class by building sequence
  • Demonstrate the pose along with the message behind it
  • Practice the entire steps and postures with its beautiful details in the form of the students so that they can grip the postures easily and with the same elegance 

So, by providing proper guidelines to your students by practicing all the postures and asanas in front of them, you become an ideal for your students whom they can follow with blind eyes. It would be best if you also guided your students about the anatomical breakdown related to each pose and any of your personal experiences related to it. It helps to develop their interest. 

2. They provide support and encouragement to their students

The second role that a yoga coach plays is counseling and providing support to their students. If their students are trying all hammers and tongs out to get into perfect postures and are putting effort, it is your duty as a yoga coach to make them feel proud of themselves and encouraged. 

Everyone wants encouragement in this world. It is human nature to be loved and appreciated for their work when they put in the effort. So, a yoga coach also tries all the ways possible to get engaged with each student separately, learn about them, their life and then motivate them in both yoga and their life goals. Let your students feel that you care for them, and you want them to be successful. Appreciate them for every new posture you learn. 

Moreover, a coach never demotivates his students. If any student is having a problem or difficulty in learning a new pose, you should encourage him for the efforts he is putting in and tell him more tips to achieve the final posture.

All in all, saying that a yoga coach is not less than a right hand and motivational speaker for his students won’t be wrong.

3. Yoga Coaches can help students with specific needs or goals

Yoga coaches also do mental and future counseling of their students and help orient their focus on the right track but in accordance with their goals and needs. The yoga coaches are super supportive and treat their students no less than their children. What can be more important for a yoga coach than seeing their clumsy, misguided students turn into majestic bucks?

So, a yoga coach undergoes a weekly or monthly interactive session with each student separately. He asks about the problems he has in his yoga session or life and then provides a solution.

4. Coaches often have training in anatomy, philosophy, and yoga philosophy 

To become a yoga coach, it is necessary for the coaches to have the training and completed courses related to anatomy, biomechanics, and physiology. By studying the anatomy and physiology of the human body in detail, the yoga coaches become aware of the functions of different muscles and bones, and using this information, they can make the postures and alignment of their students better. 

Studying the anatomy in detail will help to develop better understanding of various asanas along with their execution techniques in a yoga coach. 

As a result, they become aware of the yogic bodies, the physics, the human body and its organs, and definitions about cervical, thoracic, pelvic, and lumbar regions so that the flexibility of the people and the pressure points can be found accordingly.

5. They may also specialize in a particular type of yoga such as Ashtanga or Iyengar

A coach also specializes in a specific type of yoga-like ashtanga or any other. In total, there are 11 major yoga types, each having its benefits and practice time. For example, in vinyasa yoga, the postures are based more on alignment, so you need to remain in a specific posture for a longer time. 

On the other hand, in the Iyengar yoga style, you focus on a specific posture in terms of alignment, details, and precise movements. Moreover, you also need to keep the breathing rhythm in check and in control. This yoga is found to be perfect for aged people and those with injuries or arthritis. However, in Kundalini yoga, you are more focused on the spiritual energy and entrapment of it. Its classes are pretty more intense than any other type. 

Similarly, there are other yoga styles that help to train and better other body parts. It is necessary for the yoga coach to specialize in at least one of the types of yoga so that he can excel in that particular type. If he does not have enough knowledge about a specific form of yoga, he can’t teach the students properly. Therefore, it is essential to specialize in any one form of yoga to develop a strong base of yoga and its implementation.

However, a coach can learn a style according to his preference and then helps you learn and choose according to your body and mental requirements. 

6. A good coach will create a safe and supportive environment for their students

Last but not least, a yoga coach knows that he should provide an open yet safe environment to their students where they can openly practice all the postures of yoga and feel your support. Each student should know that their yoga coach is there on the back to help them and protect them in any case.

Benefits of becoming a yoga coach 

There are various benefits of becoming a yoga coach ranging from personal growth and development in terms of mental peace to providing others with ways to improve their mental condition. It is simply a two in one opportunity to improve your health and pursue your passion as your career.

Although becoming a certified yoga coach requires an investment of both time and money, it returns you with way more benefits. It provides you with benefits that hardly any other career can provide at a time. Some known benefits of becoming a yoga coach are:

  • You earn a handsome amount of money by pursuing your passion. You don’t need to invest extra time in it. Your passion and your way of earning become one.
  • What can be more satisfying than the feeling that you can provide your students with all the benefits that you yourself have achieved by learning yoga? Let it be a physical or mental benefit; you help them to learn all the poses ranging from those for coping with the extra stress level to those helping in better digestion.
  • By giving regular classes, your own physical and mental strength will be improved.
  • You can open your own side business as a yoga coaching center or even start online services. 
  • You will learn and expand your knowledge about yoga and its implementation by hearing your students’ new problems.

How to become a yoga coach, and what qualifications do you need?

To become a yoga coach, first you need to choose a yoga style and master it. Then you need to complete at least 200 hours of yoga alliance guidelines in any school. In this, you will learn about everything that falls under the umbrella of yoga forms and postures. 

This is the minimum requirement for becoming or applying for a yoga coach. However, you can opt for more courses like 

  • Stretch body-mind yoga teacher training 
  • Integral yoga studies
  • Yoga coach training with wellness 

Apart from the basic qualification, and a few courses, it is highly recommended by the experts that the yoga coaches should learn more and more books related to their field so that they can end up benefiting both themselves and the students. So, a few books recommended by experts to read for a yoga coach are:

  1. The Bhagavad Gita
  2. Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow
  3. Four chapters of freedom written by Swami Satyananda
  4. The Royal Path
  5. Volume 1 and 2 of Path of Fire and Light
  6. The art of Joyful living

In addition to these, hundreds of thousands of quality books on yoga are written and available today. 

So, if you are actually keen to become a yoga coach, start reading books from the very first day.

What skills are required to be successful as a yoga coach?

Simply having qualifications and a good degree doesn’t make you competent enough as a yoga coach. You need to have a bunch of skills, a few of which are:

1. Patience 

When considering the skills of a yoga coach, what can be more important than enduring patience? 

So, a yoga coach should remain calm and humble when teaching his students the different poses because sometimes the students cannot even learn the basic pose. In that scenario, you, as a coach, can’t lose your temper or remain calm. Instead, you need to make sure none of your students feels demotivated.

2. Ability to listen and emphasize 

The second skill that a yoga coach must have is listening and emphasizing. You need to actively listen to what your students are saying without any divided attention. You need to make sure that you understand their problem so that a feeling of trust and rapport can develop between you and your students. 

Moreover, you should be able to emphasize the benefits of remaining in a pose. You should be able to emphasize the importance of feeling when you are postured so that the students feel empowered enough to practice at home too.

3. Strong communication skills

A good yoga coach also needs to have a set of excellent and strong communication skills so that he can express each and every related thing in a very concise and precise manner. He needs to be clear of his words and tone in the fast-paced environment of the studio.

Moreover, he should be able to convey the message and instructions clearly and helpfully while demonstrating the pose or walking around the studio.

In addition to this, having a good developed public speaking skill is just like a cherry on the top.

4. Deep knowledge of the practice of yoga 

The yoga coach should also have a deep understanding of why it is necessary to practice yoga and should remain up to date regarding all the information.

So, you, as a yoga coach, should not only know about the different poses but should remain abreast of the latest research being done related to yoga, its types, benefits, and related information. 

The more you know about yoga, the better you will be able to demonstrate and transfer the information into the minds of your students. 

5. The ability to stay calm under pressure 

Another skill found in a really motivating and impactful yoga coach is that he knows how to implement the poses and postures in real-life situations so that they remain calm under extreme pressure.

They develop sound mental health and have proper control of their senses and body. So, even in extremely depressing situations and under pressure, they know how to remain at peace and tranquility. 

So, using different pressure points and breathing rhythms, the coach remains calm. As a result, he sets an example for the students too. The students actually start to feel motivated. 

6. Leadership skills

Lastly comes the development of leadership skills. Do you like to study in a boring class or in one where you find the spell of energy all around? Definitely the second type, and so is in the case of a yoga coaching studio.

Therefore, the yoga coach should be friendly yet have a personality to carry. His words, tone, personality, lifestyle – each bit of him should be a source of motivation for students. The students should feel empowered when they see the coach. 

The coach should also share the experience with the students of how he implemented yoga in different fields and turns of life and how he benefited from it.

What are the certifications needed to become a yoga coach?

To become a yoga coach, you need to have a registered yoga coaching certification which means you have to

  • Complete 200 to 500 hours of training in yoga
  • Complete the 30 hours of continuing education in every three years time which includes 10 hours of contact teaching and 20 hours of non-contact teaching

These are the basic requirements for applying as a yoga coach. But in the present era, to excel in your field, having just mandatory education isn’t enough. You need to have some extra thing that makes you stand out from the others. So here are some additional courses you can go for:

  • Siddhi yoga school course
  • Vinyasa Yoga coach training 
  • Y7 Studio course

How much does a yoga coach earn?

The best part of becoming a yoga coach is that you get a chance to pursue your passion as your career. So, you don’t need to invest any extra time in your passion and can earn a handsome amount of money at a time. You will be surprised to know that a yoga coach earns nearly $25.13 per hour and $37,500 per year. And even CNN has ranked yoga in the top ten careers that give back money the most.

Tips for yoga coaches for enhancing their coaching experience 

Now that we have discussed all the skills, qualifications, certifications, etc., required for becoming a yoga coach, let’s discuss how to become a better yoga coach and to improve your skills as a yoga coach. So, here are a few tips to follow

  • Establish a personal practice to stay connected to your own yoga journey 

The first and foremost tip is nothing but to excel in your yoga journey. If you have become a yoga coach, it doesn’t mean you have learned everything about yoga. No, not at all. You need to continue practicing your yoga journey, work on achieving elegance, and learn new postures of yoga along with their positive effects on your body. 

  • Connect with other yoga coaches and mentor for support and guidance 

A human always looks for guidance from its seniors or elders whenever stuck in a problem. So, even if you have become a yoga coach, you also need someone to guide you and help when stuck at a point. Therefore, you should always remain in touch with other yoga coaches and mentors so that both of you can share your experiences and learn from each other.

  • Be patient with your students – everyone progresses at their own pace

This tip for a yoga coach is somehow related to the skill of developing patience and remaining calm. 

In this world, different people have different abilities and points of expertise, and so do your students have. Some of them will be quick enough to learn the pose within a second, but on the other hand, some will have problems in learning the same posture. It doesn’t mean that you lose your temper and start to yell at that child or make him feel low. 

NO!

It’s your duty to figure out the point where your student is lacking and help him overcome it.

  • Remember that you are not perfect, and mistakes are part of a learning possess

One of the biggest problems that yoga coaches face at the start is that they aren’t able to handle or tackle the students, and they start to rethink their goals. They start believing that yoga coaching is not their piece of cake and become disheartened even by a small mistake.

Remember that you are also a human, just like others, and therefore need to take and give time to yourself. 

  • Keep an open mind and be willing to learn new things

Another tip for yoga coaches is to always remain aware and up to date with the latest information, poses, research, and documentaries being made on your field. 

There are various means for a yoga coach to learn more and more knowledge about their field, the best source being their students. Every time a student asks anything you don’t know, feel blessed as your knowledge is going to enhance too.

  • Embrace the change that comes with the ever-evolving field of yoga coaching

Last but not the least comes the ability to endure and enjoy the change that comes in your personality and mindset by learning and teaching yoga because the only thing that is constant in yoga is CHANGE.

Who is a good candidate for yoga coaching?

A good candidate, or let me say, a perfect candidate for yoga coaching, is the one who has all the skills and tips we mentioned above. In short, he should be

  • Calm and poise in nature
  • Motivated to help students learn yoga
  • Yoga should be his passion and not only the source of earning bread 
  • Always ready to learn more and more from his experience 
  • Confident, and have a good set of communication skills
  • Have a personality to carry and impress the students to learn and practice yoga 
  • Keen enough to learn and study yoga

What is the difference between a yoga teacher, a yoga instructor, and a yoga coach?

When considering the difference between a yoga teacher, a yoga instructor, and a yoga coach, you need to keep the following point in mind only:

  • A yoga instructor is the one who instructs the ways he himself has learned and so gives a class based on what he knows.
  • A yoga teacher gives you information and helps you find the postures that match your practice. He is more than a simple instructor. He spends time not only making students learn yoga but also getting a personalized interactive and feedback session to help them out.
  • A yoga coach is the same as a yoga teacher. Saying he is the best mishmash of both yoga teacher and yoga instructor won’t be wrong.

Conclusion

If you love to practice yoga and find peace and serenity in it, then pursuing your career as a yoga coach is the best option for you. It won’t only provide you with mental and physical benefits, but you will be able to make others benefit from it, and at the same time, you won’t have to care much about earning the bread and butter for your family. 

So, find the best yoga type you want to learn and become a yoga coach that the world will love!

Frequently asked questions

What is a yoga coach, and what do they do?

A yoga coach is a trainee who teaches you the different forms of yoga, its postures, and how they are going to be beneficial to you in developing a sound personality and stable mental health. He functions to help you become a better person using physical and spiritual energy.

What resources are available to help you become a successful yoga coach?

There are several sources using which you can excel in the field of yoga coaching. You can earn more and more certification, look for online and physical courses, read the documentation, watch the courses of Yoga Gurus, view the published papers on yoga research, and practice the style more and more.

What is the future of the yoga coaching industry, and how can coaches stay ahead of the curve?

To discuss the scope and future of the yoga coaching industry, let’s consider the statistics directly.
1.More than 80 million Americans agree to practice yoga in the coming months.
2.90%of the Americans are aware of yoga, and 75%of them consider it a good thing to practice. 
3.74% of the Americans practice yoga.
So, when so many people are learning yoga, there is a need for a yoga coach too. Therefore, yoga coaching is a flourishing business without any second thought. 

Is it necessary to gain certifications and experience to become a yoga coach?

Yes, it is necessary to have certification as a certified yoga coach with specified hours of training and practice. Only then you can work as a professional yoga coach. Without proper technique and posture practice and grip, no one can teach it to the students.

What are some of the challenges faced by new yoga coaches, and how can they overcome them?

The three common challenges that a new yoga coach normally faces are:
1.They aren’t doing justice with the art of yoga.
2.Stage fright is activated .
3.Need constant approval of others, and feel down if anyone does not praise them.
To overcome these challenges and issues, you need to be confident and remember that no one is perfect in this world, and so neither are you. If you make a mistake, it’s not a big deal. And stage fright is something very common. You just need to believe in yourself. You don’t need anyone’s approval; your students are your pride.

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