Who would
have thought, Yoga, a simple, ancient Indian approach to holistic life would
make everyone else in the world stand up on his or her heads, twist their
torso, stretch limbs and breathe easy without any side effects? Today Yoga is a
universal holistic approach for the mind, body and soul continues to fascinate
humanity. However, how many of us are ready to accept that it works only if
performed in its original state? Obviously one needs to have the proper methods
of training oneself towards it. Thousands of years ago it was done perfectly.
However, some of its techniques were twisted down the years. A few
practitioners are aware of the correct methods and have Yoga schools for
teachers. This now comes with proper Yoga Certification. It is necessary; as
there are cases where doing wrong asana (exercises) have landed people in
hospitals! Therefore, if you are a teacher aspirant you could train and get
proper Yoga
Certification in the select places
Since Yoga
has become so popular today, there are many short-term courses, workshops for
learning yoga. Some choose programs, which they can use in combination with
doing other exercise forms. For such people Yoga Instructor Certification is a
good idea. Yoga is more effective when combined with other exercise. For such
teachers courses can be taken any where in the world. In India, too such
workshops are open and provide yoga instructor certification. Most of these
courses are done in camps where everyone gets to meet and stay together and
workout together. This is a good way of learning as one can learn 24 x 7.
Benefits of Yoga Certification:
Yoga
certification enables one to teach the right method of doing asana, working out
diet, and specific exercises for specific ailments. The government of India
also recognizes some of the Yoga institutes where one can learn under experts
are trained and obtain official qualification to spread the knowledge. As Yoga
is getting popular in rest of the world, a proper teacher can get students who
can benefit.
Only that
person can teach who is aware of training the mind, body and soul in alignment
before imparting it to others. There are four types of yoga- karma, bhakti,
jnana and raji. Besides these, there are others, which focus on personal
development.
By doing a
specific yoga teacher certification one can specialize in a particular
technique.
The
advantages of doing a proper course (for at least 2 years) include an all
rounded training program, theory, practical, learning medicines, combining with
other exercises, meditation etc. Further than these are advanced courses which
include Ayurveda, leaning from sutras, pranayam, cleansing techniques also.
Learning process also includes a research project. Today learned teachers are
paid good salaries too.
How to Find a Yoga Certification Program:
If you
practice only Bikram Yoga, your choice of a training program will be clear-cut.
However, you practice vinyasa or hatha yoga, you will have a lot more choices.
The most obvious place to start looking is at your favorite yoga center. Many
yoga studios offer teacher-training programs, but take a good look at the
curriculum before you sign on. With trainees paying thousands of dollars in
tuition, yoga teacher training has become a moneymaking operation. So make sure
any program you consider is Yoga Alliance certified. This will guarantee that
your certificate will be of value when you are finished, and also that you will
spend a specified number of hours studying asana, teaching technique, anatomy,
and philosophy.
You should
also talk to your favorite yoga teachers about where they received their
training. If you live in an area with no teacher-training programs, consider
doing an intensive program at a yoga institute or ashram elsewhere. The Yoga
Alliance website spells out their standards for certification and can help you
identify Registered Yoga Schools in your area.
Summary:
If you
have gotten hooked on yoga and have been practicing regularly for a few years,
you may feel that you'd like to complete a teacher certification course. Even
if you do not plan on teaching, a good training program will deepen your
practice and increase your knowledge of anatomy, philosophy, sequencing, and
alignment.
