6 Reasons Why You Should Invest In Advanced Yoga Teacher Training

Emerging from a 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) gives you a world of new opportunities. Having a deeper knowledge of the discipline means you can start teaching or enhance your practice. Taking an advanced yoga teacher training certification also opens up doors to avenues that can impact your life.

It’s a considerable investment though, both of your energy and money, so the question of whether to pursue it is often asked. A 200-hour prepares you to teach students of all levels, but there are advantages to diving deeper into yoga training.

6 Reasons To Invest In Advanced Yoga Teacher Training

Explore The Ancient Roots of Yoga

While the 200-hour course provides you with the foundation for your teaching practice, the emphasis tends to lean toward the physical aspect of yoga, especially in the West.

Of course, this depends on the course and school. But generally speaking, it’s only through more advanced learning that you get to explore the philosophy and history of yoga in greater depth.

As it’s a discipline that has spanned the centuries, there are many layers to uncover. The deeper you dive into the roots and spiritual nature of yoga, the more meaning you can take into your own life. With greater depth and understanding in your practice, you can connect your students to a more enriching experience.

Re-Immerse Yourself Into the Yogic Lifestyle

When it comes to yoga, your raison d'être as a teacher can become blurred in the lines of teaching. With students to focus on and life to navigate, you can lose perspective of what motivated you to undertake the training in the first place. Instead of turning to yoga to clear your head, you step away from it to catch a break.

This, of course, is the complete opposite of how you felt coming out of your 200-hour course. Excited, inspired, motivated, committed probably spring to mind.

You can re-focus those emotions during an immersive, advanced yoga teacher training, inviting purpose back into your everyday. The challenges you face in immersive training can remind you of how driven and strong you are.

It requires focus to get through this type of program, as you once again, have to be disciplined in your eating habits, your practice, sleeping, meditation, and lifestyle.

A reminder of what it’s like to live and breathe yoga is often the inspiration you need to reconnect with your purpose.

Guide Aspiring Teachers To Master Their Skills

Aspiring teachers need teachers themselves. Maybe you’ve mastered hands-on adjustments, class sequencing, and skillful cueing and are ready to take it a step further and train those who are learning to teach.

Nurturing students in this environment means you are training people who already have a foundational practice. Your purpose is to build on their knowledge and experience, and help them to develop their yoga language so they know how to talk their own students safely through their practice.

Naturally, students look for someone qualified to impart knowledge onto them. If your goal is to help teachers learn, having an advanced yoga teacher training certification will help you achieve your aspirations.

Develop Your Focus in Practice

Beyond the common types of yoga, there are specific niches which are becoming more popular. Studios are teaching with more focus towards a particular student or specialty. Pre and post-natal yoga, yoga for athletes, and kids yoga classes now make regular appearances on the timetable.

While a 200-hour certification prepares you to teach all levels of student, a 300 or 500-hour course, or specialty certification can help you discover the niche you are interested in, or the demographic you would like to focus on.

With deeper knowledge from an advanced yoga teacher training, you will be better equipped to move into a specialty field that resonates closely with your interests.

Set Yourself Apart From The Crowd

Many yogis take on the 200-hour training, and for different reasons. Some do it so they can teach, others to enrich their practice with deeper knowledge. The point is that there are a great number of teachers with this certification. If you’re focused on teaching yoga and landing a well-paid position, you need to stand out from the other qualified practitioners.

As is seen with many jobs, an employer hires the person with the most expertise. Advanced yoga teacher training in the form of a 300 or 500-hour certification, or a specialty course, will make your resume shine if you are seeking to develop your career as a teacher.

Learn About The Business of Yoga

Most 200-hour trainings touch on the business of yoga to give you an idea of how to find opportunities using your new skills. However, if you’re truly committed to making yoga your career, the advanced training provides you with the information you need to set up for the long haul.

Learn how to manage your own studio, organize a retreat, offer workshops, find a teaching position in another country, market yourself, handle business admin, calculate taxes, hire a team, etc. Having the specific focus on yoga gives you a great chance at making a success of it.

Final Thoughts

Taking on an advanced yoga teacher training is not for everyone. There’s no need to do it if you’re looking to feel more credible or authentic as a teacher.  A 200-hour course provides you with a foundation of all things yoga and will set you on the path to realizing a teaching career if that's your goals.

Should they go beyond that and you can relate to our reasons above, then go on and enroll. Do some research into your investment before signing up, and see if you can get input from previous students who have previously been through the course.