The minimum certification for a trained yoga teacher is the RYT200 Yoga Alliance Certification.  It states that the individual had completed a 200 hour course of training; an RYT – Registered Yoga Training.  There are a lot of good teachers out there with no formal or registered training.  They are good because they do the work, or they’ve been teaching far longer than a training program has been certified.

I still find myself looking at Bio’s of teachers at studios I want to visit for the highest trained individual, or the one with the most interesting training.  My training isn’t that interesting.  It is for me, but I’m not sure that translates into an interesting Bio to anyone else.  That’s a separate blog posting, “Writing my Bio”.  I haven’t written it yet.  The Bio or the post.

I have the 200 hour registered yoga teaching certificate.  I was looking into what it takes to get the next designation.  What will it take for me to be considered above this level?  What is my commitment at this point?  It’s a time commitment AND a financial committment.  Does anyone understand that these designations are running around $3,500 USD each at this time?

There seem to be two designations directly available to me as the next step to be a wise and wonderful yogi.  One is the RYT 500.  The other is the E-RYT 200.  It seems I can carry both designations if I want to.

The RYT 500 is pretty straight forward.  Its 500 hours (total) of Yoga Teacher Training.  I have 200 already, this designation only takes 300 more training hours.  I don’t know how much that will cost, but it will.  Two other requirements must be met.  I will need to complete and record one hundred hours of teaching, for one.  The other is an upgrade fee.  Not too expensive, but yep, more money.  If we can’t make money on yoga why are we promoting it?

The E-RYT 200 is the other designation.  E stands for experience.  For this designation I must complete 1,000 teaching hours.  I’ve been teaching weekly now for about six months.  But not every week as the room isn’t available for the Friday group on occasion or my private lesson gig goes on vacation.   I have not reached 100 hours yet.  For every single class, without fail, both private and group, I am learning so very much about the people I am working with.  I am learning about reactions and needs and expectations of people.  I am learning about the response of our bodies – not just mine any more.  It is such an honor and privilege to guide every one of them.  1,000 teaching hours is training that reaches above regular yogi classroom hours.  I would be proud to hold the E-RYT 200 designation.  Sure there’s an additional fee, and sure I need to be a registered teacher for 2 years.  I’m getting closer to the two year mark every day.

A thousand hours is a long time coming.  Today, as I type this, I have 38 hours on the books.  That’s it.  Six months for less than 40 hours.  A thousand hours is huge from here.  If I double my teaching hours next year I could potentially be around 220 hours for both years.  That 1,000 hours of teaching is seven to eight years away from me.  Well yeah, I will want to pick up more teaching gigs; as I get better at this.  These first hours are so unsure, or still so new and I am feeling too fresh still.

E-RYT – Experienced.  Let’s see how long this takes me.  Let’s see what I can learn along the way.