20 tips to building a career as a yoga teacher

Ever thought about turning your passion for yoga into your profession? John Ogilvie, founder of Byron Yoga Centre, shares his tips on how to take your yoga practice to the next level.

1 Commit to attending regular classes
Find a class with a teacher you like and ensure the location and timing fits with your schedule so it’s easy for you to go at least once a week.

2 Establish your own home practice
Invest in your own yoga mat and establish a routine. Start to get up a little earlier and begin your day with a yoga flow. If you need an online resource, Byron Yoga Centre has a Level 1 sequence on our Shop page.

3 Start to explore yoga beyond just asana
By now you would have noticed that yoga is more than a physical practice. The Sutras of Patanjali lists the eight limbs of yoga — do you know what these are? Learning the foundations will enrich your practice and teaching methods.

4 Complete your 200-hour Level 1
Obviously, I would recommend Byron Yoga Centre’s inclusive residential intensives. Purna Yoga is a classic hatha style that is suitable for new teachers, and we offer lots of practical experience of real public classes to build teaching skills and confidence.

5 Get insurance (and a subscription to WellBeing!)
Insurance is a must, and you could also consider joining Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT); but this could wait until you are teaching regularly. Subscribing to blogs or magazines such as WellBeing will give you both inspiration and aspirations throughout your yogi journey.

6 Start teaching family and friends
Get all the teaching practice you can to build your skills and keep that momentum going after your training — even two people in your living room is a class!

7 Set up basic marketing materials
Start to create your “brand”. Launch a web page and socials, commit to regular posts, and build followers and an email list so you can communicate with your students. For this, you need to consider what your focus is and who you are looking to attract as students.

8 Offer to assist one of your regular teachers
When you assist a teacher, you build adjusting and correcting skills, and observe sequencing and alignment cues. Most importantly, you learn how to hold space in a room.

9 Ask to be put on the covers list at your local studios
This is a great way to get your foot in the door! Be prepared to step in at short notice and be ready to adapt a sequence to suit the class and level of students.

10 Approach gyms, hotels and organisations such as retirement homes
It can be a challenge to get onto the timetable at your local yoga studio, so think outside the box and be tenacious about looking for teaching opportunities.

11 Establish your style
Once you have some general teaching under your belt, it’s a good idea to focus on a style. It could be in the way you sequence, your cues, developing your unique voice or the energy of your classes.

12 Reach out to yoga studios or gyms for regular classes
Be persistent. You may need to be prepared to travel outside your local area or to work early mornings, evenings or weekends.

13 Choose a specialist training
Adding a specialist training to your qualifications, especially leaning to teach a style such as yin or restorative will enhance your employment opportunities. And whether you’re leaning towards yin, restorative, trauma-aware yoga, remedial, applied anatomy or meditation, Byron Yoga Centre does them all.

14 Update your marketing materials with your new skills
You should regularly refresh and update your promotional materials. Look for new avenues for publicity such as blogs, guest takeovers on social platforms and presenting at yoga festivals. You could even start a YouTube channel.

15 Book your 300-hour Level 2 to become a 500-hour RYT
If you feel it’s time to expand your knowledge or you’re just wanting more teaching experience to build confidence, a Level 2 yoga course would be your next step.

16 Review how your yoga teaching journey is going and revisit your aims
Is it realistic to aim for full-time teaching of two classes plus one or two privates per day? Or does part-time work better for you? It’s time to figure this out.

17 Utilise your email mailing list and social channels
If your aim is to start teaching more, put out some promotion to seek private clients or find a suitable venue and start your own classes.

18 Keep learning
Never compromise your own practice and keep learning from other teachers. Go back to the first three steps and, if necessary, recommit to them.

19 Consider running retreats or becoming a yoga teacher trainer
Byron Yoga Centre does occasionally have employment opportunities in Byron Bay and Melbourne for E-RYT 500 teachers with a TAE (Certificate IV in Training and Assessment) to work on our 12-month and two-year courses. Our tranquil Byron Yoga Retreat Centre is also available for private group bookings.

20 Open your own studio
Although this is another 20-step process!

For more info on all Byron Yoga Centre trainings and retreats visit byronyoga.com.