What Are The Different Levels Of Yoga Teacher ?
There is no single universal metric to classify yoga teachers into different levels. In old traditional India, yogic wisdom was passed from teacher to seeker through verbal training. This led to the creation of something called lineage-based teaching. This model was led by masters of yoga who became internationally renowned yoga teachers, and hence their name was enough to say as a student if you were trained by one. For example, whether one is a student of Krishnamacharya, B.K.S Iyengar or Pattabhi Jois.
Yoga teacher training in India thus led to lineage-based yoga training for the longest time, and in some sense this tradition continues in parts of India even today.
In the year 1999, an international yoga body was founded called Yoga Alliance, USA, which is a non-profit organisation based in the USA. This body brought yoga teachers and students together on a single platform and went on to codify the guidelines for yoga teacher training worldwide. This led to the creation of levels in teaching which are clearly defined using a metric of training hours and experience in teaching.
Here are different levels of teachers as defined by Yoga Alliance, USA.
In the most basic sense, as a practitioner of yoga, there are three levels of a practitioner or a yoga teacher, namely:
- Beginner
- Intermediate
- Advanced
This is the simplest understanding of the levels of being a yoga teacher.
On the other hand, Yoga Alliance, USA has classified yoga teachers into clear levels basis training completed and years of experience; here are the different levels as defined by them:
1.RYT 200 – Registered Yoga Teacher 200 Hours
- Beginner course which involves 200 hours of yoga training.
- This may cover specific style of yoga like Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa or a multi style.
- Covers asana, mantra chanting, pranayama, meditation, anatomy, yogic philosophy, adjustments and alignment.
- Qualified to teach classes but not lead any yoga teacher training in India or internationally.
Completing any 200 hour teacher training in Goa qualifies one for the above level.
2. ERYT 200 – Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher 200 Hours
In addition to 200 hours of yoga teacher training, the student needs to complete 2 conditions for this level:
- 1000 hours of teaching experience – this teaching experience includes both professional teaching and personal teaching. Any teaching to friends and family is also counted in these hours of teaching beyond professional teaching in studios or yoga classes.
- Register after two years of completing the 200 hour yoga teacher training in India or internationally.
- Qualified to lead 200 Hour Yoga teacher training in India or internationally.
3. RYT 500 – Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hours
- Add 300 hour yoga teacher training after completing 200 hour yoga teacher training to be able to complete the 500 hours of training.
- Does not require any teaching experience.
- Qualified to teach intermediate level of yoga.
- Not allowed to lead 200 Hour yoga teacher training in India or internationally as a lead teacher.
Some yoga schools run a 500 Hour yoga teacher training, which is too exhaustive and long, so yoga schools split the YYTC in India into two parts – 200 Hour + 300 Hour to make 500 Hour YTTC.
4. ERYT 500 – Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher 500 Hours
This is the highest level of teacher in the Yoga Alliance system, where teachers need to meet the two conditions below after having completed 500 hour yoga teacher training:
- 2000 hours of teaching experience, of which 1500 can be after having completed 200 hour yoga teacher training & 500 hours should be after having completed 300 hour yoga teacher training.
- Register after four years of completing the 200 hour yoga teacher training in India or internationally.
- Qualified to lead any training like 200 Hour yoga teacher training, 300 hours yoga teacher training and 500 hour yoga teacher training or any YACEP program like 100 hour yoga teacher training.
- Highest level of yoga teacher as per Yoga Alliance.
As a seeker, if the purpose of learning is purely for personal reasons of practice, it is best to follow any yoga teacher training which you may find appealing, like following a certain lineage combined with Yoga Alliance-accredited yoga teacher training in India or internationally. But if you wish to teach in Europe, most yoga studios would ask you if you are registered with Yoga Alliance and what level of certification you have, where the above becomes important to understand.
There are plenty of yoga schools which offer yoga teacher training in Goa, an ideal setup which is relaxed with beautiful beaches. These may help you reset emotionally and spiritually in your learning journey and offer lots of sun when it’s cold in most of the West.
Before you embark on this journey, make sure that you check if the training is registered with Yoga Alliance, USA as an accredited program.
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