What is Yoga?

• Yoga, when referring to something that a person can certify in, is an exercise method that involves a great deal of stretching, breathing and maintaining poses. Poses, also known as postures or asanas, are a way of holding the body that will stretch and tighten the muscles in order to gain greater flexibility, strength and balance. If someone is looking to gain a home yoga certification, it's important to become familiar with the styles of yoga. Videos can be viewed online or borrowed from the local library to help a person become familiar with the more general yoga.
  
  

Why Certify?

• Certification is necessary if the person would like to teach in a gym, studio or other fitness setting. Certification allows the members of a yoga class to better understand the qualifications of the teacher because instructors must go through vigorous training and testing before they are able to be certified. While training for certification, the instructor learns more than how to describe the poses, she is also taught to see warning signs of injury in students in the classroom. Certification by a recognized organization will improve the instructor's employability and client base as well as allow the instructor to financially benefit. Certified fitness instructors are able to charge a slightly higher rate for their services.
  
  

Aura Teacher Training

• Aura Yoga Teacher Training has been teaching yoga instruction for over 21 years. This certification course covers yoga and types of yoga and how to run a yoga business and offers various specialty yoga certification courses.
  
  

Yoga Education Institute

• Yoga Education Institute has both live events and a home study program. The home study program is developed to assist someone regardless of current yoga experience. The course covers many of the poses as well as the theory behind yoga and important teaching techniques. It will review with the person desiring certification the anatomy and physiology of the yoga poses and will help him understand what his students will be physically doing. The Yoga Education Institute will provide both text and video lessons through the computer to provide the most up-to-date information to the person training to become a certified yoga instructor.
  
  

Risks of Home Yoga Certification

• There are always risks to studying at home. The potential student may not be aware that there are organizations that work to certify education programs. This is known as accreditation. The person studying to be a yoga instructor should always check the credentials of the school she is learning from and if the school is accredited.
  
  A school that is not accredited may still be an excellent, option but the individual should look at hire ratio and placement services that may be available to the student.
  
  Without a live instructor, the person first learning yoga may not be performing the poses correctly. This could lead to injury or teaching the pose incorrectly. Some home certification courses indicate there is a video final in which the student films herself performing the poses and sends it to the school. This is one method to ensure the person going through certification has a proper understanding of the poses before she begins teaching them.
  
  

Benefits of Home Yoga Certification

• Many people interested in teaching yoga have scheduling conflicts that prevent them from taking a 200-hour course at the local yoga studio. Learning yoga at home offers the person intending to teach yoga the flexibility he needs to achieve his goals.
  
  Many home yoga courses available are also much less expensive, and if the yoga instruction student chooses an accredited school, the quality of the education is equivalent to private training at a studio.
  
  

Accrediting Organizations

• Accredited schools can be found through accrediting organizations. Yoga Alliance is one of these organizations. Yoga Alliance is the national education and support organization for yoga in the United States. It is a nonprofit organization and does not teach directly, although the person looking to learn about yoga can find registered schools and teachers in the area. They have several requirements to become a registered teacher or school to ensure the quality of education that the person seeking certification has obtained.
  
  American Fitness Professionals and Associates is an internationally recognized certification school. It offers courses through home, and the person attempting to certify in yoga instruction is required to take a test before she can obtain certification. It also offers conference teaching sessions across the country if the yoga instruction student prefers.