New York is a stressed-out town, so no wonder so many yoga studios are in operation here. Yoga teaching seems like a fun, easy and even important occupation, but have you considered that, like everything else in New York, it can be annoying and competitive as well? Before you quit your day job to help people along the path to enlightenment, find out a little bit more about the road to yoga teaching in New York.
Instructions
1. Develop a consistent yoga practice for at least 6 months, attending class a minimum of twice a week. Talk to your teacher about her experience as a yoga teacher in New York. The field can get competitive, because many Yoga teachers come to or train in New York. Yoga teachers are usually freelancers, which means they pay for their own insurance and don’t comprehend terms like “paid vacation.” Take a few months, if not more, to evaluate whether your yoga practice inspires you enough to share your knowledge with others.
2. The studio you attend might run a teacher training program. That’s the best choice for you. You already you like the teachers, and they will tell you whether you're ready to be a yoga teacher in New York. This familiarity will put your mind at ease as it tries to comprehend a lot of new information. In addition, you’ll be able immerse yourself at the studio, practicing what you’re learning to teach and thus integrating your new insights. Get a recommendation from your teachers if your favorite studio doesn’t do a teacher training program. Ask them to be honest with you about the course they think you would benefit from the most.
3. During teacher training, be humble, be kind, listen well and ask lots of questions. Away from class, teach your friends and family as much as they’ll let you. Take as many yoga classes as possible and consider them to be mini teacher trainings. Ask yourself, “Why did the teacher start in that pose and then lead to this pose?” “How would I describe the actions of this pose to a student?” “Could I handle that difficult student?” Watch your teacher’s every move. A good teacher puts intention behind what she does.
4. Network. This means going to a lot of yoga studios. Try the Yoga Passbook. It gives you access to around 300 yoga studios for $75 (see Resources below). Find out who runs the studio and go to his class. Be pleasant with everyone (double for the front desk people). Yoga studio receptionists pull a lot of influence. If you’ve mistreated them, it is unlikely they’ll want you teaching their students. Drop off your resume and follow up by going to class. Yoga studios in New York like to hire their students.
5. Volunteer your yoga teaching services and be everyone’s substitute teacher. This is like doing a yoga teaching internship--it pays in experience. Senior homes, after-school clubs and women’s shelters all appreciate donated yoga classes. Yoga studios often need substitute teachers for vacationing or sick regular teachers. Get a lot of feedback from your students so you improve every time you teach. Yoga teachers in New York get hired through word-of-mouth, so the more people who know you teach, the more classes you’ll get.
Tags: teacher training, Yoga teachers, yoga teaching, from your, many yoga, teacher training program, their students