Author: Christie

How to Become a Yoga Instructor

Christie

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If you’re a fan of yoga, the idea of practicing for hours a day – and getting paid for it! – may sound like the ultimate dream. But how do you even get started with pursuing yoga as a career? 

Luckily, that dream may be closer to reality than you realise! By training with YMCAfit, you can complete a yoga instructor course in London or online in as little as eight weeks. Getting certified is important, but it’s just one piece in the puzzle to beginning a successful career in yoga. 

Follow these steps on how to become a yoga instructor, and you’ll be on your way to a fulfilling and exciting new career in no time: 

Attend yoga classes as a participant 

It’s important that you gain a base knowledge of yoga before you start training to become an instructor. We recommend that our learners practice yoga for at least two years before signing up to train as an instructor. 

Choose your yoga style 

There are a handful of different yoga styles, with some the most popular being Vinyasa, Yin, and Hatha yoga. Hatha is the perfect place to start as it’s the most versatile type of yoga and forms the perfect foundation for your career as a yoga teacher. Once you get that base qualification, you can specialise with further study in different yoga styles. 

Enrol in a Yoga training course 

YMCAfit runs courses that focus on Hatha yoga and that can help you become a qualified instructor in as little as eight weeks. You’ll earn a Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga and can choose between online classes or in-person yoga teacher training in London. The in-person sessions are held at YMCA KX, just around the corner from Kings Cross Station. 

Earn your Diploma in Teaching Yoga 

Once you complete your online or in-person course, you’ll have a practical assessment and a theory assessment that will be graded by your course tutor. Receive a passing grade, and you’ll officially be certified to teach yoga! 

Consider joining the Yoga Alliance 

The Yoga Alliance is an international organisation that isn’t mandatory to join, however, it may be required by certain studios. It isn’t associated with YMCAfit or any other specific yoga training organisations and is geared toward individual yoga professionals. Membership in the Yoga Alliance is an extra credential that not only looks good on your CV but will also provide you with valuable resources like online workshops, networking and social events, and discounts on some yoga brands. 

Start teaching! 

There are a couple different things to consider… Do you want to work as a full-time or part-time yoga instructor? And would you prefer to work with one specific studio or freelance across several different gyms? Whichever option you choose will help you get your foot in the door of the yoga community. 

Upskill with CPD (Continued Professional Development) courses 

There’s always something new you can learn when it comes to yoga! Once you’ve been instructing for a little while, consider upskilling with a Continued Professional Development course. YMCAfit offers supplemental CPDs in Vinyasa Yoga and Yin and Restorative Yoga. 

Network in the yoga community 

Attend different workshops and events around your city and continue to go to yoga classes as a student. Not only will you learn new skills, but this is also the perfect way to meet others who share your passion. It may open doors to teach at new studios, and you may find yoga-lovers who would like to attend your classes. 

Market yourself 

Social media and online advertising are excellent ways to take your yoga career to the next level. Start gaining a following by posting helpful yoga-related content on Instagram or TikTok and design a website where you can promote your services. 

Once you tick off each of these steps, you’ll be on your way to a successful and fulfilling career as a yoga instructor! 

Are you ready to turn your dream into a reality and become a certified yoga instructor? Click here to learn more about our courses or book a call with one of our course advisors. 

View our range of yoga courses here.

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Student Success Story: Harminder Singh Swaley

Harminder completed a Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy and is now the owner of an award-winning massage business in Brighton.

Christie

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Harminder Singh Swaley

Massage Therapist

One of our favourite parts of what we do is getting to see how our learners’ qualifications allow them to flourish in their career and turn their dreams into reality. Today, we’re sharing the student success story of Harminder Singh Swaley, who completed a Level 3 Diploma in Sports Massage Therapy with us in 2018. He now owns the award-winning Infinity Massage Therapy in Brighton. 

Harminder developed an enjoyment for massage at the young age of five years old when he began offering massages to family members – massage is an important part of Indian culture. As an adult, Harminder entered a career in sales, and while he enjoyed the regular interaction with other people, his heart wasn’t in it. That’s when he made the decision to retrain in a career that would make him feel fulfilled, and he began his YMCAfit massage course in Brighton. 

After finishing his massage course in 2018, Harminder spent a year working part-time and honing his craft, then in 2019, he accomplished his dream of opening his own massage business, Infinity Massage Therapy in the heart of Brighton. It has steadily built a loyal customer base and was even awarded Favourite Health & Beauty Salon by the Argus in summer 2023 – an award that’s voted on by the local community. Harminder has brought on more staff to support the business, and he’s even in the process of expanding the business across Sussex, with new locations planned in Hove and Eastbourne.

When reflecting on his time studying with YMCAfit, Harminder says, “I’m really happy I chose to do my qualification with the YMCA. They were fantastic from start to finish, helping source a 25-plus student loan to fund the course and creating a fun and engaging environment! I highly recommend them.” He loves that he gets to engage with all different types of people on a daily basis while offering a service that positively impacts their lives. 

We’re so happy to see Harminder succeeding in a field he’s passionate about, and we can’t wait to see all the amazing things he’ll accomplish in the years ahead of him! 

Are you interested in learning more about our Sports Massage courses? Click the button below to read all about the programme and book in a call with one of our course advisors.

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YMCAfit launches women-only PT courses to help break down barriers

Christie

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On International Women’s Day 2022 YMCAfit announced a new Women-only Personal Training course to help provide a safe space for women to take their first steps into the fitness industry. Teaching on this pioneering course, Hannah helped to break down barriers for more women into the fitness industry, something that she is passionate about.

“It is important to make education more accessible to all women who might be interested in getting into the fitness industry. By running Women-only courses, we will be able to encourage more women to join the industry who may not be able to otherwise. To get more women into fitness we need to have a greater number of female instructors, and this course will help achieve that.”

In March 2022, we surveyed women who graduated from our fitness courses in the last 5 years to understand the barriers that they have faced within the fitness industry. The survey highlighted that:

73% felt that women might face more barriers to career progression than men in the fitness industry.
More than 67% felt that unhelpful gender stereotyping negatively impacted women in fitness.
46% felt there was negative unconscious bias from decision-makers that impacted women’s careers in fitness.
84% wanted fitness professionals to have a deeper understanding of female anatomy and physiology and changes through life.
65% thought that lack of self-belief or confidence negatively impacted career progression for women in the fitness industry.

As a charity, we want to help make the fitness industry more inclusive and break down barriers to exercise and into the fitness industry. As a response to what the survey revealed, we dedicated to launch a pioneer Women-only Level 3 Personal Training course and will be working on creating innovative workshops to educate fitness professionals of all genders on how to make fitness more accessible for women throughout all stages of their lives. On top of that, we will be sharing the results with awarding bodies to encourage other training providers to increase women’s health content in their fitness courses.

View our personal training courses.

Erica Smith, YMCAfit Service Delivery Manager, said:

“We have been hearing from a number of women that they wouldn’t feel comfortable in a male-dominated PT course or even a mixed environment, so we have created a space to empower these women and help them thrive in their careers.“

We believe women deserve fitness professionals who better understand women. Women have different experiences to men because of periods, childbirth, menopause, differing pressures from their families, society, and the media, including gender ideals and stereotypes. This has an impact on their fitness and training, both biologically and psychologically, and we want to address this.”

YMCAfit Tutor Hannah is crouched down in front of a whiteboard with 6 students listening intentley at what she is explaining
YMCAfit Tutor Hannah teaching a theory class with a whiteboard behind her

Hannah Whibberley, YMCAfit tutor, said:

“It is important to make education more accessible to all women who might be interested in getting into the fitness industry. By running Women-only courses, we will be able to encourage more women to join the industry who may not be able to otherwise. To get more women into fitness we need to have a greater number of female instructors, and this course will help achieve that.”

The Women-only Level 3 Personal Training course provides women with everything they need to be a world-class personal trainer, all the content in the usual course, as well as offering additional skills and training to help women thrive in the fitness industry including ante and post natal and older adults content, which would normally be an extra cost.  

Group of women who just completed thier PT qualification. YMCAfit Tutor, Trish, is in the middle
Woman exercising in a classroom ith a pair of dumbells

Feedback from participants in the first Women-only PT course

“It was super inspiring to be along other women at different stages of their life and overall together we managed to inspire each other. Maybe it wouldn’t be possible in a mixed group as we felt really comfortable speaking about everything including struggles at different stages of life. At the beginning I felt that I could end up being at a loss, as the real world is mixed and I find it important to see all realities. But I feel what I got was way more rewarding and important to my personal and professional life.”

Andreia Ferreira

“It was awesome, such a great bonding experience. Having spoken to other students and the tutors, it feels like we had more in-depth conversations about the challenges generally for women in fitness….periods, pregnancy, menopause etc…..which were missing in groups where the demographic was very male dominant. I’d definitely be interested in other women-only courses and would definitely recommend it.”

Clare Ratnavira”

Ready to know more about a career in fitness?

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