Careers In Yoga

Joining a teacher training is one of the best investments you can make for your life. A good time may be during a life transition, as many of us have had during the current pandemic.

Those of us that practice yoga often become long time students due to the benefits that we experience in our mental and physical wellbeing. Many times our friends and family see the change they want for themselves and ask us to share the practice of yoga with them. We may find that sharing yoga with others is a similar gift to practicing ourselves, as it brings us to the selfless space of connection and present moment experience.

Once we begin to share yoga for awhile we may wonder, “Can yoga be a career?”

When I get asked this by students, I explain that Yoga is a personal practice but building a career doing what you love can be very rewarding, as many yoga studio owners have discovered. These mainly female entrepreneurs are following in Indra Devi’s footsteps, as she was the first woman to practice modern yoga led by teacher Krishnamacharya and opened the first yoga studio in 1939. Of course, having a yoga based business is a bigger commitment then teaching a few classes to friends and family and will come with it’s own challenges as any job or business does.

2020 and 2021 has given Yoga Studios and teachers the opportunity to struggle, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside many other small businesses. Yoga studios have also had the chance to pivot and bring many of their offerings online, unlike other small service based businesses. And while we have, and may still be operating at a fraction of our pre-pandemic class size, we are offering more than ever, the support people need for stress and anxiety. Some students and yoga therapy clients have actually prefer practicing at home for convenience due to busy schedule, or lack of energy due to chronic conditions. Could this be the future of many yoga and yoga therapy sessions.

People are especially turning to yoga therapy now, as a more individualized personal care in helping them cope with physical, mental, and emotional discomfort as well as relief in long-haul Covid Symptoms. Yoga Therapy unlike other Complementary Alternative Medical(CAM) treatments, is a stand alone profession.

Sometimes Holistic health starts to become a mix many different healing modalities meshed together without rhyme or reason, and yoga teachers can fall into this struggle when they try to build their business and skillset by taking many different trainings. They can certainly be useful but it doesn’t often help with gaining trust among health professionals and earning more in your yoga business.

YOGA THERAPY IS WHERE YOGA MEETS CAREER.

At Pranayoga we have a 1000 hour yoga therapy diploma program. We have physicians, physical therapists, integrative doctors, and mental health professionals, in our yoga therapy program. They plan on integrating yoga into their practices as well providing yoga therapy to care-seekers, and most often getting the self-care they need.

Yoga therapy trainings are a longer committment then many yoga students may be used to, which is probably why we have a higher rate of medical professionals join these. However, if making yoga a career is your goal, a yoga therapy training is what provides the proficiency of a skilled professional. Yoga Therapy is also one of the best returns on investment when it comes to trainings. A yoga therapy program costs about 8,000-12,000 USD and takes 2-3 years to complete, but as a certified yoga therapists income is equivalent to what accupuncturists make. Yoga Therapy programs are accredited by IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapist), giving us a solid foundation and support for research and consistency of programs. IAYT is also currently working on an exam that therapist will take after they graduate a program, that will solidify this even more. It is an exciting time to be in the field of yoga therapy and we are super excited to be a witness to these emerging professionals.

What makes our Sattva Yoga Therapy program unique is the application of Ayurveda with Traditional Yoga Sciences, Yoga Research, and 14 years of professional experience as an Ayurveda Counselor and Yoga Therapist. Our goal is to meet the student where they are within there conditions and chronic illness and we can do that better having a knowledge of ayurveda. Our mission is also to lead by example when it comes to self-care. While our program is hard work, we also focus on home sadhana and nourishing the therapist.

Many medical facilities are now considering hiring, or have yoga therapists on staff already, and many yoga therapists have their own private practices, recognized for their advanced knowledge and experience.

It is always an honor to practice this gift of yoga, and once you learn it you will own it for life.

It it also a very exciting time to graduate and serve in the field of yoga therapy!

We are looking forward to graduating our new cohort of yoga therapists this fall and welcoming you if you are interested in yoga therapy or becoming a yoga therapist.

If you are interested in applying for our Sattva Yoga Therapy Program and have 1 year of practice experience, a 200 hour certificate or equivalent, and 1 year of teaching experience you can learn more here.