Is Yoga Alliance Certification Worth It for a Yoga Teacher?

It was never really my plan to become a Yoga Teacher – It just happened by accident. In February of 2020 I started the journey to certify myself as a Yoga Teacher. RYT 200, RYT 300 were the certifications which all the kool looking highly flexible yoga student were having. Or the RYT 500 were considered “advanced”. Also there was the E-RYT 200/500 – the “experienced” yoga teachers who were Lead Trainers in the teacher training courses. At that time I was looking starry eyed at the E-RYT teachers and was like – Can I even dream to be like them one day!

Now its April 2024 and I find myself holding an E-RYT 500 hours certification. “E” here stands for experienced – and I do feel some experience after teaching thousands over thousands of teaching hours in the last few years and working full time as a Yoga Teacher. However, I feel that my journey has just begun. I remember reading Yoga Sutras for the very first time when I started my training – and to this day I am still deciphering these verses. I am still struggling with the Ashtanga Primary Series. I still struggle in my forward folds! I keep getting entangled in my old habits & patterns. Yet I can feel the imrovements also! Yoga poses I thought I wouldn’t be able to do in this lifestime have started become accessible. I can comfortably sit and attempt to meditate! Physically I have stopped my premature aging – I feel I am growing backwards. My body continues to become balanced and I have started to listen to my body. The mind feels free and more at peace. Able to get out of my destructive habits faster. Apply the practical knowledge of yoga gyan in daily life. Able to open my mind and heart to devotion (work in progress). And able to impart the essence of yoga to people around me and see their growth!

Also I find it a bit amusing that it is a US based organisation whose certifications we are pursuing in the yoga industry. One would tend to think that yoga originated in India and Certifications should be coming from a less business oriented and a more spiritually oriented organisation. Yet here we are. In spite of these musings I feel that I learnt a lot in the quest to attain these certifications. It gave me the base, helped me meet my teachers and my Guru and brought a regular practice of yoga in my life. What can be a greater gift than that! So for that I thank you Yoga Alliance and you can keep taking my dollars and I would continue to spread the knowledge of Yoga under your umbrella.

What’s next? Will I start training teachers in Yoga Teacher Training Courses? Will I open a School? Not really sure – only thing I am sure about is that I will continue to learn and continue to teach what little I know. Thanks for reading now go do some sun salutations