A beginner's guide to teach yoga online

When your daily routine has you feeling stressed, it's helpful to have an outlet that rejuvenates your mind and body. For many, that outlet is yoga, a practice which offers a variety of mental and physical benefits.

If you've been reaping these benefits for a while, you might be considering a transition from student to instructor. Yoga instruction is a popular path for secondary or part-time income, with the average instructor earning around $25.17 per hour. And with the increasing popularity of online courses, you may not even need to leave your home to start earning. With the right course platform, you can access all the tools you need to teach yoga online.

Do you need certifications to become a yoga instructor?

The short answer is "no." You don't need any certifications to teach yoga. However, being a yoga teacher requires passion, dedication, and commitment, as it can be as challenging as any other career. A structured education and certificate from a well-acclaimed institute can help you stand out—and ensure you're providing high-quality instruction.

Several institutes, including the International Yoga Federation and Yoga Alliance, offer certificates that are recognized around the world. You can find more details about these certifications here.

Becoming an online yoga instructor          

Now that we know what it takes to teach yoga, let's focus on sharing your expertise. Online yoga classes saw a 25% increase in reservations during the COVID19 pandemic. Though the severity of the pandemic has subsided and restrictions around the world are being relaxed, many people still prefer taking classes from the comfort of their homes.   

Online course platforms help you create courses easily using no-code technology. You can structure your curriculum, on-board your team of trainers, promote your courses, and generate revenue—all from a single console.  

How effective is learning yoga online?

Yoga, being an art that requires acute training and proper guidance, has its own set of drawbacks, when it comes to learning online. These can include: lack of engagement, fewer one-on-one interactions, and a feeling of social isolation. To deliver an exceptional learning experience, trainers must analyze these challenges and consider solutions before creating their course.    

That being said, learning yoga online is effective as long as the trainer makes the course engaging and lively. Online course platforms offer many useful tools such as virtual classrooms, discussion forums, and gamification to keep learners interested.

If you're unsure how to start your training journey with an online course platform, take a look at this article for some helpful tips.

How to start your online yoga academy?

1. Establish your brand

Build a website for your business to act as your digital identity and boost credibility for your brand. You don't need to write any codes or rely on any technical guidance to build this website. Many online course platforms use a no-code functionality with a drag-and-drop interface to help you customize your website to meet your needs.

2. Tailor your course curriculum

Once you've set up your website, it's time to create your course and add content. Research your learner market to understand their expectations from an online yoga course. This will give you the framework to develop your course further. Make your course engaging by including content like videos of yoga workouts, write-ups of proper breathing techniques, or images of complex postures. With platforms like TrainerCentral, you can automate course scheduling and set prerequisites for your lessons.    

3. Promote your yoga academy     

Now that you have your course ready, let's look at ways to promote it. One of the best ways to attract learners is by promoting your course through social media. Start by identifying the platforms where your learners spend their time, and refine your marketing strategies accordingly. You can also conduct webinars, host email campaigns, and optimize your pages for search engines to gain traction organically.

4. Deliver an in-person classroom experience

Yoga is learned best when learners get constant feedback from their trainers. This helps them practice poses with confidence and avoid any major injuries. To bring a classroom-like experience to a virtual space, a good course platforms will offer a web-conferencing integration. Integrate your online academy with popular webinar tools, like Zoom or Google Meet, to host virtual sessions. The one downside is that, in most cases, you'll have to subscribe to a webinar tool separately before integrating it with your academy.

TrainerCentral is one of very few platforms on the market that has a built-in web-conferencing functionality. That means you can host virtual classes within the platform without any external integrations. 

5. Keep your learners engaged

Though online learning is flexible and has many benefits, it tends to lack learner engagement. Based on a study by Stefanie Buck, Director of Open Educational Resources for Oregon State University, the feeling of belonging to a community has a significant impact on the learning experiences of online students. Online learner engagement tools like polls, chats, and discussion forums let learners brainstorm with trainers and peers to encourage community learning.

Tools like quizzes help you evaluate your learners' understanding of your course concepts. To keep them invested in success, you can reward them with certificates when they complete your course.    

 6. Refine your teaching methodologies

When you first transition to teaching online, you are going to face certain hurdles. You may struggle to engage with online learners, face technical difficulties during sessions, or feel uncomfortable on camera.

Every successful online trainer has faced situations like these while creating their first course. However, their solutions may not work for you. So, it's best to listen to your learners' concerns, collect feedback, and constantly refine your training strategies.

Establishing your online yoga academy is easier said than done. However, with the right set of tools, you can launch your first course in no time. TrainerCentral is an all-in-one training platform that empowers experts like you to transform their passion into a profitable business. It has a mini ecosystem with tools like a no-code site builder, built-in web-conferencing functionality, marketing tools, payment systems, and a comprehensive dashboard to manage your business. Join us today and get started with your training journey.