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Yoga teacher

Alternative titles for this job include Yoga instructor

Yoga teachers teach yoga as a form of exercise to increase fitness and wellbeing.

Average salary (a year)

Variable

Typical hours (a week)

24 to 37 variable

You could work

freelance / self-employed managing your own hours

How to become

Explore the different ways to get into this role.

How to become Yoga teacher

You can get into this job through:

  • a college course
  • specialist courses run by private training organisations

College

You can do a yoga teaching qualification at college or in a community learning centre. 

Courses include:

  • teaching yoga to children aged 5 to 16
  • yoga teaching
  • teaching gentle years yoga (for those working with older adults)

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

More Information

Other Routes

You can train as a yoga teacher by taking courses with a professional body, for example:

Some knowledge of anatomy and physiology will be useful.

More Information

Career tips

You'll usually need at least 2 to 3 years' experience of practising yoga with a qualified teacher to teach it yourself.

You may find it helpful if you have a background in teaching exercise and fitness.

Further information

You can find out more about teaching yoga from:

What it takes

Find out what skills you’ll use in this role.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • knowledge of teaching and the ability to design courses
  • customer service skills
  • the ability to work on your own
  • leadership skills
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • the ability to teach pupils how to do something
  • the ability to come up with new ways of doing things
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

Restrictions and Requirements

You'll need to:

What you’ll do

Discover the day to day tasks you’ll do in this role.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

As a yoga teacher, you could:

  • design course and lesson plans to suit different abilities
  • teach simple and complex yoga positions
  • adapt positions for conditions like pregnancy or arthritis
  • teach breathing techniques
  • assess students and review your own courses and teaching skills
  • market your classes and do business admin tasks, if you're self-employed

Working environment

You could work at a fitness centre or at a health centre.

Career path and progression

Look at progression in this role and similar opportunities.

Career path and progression

With experience you could run your own yoga workshops or yoga retreats.

You might also:

  • train as a yoga therapist
  • specialise in working with particular age groups
  • take further qualifications to train and mentor new yoga teachers
  • combine yoga teaching with teaching other fitness classes

Current opportunities

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Current opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a Yoga teacher right now.

The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.

Courses In England

YMCA Teaching Yoga (Practitioner) Diploma

  • Provider: SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE
  • Start date: 29 September 2025
  • Location: Paignton

YMCA Teaching Yoga (Practitioner) Diploma

  • Provider: SOUTH DEVON COLLEGE
  • Start date: 29 September 2025
  • Location: Paignton
Find courses near you

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