5 Reasons Every Yoga Teacher Should Pursue a 500-Hour RYT Certification

Whether you have recently finished your 200-hour RYT certification or have been considering (and putting off) going for your advanced yoga teacher training certification, this blog will explore a few reasons every yoga teacher should pursue their 500-hour RYT certifications.

With advanced yoga teacher training, you will not only learn more about yoga, philosophy, and how to be a great teacher, but you will be more likely to start or improve your yoga business thanks to your superior credentials.

If you’re still on the fence about earning your 500-hour yoga teacher certification, keep reading for five reasons every yoga teacher should pursue a RYT-500 yoga teacher certification.

Use Advanced Yoga Teacher Courses to Learn New Styles of Yoga

During a 200-hour teacher training program, you’ll learn all about the basics of yoga. It’s all about teaching you the fundamental asanas and provides an introduction to philosophy. But you don’t spend much time learning specialized methods of yoga. That’s what a RYT-300 certification is for.

Pursuing advanced yoga teacher training courses will allow you to dig deeper into things you want to learn like Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, Ayurvedic Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Meditation, and more. A RYT-300 program will let you spend a lot more time digging into these topics. It’s the perfect way to fill in any blanks left from your 200-hour yoga teacher training program.

Learn to Teach Students with Diverse Needs

In a 200-hour teacher training program, you’ll learn about the different asanas like Bhujaṅgāsana and Bālāsana. But you may not have the time to learn modifications for aging students, beginner students, or students managing / recovering from injury or disease.

Now that you already have your 200-hour training under your belt, you can spend more time with your teachers learning about the intricacies of poses. You will learn about the small changes you can make that will have a major effect on your practice and teaching.

Go to The Source of Yoga

As yoga teachers, it’s our goal--and some would say duty--to know more about the historical and philosophical background of yoga so we can respectfully teach this amazing practice. When you do a 300-hour yoga teacher training (RYT300), you’ll be able to spend more time studying an ancient text that is the foundation of yoga--the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali. You’ll also learn more about other philosophies of yoga and Ayurveda and how they connect with your own teaching.

Improve Your Marketability as a Yoga Teacher

Having the RYT-500 title is impressive. With advanced yoga teacher training, you can market yourself either as a teacher or a yoga business with a bit more confidence.

You’ll also have an opportunity to network and meet other students who want to go deeper into their own practice. This networking opportunity allows you to further establish yourself in the yoga community and could be beneficial to your yoga teaching practice. Additionally, you’ll get to spend time with experienced instructors who can mentor and guide you. If you’ve been feeling stuck, there’s nothing like becoming a student again to help you go beyond your own boundaries as a yoga teacher.

Brush up on Your Anatomy & Alignment

Yoga teacher training in the west begins with only 25 hours of required anatomy training.  In your advanced yoga teacher training, you’ll spend at minimum another 25 hours reviewing anatomy, and applying this knowledge to asana alignment and sequencing.  Online yoga teacher courses can even dive into the energetic anatomy of yoga – with advanced yoga certification courses that cover everything from the scapulohumeral rhythm of the shoulder to the energetic need to practice heart-opening asanas. 

With this knowledge, your private yoga sessions can be better fashioned to the individual, and your group yoga classes can become safer and more inspired.

2021 is All About Online Yoga Teacher Courses
Due to the unfortunate reality of social distancing needs, many advanced yoga teacher training courses have had to transition to online teaching.

On a positive note, you can take advantage of the wealth of great advanced yoga certification courses now being offered online. This may be a convenient way to continue your work as a yoga teacher while also becoming a student of the craft again.

Now is The Time, Pursue Your Advanced Yoga Teacher Training

We hope this blog gave you a few reasons to consider advanced yoga teacher training. If you’re feeling motivated to take the next step in your yoga teaching career and become a RYT-500, please take a look at the advanced training at Prema Yoga Institute. Prema Yoga Institute is an IAYT accredited yoga therapy training program based in New York City and is currently offering advanced yoga therapy teaching online courses for ALL of our yoga trainings in 2021.

As always, for more tips like this visit our Blog often or subscribe to our Mailing List for similar content. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!

Prema Yoga Institute has a variety of programs with a focus in therapeutic yoga and aging bodies. Should we be able to study together in person in late 2021, you can choose the online option of live study, or join us in person at our studio in New York city.