What is the Difference Between 50 and 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
If you’ve decided to become a yoga instructor, you are probably wondering which teacher training you should join. There are countless options from 50 hours, 100 hours, 200 hours, and 300/500 hours of yoga teacher training.
Some yoga schools offer yoga certifications that spread out over a couple of years while others offer programs that can be done within 16 days. To help you decide which duration is best for you, we have listed down the main difference between 50, 100, and 200-hour yoga teacher training programs.
How Many Hours Do You Need to Become a Certified Yoga Teacher?
- Since the popularity of Yoga has skyrocketed in recent years, institutions like the Yoga Alliance USA have set out certain standards. These standards define how many hours of training you need before you can become a yoga teacher.
The same standards also decide which teaching methodology must be followed and what topics and styles of yoga must be covered. Amongst these standards, the 200-hour yoga teacher training program is one of the most popular and well-accepted international standards for yoga practitioners who want to become a teacher.
- After completing the RYT 200 training, you can register your self with an international or local yoga association. If you’re in Illinois and decide to join one of the teacher training programs offered at Wild Abundant Life, you will be automatically registered with the Yoga Alliance USA upon completion of the certification.
This is due to the fact that Wild Abundant Life is a Registered Yoga School (RYS) with the Yoga Alliance USA
Keep in mind that it isn’t mandatory to do a 50, 100, 200, 300, or 500-hour yoga teacher training course before becoming a yoga instructor. But if you intend to teach yoga in one of the yoga studios in Illinois, you will require one of these certifications. Most studios require yoga teachers to hold at least 200-hour certification from a Registered Yoga School.
Why Join 50 or 100 Hours Yoga Teacher Training Certification?
- A lot of our students ask us whether 200 hours of yoga teacher training is required to follow a 50 or 100-hour teacher training certification and whether 50 hours is enough to start teaching yoga.
The answer usually depends on two important factors - do you want to teach yoga professionally in Illinois or the rest of the USA? In which setting do you want to teach yoga?
- If you intend to teach yoga in a studio or open your own studio, then you will have to follow a 200-hour yoga teacher training program. This is important because a 200-hour certificate opens the door for you to teach yoga professionally.
The course has specifically been designed to give you a very strong practical and theoretical foundation of the ancient practice. You’ll learn about the yoga philosophy as well as the practices, poses, and meditation techniques required to teach yoga to other people.
- All of the things taught in a 200 or 300-hour teacher training course are also covered in 50 hours of yoga teacher training, but the downside is that you’ll never build enough confidence to teach professionally.
Besides, most 50 hour certifications are designed to be follow up courses in which they teach you about the extra knowledge and skills that are not covered in the 200-hour course. Since foundational information is not covered in the 50-hour course, you are expected to have certain knowledge and skills in the practice.
So Should You Join a Follow-Up 50 or 100 Hours Yoga Certification After Completing a 200 Hours Course?
- In some ways, yes. According to the international standards set by the Yoga Alliance USA, all RYT-200 teachers have to log a minimum of 30 hours of yoga training every year. Of these, at least 10 hours have to be contact hours and the rest can be non-contact.
What you need to know is those training hours you put in Yoga prior to being registered with a Yoga alliance do not count as continuing education.
Are 50 Hours Sufficient?
- In some cases, yes they are. For example, if you are a personal trainer or a therapist who wishes to bring about Yoga practices into your work, a 50-hour course could be all you need to qualify as a teacher. And at the same time, a 200-hour yoga teacher training certification is irrelevant to you.
What you need to know is that you can also complete your yoga teacher training in the reverse order. You can complete 50 hours first and then decide to take part in a 200 hours certification.
- And if you just want to teach instead of learning yoga in-depth, then a 200-hour yoga teacher training is not necessary. Our Yoga School never rejects students who wish to learn more about Yoga through one of our 200, 300, and 500-hour yoga teacher training courses. You can also join continuing education courses without any prerequisites.
Just keep in mind that you cannot combine 50 hours and 100 hours of yoga teacher training certifications to register yourself with Yoga Alliance. You will have to complete 200 hours, 300 hours, or 500 hours teacher training course to become registered with alliances.
Wild Abundant Life offers several yoga training courses ranging from 200, 300, 500, continuing education, Yin yoga, Vinyasa yoga, senior yoga, and online yoga training courses. Be sure to get in touch with us and find out which of the courses is best suited for your goals.
You can also walk-in to our Yoga studio at 120 E Liberty Dr, Wheaton for more details on all of our Yoga teacher training certifications.