Online Yoga Teacher Training

A Closer Look At Online Yoga Teacher Certification Programs

Have you ever considered taking an online yoga teacher training program? While it would be nice to be able to take off a few weeks and head down to Costa Rica or Bali for a teacher training, for many of us our schedule or budget just does not allow this type of opportunity. So of course the next place to look is our own backyard. While it may be easy for students in Los Angeles or New York to find a yoga school, there are still many people who live in smaller rural areas that don’t have access to these fine schools. This is where an online yoga instructor training and certification course can come in handy.

While many might argue that an online yoga teacher training course is not the equivalent of being there in person, with where technology is at these days, there are many components of your yogic studies that can be done online. We recently spoke with Rolf Gates who is one of Americas foremost Vinyasa yoga instructors who has developed his own online yoga certification program and here is what he had to say about it:

What is an online yoga teacher training?

It is a Yoga Teacher Training (200 Hour) that is being facilitated through modern communication technologies.

Many yogis in the community feel that an online yoga teacher training is not a good way of teaching students. Can you talk about this?

In addition to the communication through the coursework: reading, written assignments, lectures and teaching sessions; the training is also being facilitated by monthly face-to-face video conference sessions lasting 2-3hrs in which every aspect of the curriculum, every aspect of the students’ learning is being vetted through her teaching back to me directly the skills and understandings that comprise the training.  The results have been inspiring.

I don’t have any direct experience of other Online Teacher Trainings so I can’t comment on the state of the art in the field overall.

What can a student expect to learn from your online yoga teacher training?

The 200 Hour Vinyasa Teacher Training Online program is essentially the same experience that you would have in a regular 200 Hour Teacher Training.  The difference is that you have more one-on-one time with me, but you are not having the experience of moving through the program with peers (the peer experience does add real value as well).   The benefit of more individual mentoring is off-set to some degree by not being with a group.  I would add that most of the people going through this training are integrating the community aspect by using the training as an impetus to deepen their connection to their own yoga communities.

What should they not expect to gain from this type of training?

I don’t know.  It is a complete training.

Will a student really be prepared to teach yoga effectively?

Yes.  Each student is training in the Principles of Spirituality, the Principles of Class Design and the Principles of Alignment and is prepared to teach Vinyasa Yoga effectively and to be a leader in her community.

How does a student graduate? Does the Yoga Alliance certify a student who studied online?

A student graduates by completing the course curriculum and demonstrating proficiency in all areas of the course in a classroom setting.  The 200 Hour Vinyasa Teacher Training Online Program is a 1 year course.

Currently, Yoga Alliance does not have a category for distance learning training hours.  But it is an area they are interested in and we have provided feedback and curriculum information to them as they work on how to approach this format.

What should a student look for in a proper online yoga teacher training?

A student should be looking for direct supervision by the course leader and clear opportunities to demonstrate the skills and learning of the training in a classroom setting.

What makes your online yoga teacher training effective?

What makes the Online 200 Hour Vinyasa Teacher Training Program effective is the forming of a meaningful teacher/student relationship over the course of a year in which the stages of a student’s development are observed and processed as they unfold.

Is there anything else a student should know about your online course?

The key to a good training like the key to a good asana class is the interplay between structure, rhythm and spontaneity.   I believe that we have struck this balance in this training and it is my honor to train the students who have sought the support of this course.

To learn more visit Rolf Gates

Please check back soon as we continue to update this page on online yoga teacher training. This genre of studying is still very new and as we receive more updates we will post them here