At this time anyone may teach Yoga because Yoga is an unregulated industry. This means, unlike a masseuses, ECE’s, or other fields, the government does not require you to have a license of any sort to teach yoga (please double check if this is the case in your area because some governments have made a movement to change the requirements).

However there are industry standards and, arguably, the most recognized is Yoga Alliance (YA). YA has set the standard for yoga teachers as 200 Hours of training, and 95 Hours of specialty training for yoga teachers to be a Children’s Yoga.

Different insurance companies also require training before they will issue and of course, you have to know what you are doing.

At Young Yoga Masters, you earn a Certificate for each module of training you complete and can start teaching what you have learned right away.

Once you complete all the modules, you will also receive your 96 Hour Certificate from our School.

Read more about the different levels of Certification in the next question.

Levels of Certification:

• Weekend or Workshop Certificate: Most Kids Yoga Teacher Training give a Certificate of completion at the end of the course, no matter how long it is. Young Yoga Masters gives you a Certificate after each Module you complete so you can start teaching right away.
• 95 Hour Certificate: The yoga industry standard for children’s yoga schools, set by Yoga Alliance, is 95 Hours of Kids Yoga Teacher Training meeting specific training requirements. Young Yoga Masters is a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School. Completion of all our modules will Certify you as a Children’s Yoga Teacher with Young Yoga Masters, a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School.You get a 95 Hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Certificate with both Young Yoga Masters seal and our Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School seal (see picture on side) on the Certificate when you complete the training.
• Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT): As per the Yoga Alliance website to become an (RCYT) you must have 200 Hours Training with a Registered Yoga School AND 95 Hours Training with a Registered Childrens Yoga School AND then teach 30 hours of children’s Yoga on your own after completing your RCYS. The 200 Hour Training and the 95 Hour Training may be taken in any order.

At Young Yoga Masters each Module counts towards your 95 Hour Certificate. We also offer the Ambassador Yoga 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training for adults.

During the time of COVID-19, Yoga Alliance has permitted online training as a temporary provision. Usually, In-Person Training is required to receive your RYT or RCYT Certificate.

After reading about the different levels of Certification in the questions above you see that yoga is unregulated. Here is what we recommend:

• Choose a Training that Counts Towards the Yoga Industry Standards: If you are going to start training, choose one that will count towards meeting the yoga industry standards set by Yoga Alliance. We Recommend you start with a kids yoga training (like Young Yoga Masters) where each course counts towards your 95 Hour Certificate. This way you get all the tools and a Certificate from a weekend training AND you won’t have to start from the beginning if you want to get your 95 Hour Certificate.
• Consider Insurance: You may need a minimum number of hours of yoga training to get Insurance as a teacher, the number of hours varies from one company to another, from one region to another, so check with Insurance Companies where you live to see how many hours are needed.
• There are other considerations that may affect your long term goals, you can see more about this here.
• Continuing Education: if you are planning to teach kids for a while, plan to do continuing education. This is a requirements in most occupations and you will be surprised how quickly you can earn different levels of Certification over a few years. We find that many people in our training have taken other courses and continue their education to stay fresh and get inspired.

Yoga Alliance requires that all hours of the 95 Hour training are taken with one school. This ensure all the educational category requirements are fulfilled. Unfortunately hours from another school cannot be counted in the Young Yoga Masters 95 Hour Certification.

Each Young Yoga Masters Certificates is organized to cover all the educational categories required by Yoga Alliance so only Young Yoga Masters Certificates count towards your 95 Hour Certificate.

The upcoming training and costs are found here and in the menu under Registration.

The self-paced training give you manuals and resources in PDF format.  Nothing is mailed to you. Courses do NOT include printed manuals or resources.  The recommended resources used in the training are optional and can be purchases on Amazon and will likely cost under $50.

You can begin teaching without the resources by printing or sharing the activity pages and activities included in each module of training.

The only extra costs are government taxes where required by law (sorry these are unavoidable).

To see upcoming teacher training courses and costs please click here.

There is space in a course unless it is indicated that the course is full.

The best way to stay informed is to get on the Young Yoga Masters newsletter for the latest news.

From 2024 onward, Yoga Alliance requires a minimum of 14 hours of the 95 hour training be “REAL-TIME” training. The real-time training can be taken online or in-person, based on each school’s delivery preference.

Young Yoga Masters gives you the option to take between 14 – 23 hours of real-time training on Zoom in the Mastermind / Accelerator module.

Yoga Alliance has permitted online training, so your certificate will NOT say “online”. Your certificate will be the same as our Yoga Alliance certificate for other graduates.

• For Those Taking Individual Module Certificates: Once all prerecorded or real-time training hours and practicum requirements are complete, you are issued a Certificate for the hours of each Module you successfully complete.
• For those Taking the 95 Hour Certificate: Once all training requirements are complete you will receive your Certificate for our 96 Hour Certificate from Young Yoga Masters both as a PDF by email, and a hard copy of your certificate in the mail.

* You do not need to be a yoga teacher to take the Young Yoga Masters training.  However, to become a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance you need both your 200 Hour Certificate (Adult) from a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School and the 95 Hour Certificate from a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School.  See more details below or visit the Yoga Alliance website here.

We recommend planning for a minimum of 2 months and a maximum of 1 year to complete the 95 Hour training.

• 14 hours are real-time training through the Mastermind / Accelerator Module. These Zoom workshops and classes happen each month, with about 8 hours of real-time training to choose from each month (no real-time training in August).
• 9 hours in the Mastermind / Accelerator Module can be either real-time or self-paced training.
• 72 Hours of self-paced training are in the other 6 modules of the training and can be taken as fast or as slow as you wish.
• Total: 95 Hours

Homework and Practicum Expectations:

In addition to the self-paced training videos you are required to complete a practicum planning, teaching, and reflection component. The full details are explained in each training.

• 60 hours of Self-Paced/real-time training,
• 12 hours Self-Paced Practicum includes:
  • 8 hours of lesson planning, reflection, review, and reporting that you complete on your own schedule,
  • 4 hours of kids yoga classes that you teach as outlined in each module,
• Note: some practicum hours may be completed in real-time in the Mastermind / Accelerator,
• Note: You are not required to video tape your kids practicum classes because of safety concerns. You are required to show your lesson plans and reflections. All the details for completing your classes are in the training. An outline can also be found below.

Practicum Requirement for Online Training:

• Practicum Planning: you choose a lesson plan provided or create your own lesson plan using material from the training. You review your lesson plan and prepare everything you need to teach it to children (this is approximately 4 – 6 hours for the full 96 hour training, depending on your teaching experience)
• Practicum Teaching: You teach children for 4 Hours total. This can be 12 x 20 min classes, or 6 x 40 min classes, or any other combination that gets you to 4 hours. These classes can be taught in person in your own home, online, or in a park, you can teach your own children or other children. You do NOT have to video the class but you need a written lesson plan and practicum reflection for all 4 hours.
• Practicum Reflection: You complete a 2-page Practicum Reflection after each class you teach (approximately 3 – 4 hours for the full 96 hour training)

You don’t have to take all the Certificates. We encourage you to start teaching what you have learned right away.

By taking all Certificates you fulfill the 95 Hours required for our Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School Training Certificate.

For more details on what is required to Register with Yoga Alliance see the next question.

You have one year from the time of your registration to graduate. If you do not complete the training in this time, you can extend your training time by joining the Mastermind / Accelerator Teachers’ Membership.

Please be sure when you register. When you register you will have immediate access to the manual PDF’s and training, there are no refunds. Unfortunately we are unable to pause your training payments and time. You can find the full details of the refund and transfer policy here.

The Young Yoga Masters’ Training is open to everyone, you do not have to be a yoga teacher to take the training.

It is recommended, but not mandatory, that you have attended 40 or more adult yoga classes in any style yoga. This will give you a good foundation and knowledge of the poses from personal experience and will make it easier to teach yoga to children.

If you have very little yoga experience, we especially recommend you start with any of the following courses:

• Yoga Literacy (16 Hour Certificate): for ideas for yoga in schools and studios using the Yoga Alphabet, partner yoga, and Literacy games and activities
• Kids Yoga Lesson Planning – Themes and Dreams (16 Hour Certificate): for lesson plan teaching methodology using themes, stories, and songs including 6 sample kids yoga lesson plans

Each of these modules covers the basic components of teaching kids yoga, mindfulness, and stress reduction to ages 2 – 15 years. The other courses focus on a variety of facets of kids yoga teacher training including Inclusive Yoga (Special Needs), Family Yoga, Mindfulness for Children, and Mastermind Teachers’ Circle: Real-Time Training, Business Planning and Curriculum Design for Kids Yoga Teachers.

Read more about the Levels of Certification in the questions above.

Let’s be honest, some teachers feel ready to teach after one weekend of training, some teachers need all 95 Hours to boost their confidence. Each person is different. With each Module you complete, you will gain experience teaching actual children (not adults pretending to be children).

By the end of the 95 Hour Training:

• you’ll have taught 4 hours as the lead teacher for your practicum, teaching real kids.

• you’ll have watched 6 hours of your Trainers teaching real kids in their yoga classes, without anything edited out.

• you’ll have learned from others in the training, and what they taught in their practicum classes, by reading their class reports on the online platform.

This is usually enough for teachers to go out and start teaching their own classes.

Some yoga studios may require you to have a 200 hr adult yoga teacher training certificate, although many do not require this. We advise you to check with each organization or insurance company as to their standards.

We suggest you check for regulations on teaching yoga in the country, province, state, or area where you want to teach as well to be sure no government regulations have been implemented for yoga teachers.

Yes – in the Young Yoga Masters training each module gives you tools to teach children’s yoga. The manuals include instructions to safely and easily introduce yoga to children, regardless of your yoga experience. We have many school teachers, ECE’s, assistant teachers, and personal assistants start using the yoga games and activities at work after one weekend of kids yoga teacher training.

Approximately 40 – 60 percent of each training Module is spent doing yoga as we cover the curriculum, yoga poses, songs, and games. The yoga pose times are significantly reduced compared to what you would teach in a full class with children.

If you have a situation that does not allow you to do the yoga poses, you can observe this part of the training. No one should do yoga when it will aggravate their current condition and it is our goal to make our yoga inclusive to students. You will still be able to teach kids yoga if you cannot do the yoga yourself. You can use the pictures provided in the manuals and curriculum to illustrate the poses to children.

There is no set minimum age for the course. So far, the youngest participant in the course was 14 years old. She took the course to use for her babysitting jobs. If a young person is interested in yoga and feels they can complete the full Module and/or Full Certification, then they are welcome to attend. The minimum age to register as a teacher with Yoga Alliance is 13 years old.

Those taking the course who are under 18 will require a release form signed by their guardian.

Some of the things that set Young Yoga Masters apart:

• Training that’s Engaging: You’ll be learning from recordings of a live Young Yoga Masters’ training. This means you’ll hear questions, comments, ideas, and concerns from other students. We want you to feel like you are actually in the training. We also think it is much easier to complete this way, compared to more corporate trainings where a trainer talks into a camera for hours.

• Our Trainers Make the Difference:  Lead Trainer, Aruna, graduated as a yoga teacher yoga in 1998 and has worked as a full-time Yoga teacher since 2000.  She knows what it means to run a successful yoga business.  Plus each Young Yoga Masters Trainer brings insights into their specialty in the classroom, studio, or with special needs children.

• Real Experience with Kids: Another thing that sets this training apart is that you’ll observe the expert Faculty teachers leading real classes. We made a commitment when we started the online training to NOT edit the practicum classes that we teach. You’ll see them exactly as they occur for your trainers. When a child gives ideas, asks questions, protests, or even cries in class, you’ll see how the teacher handles it. You’ll learn what real kids’ classes are like. Which means you’ll be better prepared to teach. You won’t be left thinking there is something wrong with your teaching when these things happen. You’ll know this happens to all teachers, and you’ll know the different ways to handle it!

• Experience Teaching Kids Yoga: You will also teach kids classes as part of the practicum in the training. You will learn exactly how to welcome the kids, follow your lesson plan, and go with the flow with changes as needed. You will know exactly what it’s like to teach yoga to kids. Your trainers will be there every step of the way to give you feedback or help when you want it during the weekly office hours.

• Real Yoga In a Ready-to-Teach Curriculum: You get a range of ready-to-teach lesson plans with real yoga themes as well as playful games and fun activities. You’ll see how rewarding it is to teach tools to help children manage the stress of modern life. You’ll use the Kids Yoga Class Creator to make your own lesson plans too!

• Follow-Up Support: Most courses end and the student is left to navigate their teaching on their own. At Young Yoga Masters you get follow-up and ongoing support through our live-zoom Monthly Teacher Check-In, Newsletter, and Facebook Support group. You can stay in touch with your trainers and other kids yoga teachers after the course is over.

• We hold Nothing Back: Please note that the online training includes all our manuals and activity pages in PDF format. The rate for the training has been reduced by over $600 to make it more accessible than ever. Your training also includes our tested lesson plans, tips for what works and what doesn’t work, and real examples from years of teaching kids yoga. At the end of the training, all that matters is that you can teach children yoga. When you review your manuals for years after the training, you won’t have to remember what was covered in the training, it’s all in the manuals! Many students say the material they receive in the Young Yoga Masters training is more thorough and complete than what they received in their 200 hour yoga training.

• Registered Training: Young Yoga Masters is a Registered Children’s Yoga School, which means this 95 hour training was reviewed and got the seal of approval from the outside experts at Yoga Alliance. (see next question for more details)

All these set Young Yoga Masters apart and foster a love of teaching yoga to children. And that’s what we’re all about!

Yes, Young Yoga Masters is registered with Yoga Alliance.org  YogaAlliance.org is the original organization that brought all the schools of yoga together and established yoga teaching standards in 1999. It is an International organization.

We chose to register with this organization because it is a non-profit organization with a mission to help spread the power of yoga one person at a time. Most of the other “Yoga Alliance” organizations in other countries came much later and operate by individuals for profit.

Being a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School means our training was reviewed and got the seal of approval from the outside experts at Yoga Alliance. The training fulfills all standards in these categories as required by Yoga Alliance:

• General Background in the Specialty Area (12 hour)
• Techniques Training/Practice (20 hours)
• Teaching Methodology (15 hours)
• Anatomy and Physiology (10 hours)
• Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics for Children’s Yoga Teachers (12 hours)
• Practicum (18 hours)
• Remaining Hours (8 hours)
• Total: 95 hours

Please Note – As per the Yoga Alliance website: To become a Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) you must be:

• a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) who has taken a 200 Hour Training with a Registered Yoga School (RYS)
• Completed a minimum of 95 Hours training, all with one Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS)
• After completing the 95 Hour Training, graduates must also teach 30 hours of children’s Yoga before they may register as Registered Children’s Yoga Teachers (RCYT). These hours of children’s Yoga must be taught after graduating from a RCYS.
• Note that you can take a 95 Hour Training before the 200 Hour adult training, but you will not be able to register with Yoga Alliance as a RCYT until you have completed ALL the requirements above.

To request that Young Yoga Masters training become qualified for Continuing Education Credits in your profession or field, please contact [email protected].

In the fall of 2023, Yoga Alliance changed their policy and now allows Registered Yoga Teachers to count the training hours towards both upgrading to the Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher designation AND Continuing Education hours.

To Upgrade to RCYT on Yoga Alliance

• You must be a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) to add the Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher credential.
• Login to your RYT dashboard on Yoga Alliance
• Look for “Upgrade Options” in the center of your dashboard and select RCYS. Add the Certificate and required teaching hours as prompted (see video above).
• NOTE: You can also add your hours under “Training Hours” to be counted as Continuing Education, however you will also have to add them towards upgrading to the RCYT designation.
• Note: In September 2024 Yoga Alliance changed the policy and now permits hours to be used towards the RCYT designation and as CE.

For Module Certificates:

Locate your certificate in the module’s dashboard by logging into the training website and clicking on the module. Look for this:

For the 95 Hour Certificate

• If you graduated before 2023: Your certificate was emailed (PDF) and a hard copy of the Certificate was mailed to you. Note: that in some cohorts, a final check-in meeting was required, the 95 Hour Certificate is not issued until all training and practicum requirements were confirmed by your trainers.
• If you graduate in 2024 onward: Your certificate will be emailed (PDF) and a hard copy of the Certificate will be mailed to you.
• Replacement Certificates: Please keep these certificates in a safe place! There is a $25 fee to replace a PDF Certificate and $50 fee to replace and mail a printed certificate.

Yes, we would love to talk about bringing the Young Yoga Masters Certification to you. A training typically requires a minimum of 15 students, but this amount changes based on expenses. Contact Aruna about coming to your city to offer the course: [email protected]

Currently Young Yoga Masters only works with trainers who have graduated from the 95 Hour Young Yoga Masters Certification.  Our Train-the-Trainer program is also only for graduates who qualify as a lead trainers with Yoga Alliance. If you are a graduate of the program interested in becoming a trainer, the first requirement is that you have taught every activity in the module you want to teach to others.

Please note that being a graduate of the training does not guarantee you an opportunity to become a trainer, training opportunities are subject to availability and student interest/demand in your area.

Choosing a training can be confusing. We offer a free 15 minute consultation to anyone with questions about kids yoga or considering taking Kids Yoga Teacher Training. Give us an email to set up an appointment to talk with lead trainer Aruna at info @YoungYogaMasters.com .

We’ll do our best to help you make the right decision for your situation.