At this time anyone may teach Yoga because Yoga is an unregulated industry. This means, unlike a masseuse or other such 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 set by Yoga Alliance of a 95 Hour specialty training in Children’s Yoga, different insurance companies require different amounts of training, 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.

Yoga Alliance has granted Young Yoga Masters an online training permit to offer the training fully self-paced with a one hour live check-in at the end until Dec. 31, 2023. If you

From 2024 onward, Yoga Alliance requires a minimum of 14 hours of live training (either online or in-person) in the 95 Hour Children’s Yoga School training.

• If you were registered in the training before July 18, 2023 and have not completed the training by end of 2023, you can request a transfer to the new training format at no charge.
• If you registered for the Final Cohort at the reduced rate, and do not complete the training by Dec. 31, 2023, there is a transfer free of $250 USD/ $300 CAD to complete the training after Jan. 1, 2024.

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

• For Those Taking Individual Module Certificates: Once all prerecorded training hours, live zoom calls (or replays), and all practicum requirements are complete, you are issued a Certificate for each Module you successfully complete online.
• For those Taking the 96 Hour Certificate: Once all training requirements are complete you will receive your Certificate for our 96 Hour Certificate from Young Yoga Masters in hard copy format, mailed to you.

* 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.

• The training takes 96 Hour to complete so the time it takes to complete depends on how much time you can dedicate to learning each week,
• Self-Paced Training: If you choose the self-paced training, you can complete the 96 Hours at your own speed.  The fastest has been 2 weeks, and the longest you can take is by Dec. 31, 2023, when Yoga Alliance’s online training provision ends.
• Training in 2024 onward: Yoga Alliance will require a minimum of 14 hours of the 96 hour training be synchronous (live online or live in-person). Dates for the 2024 training will be announced in the fall of 2023.

Homework and Practicum Expectations:

In addition to the training online, you are required to complete a practicum and/or homework. The full details are explained in each training format.

Here is an overview of the homework requirements for the Self-Paced Training during the Online Training Provisions permitted till December 31, 2023:

• Upon registration you will have immediate access. You can start anytime.
• 83 hours of Self-Paced training videos and homework assignments,
• 12 hours 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: you are not required to video tape your practicum classes. All the details for completing your classes are in the training. An outline can also be found below.
• 1 hour Final Check-In on Zoom: One to One Check-In with your Lead Trainer.

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)
• Final Check-In Requirement: The final requirement for the training is a live-zoom check-in with your trainer once you complete all course requirements. You present your completed practicum lesson plans and reflections and your trainer answers any questions you have remaining. Then your 96 Hour Certificate will be mailed to you. (the final check-in is usually 60 – 90 minutes)

The 2024 Training format is now being planned, get on the Young Yoga Masters newsletter for the latest news.

You don’t have to take all the Certificates. All but the Level 2 Certificate can be taken individually and in any order. We encourage you to start teaching what you have learned right away.

The final Mastermind Module is only for those working to develop their children’s yoga business.

Take All Certificates for 96 Hours of Training and you meet the 95 Hour Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School Training Requirements

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

Yes, each module of training includes self-paced training that you complete from home.

At this time Yoga Alliance has permitted online training till Dec. 31, 2023, this is the time limit to complete the fully self-paced training.

In 2024 Yoga Alliance will require a minimum of 14 hours of live training (either in person or online) in the 95 hour training.

Expectations to Receive Your Certificate at the Completion of the Training:

• ONLINE Training: The online training is hosted on our learning platform here.  Your training will be tracked on Teachable and once you have watched and completed all the assignments you can set up your appointment to meet with the lead trainer for your final 96 Hour Certificate. It is up to you at which pace you complete the 96 hours of training.
• Practicum for ONLINE Training You will need to complete 4 hours of kids yoga classes as the lead teacher to meet the Yoga Alliance requirements to graduate from the training.
  
  You can teach 6 x 40 min kids yoga classes or 4 x 60 min classes, there is flexibility in how these classes are delivered. These classes can be taught in person in your own home or online, to your own children or to other children, or by recording a video of you teaching, though you do not have to record your classes with children, you’ll complete the Practicum Reflection to report on your classes.
  
  You can use the lesson plans provided and/or create your own lesson plans using activities from the training.
  
• IN PERSON Training: Includes a practicum with children during the live training hours.

• You’ll get feedback on your practicum classes during the live zoom classes or through the comments on the training, and at the final zoom check-in with your trainer. 

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. Transfers to other trainings are permitted. 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:

• Kids Yoga and Mindfulness (8 Hour Certificate): for an introduction  to teaching Kids Yoga using stories and props
• 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 Business Planning 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 96 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 96 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.

Yes, after the COVID restrictions are lifted, we can bring the Young Yoga Masters Certification to you. A training typically requires a minimum of 8 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 hires trainers from those who have graduated from the 96 Hour Young Yoga Masters Certification.  We aim to launch a Train-the-Trainer program for graduates who qualify as a lead trainer with Yoga Alliance. Stay tuned on our newsletter for more details.

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 talk with lead trainer Aruna at [email protected] or call 1-416-944-2888.

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