Yoga teacher training
A yoga teacher training is a fixed-length certification course rather than a class you drop into. The 200-hour course is the entry qualification and assumes no teaching experience; 300-hour courses build on it, and a 500-hour qualification is the two combined. Courses run either as a residential block of three to four weeks, most common in India and southeast Asia, or as weekend modules spread over several months, which is the usual shape in Europe and North America.
Om Shanti Om Yoga School · Rishikesh
Rishikesh Yog Peeth · Rishikesh
Rishikesh Yog Peeth · Rishikesh
Rishikesh Yog Peeth · Rishikesh
Yoga Moves · Utrecht
Tattvaa Yogashala · Rishikesh
Samyak Yoga · Mysore
Rishikesh Yog Peeth · Rishikesh
Yoga Moves · Utrecht
Amazing Yoga · Pittsburgh
Sattva Yoga Academy · Rishikesh
Sattva Yoga Academy · Rishikesh
YOGABLOOM Basel · Basel
Samadi Bali · Ubud
Samadi Bali · Canggu
Rishikesh Vinyasa Yoga School · Rishikesh
Sattva Yoga Academy · Rishikesh
Aatm Yogashala · Rishikesh
Om Shanti Om Yoga School · Rishikesh
Om Shanti Om Yoga School · Rishikesh
YOGABLOOM Basel · Basel
Sattva Yoga Academy · Rishikesh
Yoga Moves · Utrecht
About yoga teacher trainings
Residential and modular formats suit different lives rather than different abilities. A residential course is faster and cheaper per day because accommodation and food are bundled, but it needs a month away from work. A modular course costs more per contact hour and takes most of a year, and you keep your job while doing it. Neither is regarded as more legitimate than the other.
Price varies more by country than by quality, and more within a country than most people expect. We keep a page of the real advertised prices of every training listed here, by destination, showing the cheapest, the middle and the dearest. What actually separates schools is contact hours with senior teachers, cohort size, and how much supervised teaching practice you get, none of which appear in the price.
Yoga Alliance registration is worth understanding before it influences your decision. It is a voluntary registry, not an accrediting body, and it does not inspect schools or assess graduates. Registration is useful if you intend to teach somewhere that asks for it, and it is not evidence that a course is good. Ask instead which teachers lead your specific dates, how large the group will be, and how many hours you will spend actually teaching.
Common questions
- How long does a 200-hour yoga teacher training take?
- As a residential course, typically 24 to 28 days. Taken as weekend modules alongside work, the same 200 hours usually spreads across six to nine months. Both routes lead to the same qualification.
- Do I need to be advanced to do a yoga teacher training?
- For a 200-hour course, no. Most schools ask for a consistent practice of six months to a year rather than any specific posture. A 300-hour course does require a completed 200-hour certification first.
- How much does a yoga teacher training cost?
- A 200-hour residential course in India or southeast Asia is commonly $1,000 to $1,600 with accommodation and meals included. In western Europe and North America the same qualification usually runs $2,500 to $4,000 and does not include either.
- What is the difference between 200, 300 and 500 hour trainings?
- 200-hour is the entry qualification. 300-hour is the advanced course taken afterwards. A 500-hour designation means both have been completed, either as one long programme or as two courses taken years apart.