Last updated: October 17, 2023

In the past, online yoga teacher training courses were scarce to find. The reason for this is that the governing body for yoga teacher training accreditation, Yoga Alliance, did not recognise or certify online yoga teacher training courses. In addition, the yoga industry at large felt that live trainings were the most significant way to teach and for students to learn how to become yoga teachers.

After the unprecedented events in 2020,  Yoga Alliance determined that it was in the best interest for schools to have the opportunity to provide online yoga courses and now they are abundant and easy to find.  So, what do you need to look for in an online yoga teacher certification course?

What to Look for In Online Yoga Teacher Training Courses

• Online platform:  What online platform are they using?  Is it easy to navigate?   Is it colourful?  Unique? Does it look like “stock photos” or “corporate”?  If so, keep looking. Yoga is a feeling. The website that you go to needs to feel good and have an organic feel to it.  The information needs to be clear. Did the school build their own platform or are they using a 3rd party company? Using a 3rd party company may minimise their ability to deliver information properly; they may be limited in what they can do.
• Quality Control:  How does the school measure the student’s understanding of the information? How does the student travel through the curriculum? Can the school measure the students’ progress?  Is there an upload system for students to easily upload their video and written assuagement? Is feedback provided to the student along the way quickly and efficiently? Will the student immediately feel part of something and that they belong to a community?  Can the student begin his or her journey immediately upon registration? Will the student maintain access to all the curriculum, video lectures, masterclasses, personal notes and mentors feedback even after they completed the course?
• Communication:  If you write to the school, the response time should be very quick.  Less than two hours.  If there is a chat on the school’s website the response time should be minutes (unless it is in the middle of the night).  If not, this means that the school’s service is less than adequate.  There should be weekly live calls with groups, in addition to, one on one time with lead trainers and a smooth scheduling/booking process with the lead trainers.  Lead Trainers should be available at any time to answer questions.  Lead Trainers should be E-RYT 500 and in good standing with Yoga Alliance. If not, you have the wrong school.  
• Cost:  Beware of the programme that is too inexpensive.  Programmes that are under $400 in the U.S. or £500 in the U.K. are doing what is called “a volume play”.  This means that they are going for quantity of students and not quality of content delivery nor quality of the student.  As the old saying goes “You get what you pay for”. A 200 hour and 300 hour online yoga teacher training course is robust and requires a big time commitment not only from the student but from the teachers.
• Online learning:  How easy is the platform to use?  Are the lectures and content nicely laid out, artistically created and professional?  Is there a clear vibe of the school and what the school represents?  Is there a strong traditional background as well as an “up to date” progressive teaching environment?  Beware of the school that asks you to be on zoom for 8 hours a day. If this is the requirement, they have not provided a proper online platform.  In addition, beware of the school where all of your learning is reading.  There should be full on video learning with a “follow the yellow brick road” process from start to finish.
• Does the school provide both a 200 Hour and a 300 Hour (500 hour) training?  This is important because it shows that you have lead trainers and a school that is very serious about education and did not stop at the 200 hour process.  This also gives the student an opportunity to continue forward with the same school for their 500 hour RYT if they so desire.
• Does the school have strong testimonials and reviews?  Be sure that you go to Yoga Alliance and look up the school.  Ensure that the reviews are real, organic, and at least have an NPS rating of 9.0.  Beware of the school that has less than 30 reviews, they are not mature enough. 
• What is the background of the teachers?  Have they been published?  Are they recognised in the wellness/fitness/yoga industry? What makes them unique? Can you get in touch with them easily?

Drishti Beats’ online yoga teacher training courses are the number 1 recommended Yoga Alliance certified course based on NPS score and reviews. Learn more about our online 200 and 300 hour yoga teacher training courses and become a member of our community as you begin your yoga teacher training journey.