Yoga Teacher Training

Become a yoga instructor!

Certified by Yoga Alliance and by a designated

Registered Yoga School (RYS)

As an experienced 500-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (e-RYT 500), Mel provides yoga studios support as a lead trainer or supplementary faculty for 200-hour, 300-hour, and/or 500-hour teacher training programs. Mel has curriculum created for all required educational categories that can be delivered and tailored to specific studios either in person or by distance education, including:

Technique, training, and practice
Teaching methodology
Anatomy and physiology
Yoga humanities including philosophy, ethics, and lifestyle
Professional essentials including practicum evaluation

Additional specialty areas for RYT 300 and RYT 500 are available to include aerial yoga. While Mel has and continues to teach in all required categories, her specialization is in technique, training, and practice, teaching methodology, and professional essentials including practicum evaluation.

All RYT programs must be lead by an e-RYT 500 with an active Yoga Alliance membership in good standing. The minimum hour requirements as lead instructors are as follows:

Mel is able to teach in person, through distance education, or a combination of both as well as for condensed one-month programs or programs spread over the course of maximum one year.,

Mel generally works directly with studios to organize times and locations that work best for the studio and prospective students. Studios and students interested in booking a teacher training program can email Mel directly at info@acromel.ca.

Certification:

The studio offering RYT programming should be a designated as a Registered Yoga School (RYS) through Yoga Alliance. RYT certificates are issued through the school and a Yoga Alliance recognized certification will be issued upon completion.

About Yoga Alliance...

Yoga Alliance is "the largest nonprofit association of yoga professionals, practitioners, and advocates across the globe." Yoga Alliance offers resources, support and professional development to empower yoga providers in their work with students and their ongoing professional growth. This includes globally recognized credentials for yoga teachers and schools to validate their expertise and demonstrate their commitment to inclusivity and quality yoga education. More information is available here:

Standard guidelines for RYS credentials published as of 2020, is available here.

Frequently Asked Questions...

Question: do I have to be an advanced practitioner to be a teacher/instructor?

Answer: NO! Teaching and doing are two very different skill sets. Being good at one does NOT automatically mean you are good at the other (for any discipline). If teaching is your calling, then you always have something to offer your students. For example, if you started your fitness journey late in life and have worked for every inch of flexibility and strength, you know what went into your training and your unique experiences provide you with tools to support your students. Similarly, having gone through bodily changes, such as motherhood, menopause, illness, or injury, you can use these experiences to empathize and support your students. If teaching is your calling - embrace it!

Question: I just started my discipline and would like to start teaching, is this okay?

Answer: there is no one answer fits all to this question. As an instructor you should be confident in your knowledge of your chosen discipline, and therefore experience as a practitioner or within the industry is crucial. However, your ability to understand your discipline also rests on your previous experiences and your ability to learn. For example, gymnasts generally have an easier time moving into new physical disciplines like yoga, pole, and aerial because they have a strong background in movement with the necessary strength and flexibility to succeed. This being said, teacher training programs never hurt and can enrich your practice even if you decide not to teach. The best answer is to work with your own instructors, take part, and then see where it takes you.

Question: I want to take the program, but I don't want to teach, is this okay?

Answer: absolutely! Teacher training programs are fantastic ways to enrich your own practice and guide you on better training habits and self-training. Teacher training programs provide insight into breaking down skills, creating progressions, and delving into theory. All this can be applied to your own practice!

Question: I am interested in teaching, but I don't want to step on my own teacher's toes, what should I do?

Answer: this one can be tricky... If your instructors are supportive of your learning journey, and you want to take a teacher training program, your instructors should support you. Learning has no bounds and as much as we instructors like to sometimes think we are the "be all, end all," we're not. Sometimes it takes a different teaching style or method to be successful at something you're working on - so exposing yourself to as many learning tools will only help your practice. This includes taking classes with different instructors, studios, students, and industry professionals. Teacher training programs can only enhance your opportunity to learn, and instructors should support your journey and interests as well. If there are concerns about replacement or income, this can be a conversation with your studio as well as an opportunity for your instructors to expand their experience and portfolio - in business, nothing is static and professional development and pivoting is crucial to any instructor and studio's success. Having said this, I truly believe collaboration over competition is the key to success and strongly encourage students to speak to their instructors/studios if they have concerns and avoid overt competition and misalignment while remaining professional. Our industry thrives when we have strong supportive communities around us.