Hi loves!

Coming back from Yoga teacher training, I honestly felt overwhelmed and exhausted. 100 hours of training crammed into 1 week, and my brain was on overload. I had no idea what was next – do i find a studio and teach there? Do I need to create a new resume? Begin offering private yoga lessons? Do I need Yoga Insurance? I felt so overwhelmed, and had no idea where to start. I decided to complete one thing at a time, ask around, and do my own research – when I did this, I was able to check off my list of things to do post-yoga teacher training. I hope this is helpful for anyone finishing up training and wondering what to do once they have an actual teaching certification to use!

1) Buy Yoga Insurance
This was recommended by my teachers during training – especially if you are doing private yoga lessons. Also, some studios require that you have personal coverage before you even work there. I did a lot of research, and ended up buying Philadelphia Insurance Companies Yoga Instructor Liability Insurance. The cost is normally around $125-$250, depending on where you are buying the insurance from and what type of coverage you are looking for. Here is a site that does an actual comparison of different insurance sites – I recommend doing a little research and picking the one that is right for you

2) Teaching at a Studio
I didn’t really have any expectations coming out of YTT – I figured I could practice on friends and family, or maybe teach at the studio I did my yoga teacher training at. I have been practicing on friends since I returned from my training, and I was actually offered a teaching job at a local studio (more to come on this in another post :)). I know a lot of the people I got my certificate with were encouraged to audition at the local studio we received our training from, but I must have missed the cut, because I never got that email. Fortunately, things tend to fall into place when you lest expect it. The perfect opportunity came up, and I am beyond excited. I recommend trying out many studios, finding the one that you connect with the most – not just with the type of yoga you like, but also the people at the studio. You will know when you have found the place, because that is usually where you will make time to practice at every week.

3) Teaching abroad??
There are a few sites with cruises, yoga studios, resorts, etc all around the world looking for yoga teachers. I was told about these sites during training – I see them as an awesome opportunity to take a vacation at a discounted cost, or expand your teaching resume in a unique place other than a studio. Some places offer free accommodation, meals, etc. in exchange for teaching 1-2 yoga classes a day. Another option is to pay for your flight + $500 for an all-inclusive trip, and all you have to do is teach a yoga or fitness class. Fitness Pro Travel is a great site to look for places, as well as Yoga Travel Jobs.

4) Updating your resume
I am not too sure about this, as I still have a full-time job in the workplace. I added my certification as a “skill” on my current resume, but that is about it. I also created a separate yoga resume, with a short summary of my qualifications and what I specialize in. So, depending on where you are applying, or auditioning at, it’s always good to have a nice summary of what you can do on hand.

5) MORE certifications + more to learn??

• After completing my 100 hour certification, I immediately signed up for the last 100 hours.
• With the new studio I will be teaching at, I was also required to be CPR certified. You can go get this on your own (normally around $40-$50), or the studio will sometimes pay for it. Regardless, its always an added bonus when applying to teach anywhere you go, or even when teaching private lessons.
• Read, read, read… and read some more. I bought a few more books to read – on meditation, on inversions, on anatomy… I bought books based on what I was interested in learning, so this will definitely vary from person to person. Scoping out blogs, asking other fellow Yogi’s, finding pins on pinterest… I found a few books that caught my interest and ordered them right away. We are always growing an developing as human beings, and our journey is never ending. It can be a little overwhelming if you really think about it, but exciting. There is so much to learn, so why only learn what you were given? Go after what interests you, scares you… its the best way to grow and gain experience 🙂

6) Playlists
This really depends on what type of Yoga you are teaching – since I am teaching heated power yoga, I created a few playlists with upbeat songs that go with the style I am teaching that day. The music is honestly very unique to each person, so I recommend just listening to a bunch of songs and creating playlists on what feels/sounds right for you (I recommend Spotify – hello, unlimited music & playlists!).

7) Save your receipts!
Come tax season, you will be able to submit all of your yoga expenses as business expenses. So save the receipts of everything yoga-related: Spotify, yoga mats, blocks, straps, insurance, workshops, yoga teacher training (including flights/transportation), etc. You can claim all of these expenses because you need them in order to perform your job. I just have a folder I keep at home to store all of my physical receipts, while I have folders in my email to store all digital receipts.

8) Branding + Networking
Fortunately for me, I began documenting my yoga journey on this blog, as well as my instagram after my knee surgery. As I progressed in my practice over the past year, social media has been an amazing way to meet so many people – around the world, locally, companies, etc. I do this for fun, but it’s also a great way to get your name out there for when you do actually teach. Not necessary, but I do eventually want to travel and do workshops, so having a social media platform is definitely something to consider based on what your end goals are.

That’s all I have for now… I will add more as I grow more in my practice & continue towards completing my 200 hour certification! For all those fitness and yoga teachers out there – anything else to add to this list?