Hey aspiring yoga teacher! Whether you're a man or a woman wondering if you can do yoga teacher training at any age, the answer is YES! I did yoga teacher training over 40 years old and you can do it too!
The decision to commit to a yoga teacher training certification course is a serious one. Yoga teacher training will take some preparation, require your financial investment, your time and dedication, some weeks of sore muscles, and then some! But I don't know about you, but I feel better and more committed and stable over forty than ever before!
It’s understandable that you might have questions before embarking upon the YTT educational path that will shape your future as a yoga teacher. It's important to choose the right YTT for you as an individual, and it’s important to know what you’re getting into.
Let’s get right into some fundamental questions you might want to have answered before beginning a yoga teacher training certification course as a member of the forty-plus crowd!
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IS YOGA TEACHER TRAINING ON YOUR RADAR?
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Can you do yoga teacher training at any age?
You can do yoga teacher training at any age because yoga and, therefore, yoga teacher training is ageless. People of all ages practice yoga, and people of all ages can teach yoga or do yoga teacher training.
What comes with age? Wisdom. So, in fact, I think we need more yoga teachers who are in their wiser years or later chapters.
One of my favorite interpretations of the Yoga Sutras is of the first line of the second book of the Yoga Sutras, which says this: Tapa svadhyay-esvarapranidhanani kriya-yogah.
In her book Yoga Life, Brett Larkin translates that Sutra to mean: yoga in action is self-awareness, transformation, and surrender.
Why do I bring that sutra into the conversation about age and yoga teacher training? Because “yoga” does not just mean “doing” hard yoga poses. Yoga is as much of a practice of tapping into our inner wisdom and living life according to it as it is a movement practice.
The chart below illustrates the average age of yoga teachers.
Can you do yoga teacher training over 40 or 50 years old?
You certainly can do yoga teacher training over 40 – I did it! Now, the cat is out of the bag about my age, but I want to be candid about doing yoga teacher training over forty years old.
For anyone over forty who feels any trepidation about getting certified to teach yoga – don’t! In fact, according to Zippia, 40% of yoga teachers are forty-plus.
Completing yoga teacher training at any age is worthwhile because it deepens your personal practice, enhances your understanding of yoga philosophy and anatomy, and equips you with the skills to teach others.
Learn about my experience as a forty-something who did yoga teacher training with Briohny Smyth to get my inside scoop on the matter.
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The physical requirements of yoga teacher training
So now that we've covered the fact that anyone of any age and at any level can do yoga teacher training, let's dive into the physical part of doing yoga teacher training.
Before enrolling in any YTT, you should consider the type of yoga teacher training you want to take.
Different types of yoga teacher training courses are more physically demanding. For example, an Ashtanga yoga teacher training is more physically rigorous than a Kundalini yoga teacher training, while a Restorative yoga teacher training is less physically demanding than a Vinyasa training.
Vinyasa and Ashtanga training will be physically challenging, and you will likely have two full-length asana practices per day, plus individual poses you are learning each day. However, modifications are always an option.
My advice is that if you're going to opt for a physically challenging YTT, prepare for it by getting yourself into the best physical shape you're capable of. And why not do that anyway, right? And at any age.
Takeaway on doing yoga teacher training at any age
Now that you know you can take yoga teacher training at any age including 40, 50, 70, it’s time to treat yourself to that YTT.
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FAQ about yoga teacher training
Can a beginner do yoga teacher training?
Yes, a beginner can do yoga teacher training, but it is recommended that you have a strong and consistent yoga practice and are very familiar with the basic yoga poses. But you do not need to be at the level of doing handstands or firefly pose.
Can I teach yoga without a certification?
You will not be able to get a job as a yoga teacher without being a certified yoga instructor.
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