Pros and Cons of Online Yoga Instructor Certification
When the world came to a grinding halt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, yoga teacher training programs swiftly started offering online yoga instructor certifications that allowed people to become yoga instructors despite the restrictions on movement brought about by the global lockdowns.
The lockdowns are history now, but online yoga certifications are not. They are here to stay because they have so many pros and only a few cons. This article is a compilation of the pros and cons of doing a yoga certification online to aid you in making a sound career decision.
The Pros
The growing popularity of online yoga certificate courses wouldn’t have been possible if there weren’t so many benefits of signing up for them. Let’s take a look at what those benefits exactly are.
1. Location is no constraint
Imagine wanting to learn yoga from your favorite teacher who lives on the other end of the globe, or closer still, in a city in your own country that’s more than a few hours away. Even if you have the money to move to that destination for the duration of the course, your work and family commitments will likely not let that be possible.
Online yoga certifications completely bypass location constraints. City, suburb, village… USA, Europe, Africa… wherever you are in the world, you can become a yoga instructor by signing up for an online yoga instructor certification of your choice.
2. First-rate programs are easily accessible
Why settle for less when you can have more? Not everyone has the good fortune of living in a place where highly competent yoga teachers are within easy reach. Just because good yoga instructor certifications aren’t available around, you don’t have to deprive yourself of the opportunity to learn from great teachers.
With the online option available, you are not forced to compromise on quality and you can easily become a highly trained yoga instructor by enrolling for the very best yoga instructor certification.
3. Budget-friendly options abound
Pricey doesn’t necessarily mean the best, and affordable doesn’t necessarily mean sub-standard. Being limited in number, classroom yoga instructor certifications don’t always fit everyone’s budget. Besides, there’s always some amount of travel involved in them, which essentially means additional expenditure.
When you decide to go for an online yoga certification, you can find the perfect combination of a course that scores well on quality and low on price.
4. Flexible learning schedule is a given
Online yoga certificate courses give you the freedom to learn at your own pace on your own schedule. This may not be the case 100% of the time and with 100% of the courses because many courses also have live training sessions with the yoga teacher in addition to reading material and/or pre-recorded video tutorials. But even with such courses, you have far more flexibility in terms of time than you can ever have with classroom yoga instructor certifications.
5. Learning while earning is possible
Career changes are fraught with risks. Besides, they make demands on your finances that may be too overwhelming. When you enroll in a classroom yoga instructor certification, you may be compelled to quit your job or take leaves that result in a reduction of salary.
These risks are completely avoidable if you do an online yoga certificate course. You can keep your job, maintain your earnings, and do the course from the comfort of your home at times of the day that suit you best.
The Cons
Nothing in the world is perfect. Online yoga instructor certificate courses are no exception. We’ll now go through some of the things that somewhat limit their appeal.
1. Content delivery may not be ideal
The best way to learn yoga is to see the teacher perform live in action. This is the standard way you learn yoga when you participate in a classroom course. But online yoga certifications may not always have live sessions as an integral part of the course.
The second-best way is to have pre-recorded video tutorials that you can pause and replay as many times as you want until you get a certain technique right. Again, it’s not a guarantee that every yoga instructor certification will have that component.
2. Feedback mechanism may be missing
Doing yoga wrong can result in unintended and unwanted consequences, including physical injuries. That is why, it’s crucial to have your teacher give you feedback and correct you whenever they spot a mistake.
Online yoga certifications that offer live sessions allow the teacher to give instant feedback unless there are too many learners, in which case it’s difficult for the teacher to pay attention to each one individually. It’s possible to incorporate a feedback mechanism in the form of students recording their videos performing the given techniques and sharing them with the teacher for feedback. Not all yoga instructor certifications have it though.
3. Community may be absent
Community participation is so integral to yoga. It’s where you exchange ideas, learn from one another, motivate one another to push harder and do better, develop a sense of belonging, and resolve to make the world a better place.
Community is a given with classroom yoga instructor certifications. Not so with their online counterparts. Some certifications have an online community; others don’t. While an online community is no match for a physical one, it is so much more meaningful and helpful than no community at all.
Online yoga certifications are becoming increasingly popular and will continue to attract more and more aspiring yoga instructors. If you are contemplating becoming a certified yoga instructor, check out this yoga instructor certification course and this advanced yoga certification for an affordable and yet comprehensive experience.
