Yoga is incredibly popular with people of all ages and backgrounds.

Its physical and mental benefits can become almost addictive to practitioners, and many students whose practices transform their lives want to become teachers to share their knowledge of yoga with others. Others just want to learn more about this ancient practice.

So whether you're considering yoga instructor certification for a full-time job, as a side job in your spare time, or just want to enrich your own practice, these supplementary online resources will teach and guide you through every step of the process.

Note: You won't be able to be fully certified as a yoga instructor simply by taking online courses. Look for instructor-training programs in your area if you'd like to be fully certified.

The Yogipreneur (Web, Free |  Paid Courses Available)

Yogipreneur site

Before you start the certification process, learn what you're in for on the path to yoga teaching success.

The Yogipreneur can help teachers at all stages, from those deciding whether or not a career in yoga is right for them, to teachers with years of experience looking for ideas to grow their business.

"The Ultimate Guide to Designing Your Sweet Yoga Career" will help you decide whether or not to pursue yoga teacher training. Once you're certified, you'll find advice on how to get your first classes and private students, market yourself on social media and design your own yoga products. Reading this guide is like getting to pick the brain of every yoga teacher you admire. Best of all, it demystifies the ways yoga teachers make a living. In a field known for spirituality, money can seem like a dirty word. But teaching yoga is a job like any other and you'll need to know how to support yourself.

Yogipreneur founder Racheal Cook offers online training and classes for teachers who want more in-depth help with developing their own small yoga businesses. Many of these resources are free in exchange for providing your email address to receive e-books and weekly newsletters.

Wherever you are in your yoga teaching journey, The Yogipreneur has something to help you evolve as a teacher and a business owner.

Yoga Fit (Web, Free | Paid Courses Available)

YogaFit site

Yoga Fit is the world's biggest yoga education school. They offer Registered Yoga Teacher training programs in a variety of physical locations as well as home study courses that grant 0.3 American Council of Exercise continuing education credits.

Taking virtual courses with Yoga Fit will help you get certified as a yoga instructor by giving you specialization in up to 5 subjects: yoga core, yoga for cyclists, yoga strength, pilates fit, and yoga plus. These courses are offered through the ACE's website and cost $69.95 each.

There are many other great resources on the Yoga Fit website, including a jobs board with teacher openings all over the country.

What differentiates Yoga Fit from other sites is that it's a unique brand of yoga with its own training. So if you decide to pursue training with Yoga Fit, you can look for instructor openings at Yoga Fit studios. They even offer financing for teachers who want to open new Yoga Fit studios.

Yoga Alliance (Web, Free | Paid Courses Available)

YogaAlliance site

Yoga Alliance is the certification-granting organization for all Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT).

Their website will help you become a yoga instructor by providing information about the certification process and its benefits, as well as a database of schools that offer training programs.

Yoga Alliance also offers regular online workshops on a variety of subjects from sharing your yoga classes online to planning for retirement. These classes are free for Registered Yoga Teachers or $35 for everyone else. Checking out a class is a great way to learn more about the field before you commit to a training program.

Yoga Teacher Resource (Web, Free)

YogaTeacherResource site

As this site's name suggests, it offers a huge helping of free resources to supplement your teacher training program, provide unofficial continuing education and inspire you with new ideas for your classes.

There are in-person trainings and events that do have a cost, but all of the online resources are free. Yoga Teacher Resource is like having your dream yoga instructor mentor available 24/7.

Yoga Insight (iOS, $3.99 | Lite Version Available)

Yoga Insight app

If you want to use an app to help you become a yoga teacher, Yoga Insight is a useful tool for your own practice as well as your instructor training. You can try a free version of the app with limited features or pay $3.99 for the full version.

This app's features include the ability to track your yoga and meditation practices. The app charts the data you enter so you can see over time how many hours you devote to meditation versus yoga, or one type of yoga versus another.

You can also learn about hundreds of yoga and meditation practices, which will help you learn about yoga without the full investment of a teacher training program.

On the other hand, instructors can also use the app to share class plans with students. This is useful for giving students homework outside of class or sharing the poses you used in class.

Download: Yoga Insight on iOS | Yoga Insight Lite (iOS, Free)

For The Love of Om

These five websites and apps should give you a comprehensive feel for the life you'll create as a certified yoga instructor. And whether or not you actually end up getting certified, you're sure to deepen your knowledge and inspire your practice just by reading more about what it takes to become a yoga teacher.

Are you interested in yoga or in becoming a yoga teacher? What is the path you have planned? 

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