Top 5 Things to Consider When Choosing a Children’s Yoga Teacher Training
Here are 5 important things to consider as you determine which Children’s Yoga Teacher Training is right for you:
Style of Practice
Most children’s yoga programs emphasize games and vigorous, high-energy play with lots of noise and hands-on touch. This can be a fun part of the practice, but keep in mind that games and hands-on assists are neither trauma sensitive nor inclusive of many children who have special needs. It is estimated that 34.8 million children (ages 0-17) — nearly half of American children — are exposed to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) that can severely harm their future health and well-being. When bringing yoga to children, look for a program that offers a trauma-conscious approach and at least one unit of study on yoga for children with special needs.
Expertise of Trainers
Look closely at who leads the program and who teaches the program. The Program Director and/or Lead Trainer should have a deep well of experience working with children and an established history both teaching and studying yoga. That said, be wary of people who label themselves “gurus.” Learning is a lifelong process and guru culture is rife with abuse. Furthermore, each trainer should each possess expertise, both in education and experience, in their subject areas. If a yoga school can’t tell you who leads what topic and why, be cautious — you deserve to know your instructors. Finally, look at the training team: do they mirror the students you wish to serve? Representation is incredibly important in children’s yoga, as it shapes children’s perception of who is welcome within the practice. When you learn from a variety of voices, you are better prepared to teach a variety of children.
Curriculum Standards
Only 95-Hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Trainings offered through Registered Children’s Yoga Schools (RCYS) are eligible to issue the Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT) designation through Yoga Alliance. This is the only internationally recognized standard of training. If you are considering taking a program through a school that is not an RCYS, ask them: What are your curriculum standards? Who has vetted your curriculum? What are the units of study? Where or by whom is your certification recognized? If you can’t get answers on these, reach out to a local yoga studio and ask them if they recognize the training as a legitimate training program. You don’t want to shell out hundreds, or thousands, of dollars only to find the program was a con. Wondering about Yoga Alliance and whether it’s legitimate? Read more here.
Accessibility
A children’s yoga program that’s focused on equity and inclusion will be affordable and responsive to your real life. Yoga Alliance extended its online training exemption into 2023, so if you look carefully, you should be able to find a training that is either all-virtual or hybrid. Expect tuition for a children’s yoga program to range between $800-$1,600. Explore programs that offer sliding-scale tuition, payment plans, or scholarships. And be cautious about programs that only offer work-study for alleviating financial barriers — these programs often reinforce existing inequities by forcing lower-income folks to work in order to learn while enabling people of wealth to not only access training, but also reap the dividends of unpaid labor.
Breadth of Practice
Yoga is not a one-limbed practice. So if you’re looking at programs and all you see is poses, poses, poses (asana, asana, asana) — you’re missing out on some of the best aspects of a deeply holistic discipline. Make sure that the program you choose digs into ALL 8 limbs, including the yama and niyama (ethical precepts) as well as pranayama (breathwork). Better yet, see if you can find a program that explains yoga philosophy in easy-to-understand terms that can be translated to kids of all ages.