What is a Children’s Yoga Teacher Training?
A children’s yoga teacher training prepares adults to teach yoga to children.
Most children’s yoga teacher trainings focus on early childhood through the teen years (18 months-18 years). Most children’s yoga teacher trainings do not focus on prenatal yoga or yoga in infancy, as these are areas of specialization within the yoga industry. In a full children’s yoga teacher training, you can expect to study preschool yoga, middle childhood yoga (or elementary yoga, in the US), and adolescent or teen yoga. Some children’s yoga teacher trainings focus on individual age groups, while others cover the full spectrum.
There are many children’s yoga teacher trainings that offer certification. However, it is important to note that yoga is not a governmentally regulated industry in the United States. This means that the standards required for certification are established by the industry, not the government.
Yoga Alliance is the international standard-bearer of credentialing in the yoga industry. In order to become a children’s yoga teacher in accordance with internationally recognized standards, you should choose a 95-Hour Children’s Yoga Teacher Training that is a Yoga Alliance Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS). In order to become an RCYS, yoga businesses are required to develop a full 95-hour curriculum aligned to the YA standards and submit it for evaluation to the Yoga Alliance. The RCYS designation is only granted after a yoga business has demonstrated that its curriculum meets or exceeds Yoga Alliance standards.
Be very wary of where you get your children’s yoga certification. There are hundreds, if not thousands of children’s yoga “certification” trainings that do not adhere to any industry or external standards. This means the curriculum may be completely arbitrary, focused on only one area or topic of focus, or over-general and lacking rigorous review and citation. You may encounter trainers who lack experience and expertise in the topics they teach. Yes, there are programs out there that exceed Yoga Alliance and industry trainings but are not aligned to standards. And at the same time, yes — there are many companies out there that will take your money and return to you an abysmal education and a “certificate” that holds no credibility beyond their organization.
No matter which path you choose, do your research. A high-quality children’s yoga teacher training will have trainers who are leaders in their fields; a curriculum that adheres to high and institutionally recognized standards, even if those standards come from sources beyond Yoga Alliance; and transparency around the course requirements, costs, and logistics.