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Why Should I Become a Yoga Teacher?

Reading Time: 5 minutes 30 seconds

DATE: 2023-02-06

As a trainer, you get to choose the method or approach you’ll use to help your clients improve or maintain their level of fitness. One option to consider is becoming a yoga teacher . Here we explain what someone in this role does, along with some of the benefits of teaching yoga. We also share several reasons you may want to take a yoga teacher training course—even if you don’t ever plan to lead a yoga class.

What a Yoga Teacher Does

A yoga teacher has a variety of responsibilities. Some are related to the physical practice of yoga while others are more spiritual or even educational.

Physically, a yoga instructor is responsible for:

teaching clients how to get into and out of a specific yoga pose

correcting any form or alignment issues during the yoga session

creating a safe and effective yoga sequence that delivers the desired results (i.e., building muscle , increasing flexibility , or to combat sitting all day )

Responsibilities related to the non-physical aspects of yoga include:

teaching clients the meditation and breathing components of yoga

reminding class participants to be mindful during their yoga practice

educating clients as the benefits that a regular personal practice provides

5 Benefits of Learning How to Lead a Yoga Class

Pursuing a yoga teacher role offers many benefits not just to those you teach, but to you as well. Here are five to consider.

It’s rewarding . Research connects yoga with improved fitness and mental states, even promoting cognitive abilities. It can be incredibly rewarding to help others experience these positive results. For many instructors, this is one of the major highlights of teaching a yoga practice.

It creates another stream of income . Adding yoga to your list of offerings provides another revenue stream. If demand for some of your other services declines, you can make up for the loss as a yoga teacher. Or you can use your role as an instructor to add to your current income, taking your earnings to a higher level.

It strengthens your knowledge and understanding of yoga . If you want to learn more about a particular area of fitness, learn how to teach it. Through your yoga teacher training, you’ll increase your knowledge of what this practice is, how it came about, and more. You’ll be exposed to yoga philosophy and anatomy, what each pose does, and other topics important to the yoga community.

You get to meet new, like-minded people . Another benefit of being a yoga instructor is that you get to meet people who are similar to you. You’re able to bond with others who share your passion for yoga. You also get to meet other instructors, widening your network of professional connections.

It pushes you outside your comfort zone . If the idea of teaching yoga scares you, taking the step to lead a class helps take you outside your comfort zone. Doing things that make you feel uncomfortable leads to personal and professional growth. It helps give you confidence and reminds you that you can do amazing things when you are willing to push your boundaries.

Why Should I Become a Yoga Teacher If I Don’t Plan to Teach?

Realistically, if you are driven to offer yoga training, you don’t need a list of reasons to convince you that this is a good idea. You simply can’t imagine a life in which you aren’t a yoga teacher. That makes pursuing a training program reason enough.

But what if you don’t have a strong desire to walk with clients on their yoga journey? Or what if you’ve never practiced yoga yourself, have never owned a yoga mat, and couldn’t tell the difference between power yoga and yoga Nidra?

Pursuing yoga teacher training even when you have no intention to teach it to others still offers some advantages, such as:

It improves your physical health . Just as yoga offers health benefits to your clients, it also does the same for you. During your training course, you’ll learn more about these benefits. You’ll also learn which poses can improve strength and which are good for stretching and flexibility. Implementing them into your own workout routine helps enhance your physical health and performance.

You feel better mentally . Studies connect yoga with lower stress, better mood, and even improvements in attention and memory. If you’d like all of these things in your life, learning how to practice yoga is the first step. And what better place to learn how to do this than yoga instructor training?

It can enhance your relationships . When you feel good physically and mentally, it’s easier to build stronger relationships with others. You have more patience and tolerance, which is helpful when resolving differences or facing difficulties. You also have a sense of peace that others want to be around.

It makes you a better teacher or coach, in general . You may learn a few things in your yoga teacher training program that you can apply to your current training programs, making you a better coach. For instance, there are entire sections on yoga instruction and cueing. You might get some ideas as to how to apply those same directions to other fitness methods.

It helps you as a yoga practitioner . If you practice yoga, learning how to teach it can help your personal practice. You might find that you’ve been doing a particular pose incorrectly, for instance. Or you may learn a new style of yoga that you’d like to try. A teacher training program also covers how to create a yoga sequence. This can be helpful if you do it at home versus taking classes at a yoga studio, where the sequence is created for you.

It deepens your passion for the yoga practice . Maybe you have a passion for yoga but no desire to teach the practice to others. Taking a teacher training course can help strengthen your love for it. The more you understand how the practice developed, the more you can appreciate what yoga offers.

How to Become a Yoga Instructor

If you’re interested in teaching yoga, the first step is to complete a training course. Even if you’ve been practicing for years, teaching yoga to others requires certain knowledge and skills. You can gain both by pursuing teacher training.

In a yoga teacher training program, you will generally learn:

anatomy (bones, joints, and soft tissues) and the numerous bodily systems

the history of yoga, including learning about koshas and chakras

the many yoga styles (prenatal yoga, restorative yoga, etc.)

the different styles of meditation, and how to teach meditation to others

the parts of the breath in yoga and various breathing techniques

principles of teaching, cueing, and sequencing

how to break down yoga poses and proper pose form

how to market yourself as a yoga teacher

It’s also important to obtain your CPR certification if you want to become a yoga teacher. This way, if someone in your class suffers a medical emergency, you’ll know how to respond. If you plan to work at a yoga school or studio, being certified in CPR will likely be required.

Yoga Teacher Training and Certification

When pursuing teacher training, choosing a program that offers yoga certification offers many advantages. As a certified yoga teacher, potential clients have a certain peace of mind that you can lead them safely through a yoga workout. It also tells them that you can supply the results that you say your class delivers.

Being a certified yoga instructor gives you a competitive advantage as well. Imagine that you’re a client looking to develop a yoga practice. After doing your research, you have two options. One class is led by a certified yoga teacher, the other is not. Which one will you likely choose? The one taught by someone with this advanced designation.

If you’re ready to get started, ISSA’s Yoga 200 teacher training program is one way to learn how to teach this practice while also earning your yoga teacher certification. This course is certified with Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga School (RYS). This means that you’ll be eligible to apply as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) upon its completion.

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ISSA | Yoga 200

Telles, S., Sharma, S. K., Chetry, D., & Balkrishna, A. (2021). Benefits and adverse effects associated with yoga practice: A cross-sectional survey from India. Complementary Therapies in Medicine , 57 , 102644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102644

Pascoe, M.C., J. de Manincor, M., Hallgren, M. et al. Psychobiological Mechanisms Underlying the Mental Health Benefits of Yoga-Based Interventions: a Narrative Review. Mindfulness 12, 2877–2889 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-021-01736-z

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BUSINESS STRATEGIES

Why be a Yoga teacher? 6 reasons to invest in your practice today

Kiera Carter
Dec 3, 2021

Yoga’s been around for thousands of years, but there’s a real case for doubling down on the practice now, even if the future feels uncertain thanks to COVID-19.

Why be a yoga teacher now? For starters, the pandemic launched our collective stress levels into another stratosphere, and there’s a body of research deeper than your diaphragm suggesting that yoga and meditation can relieve symptoms of anxiety and depression (more on that in a bit).

Plus, yoga offers an approachable, equipment-free way to move, ideal for those who continue to embrace at-home exercise during the pandemic. And new fitness software allows yoga instructors to teach clients virtually.

So, if you’ve thought about starting a yoga brand of your own—either in-person or online—now might just be the ideal time to get your fitness business up and running. See why below, then learn how to become a yoga instructor in 7 steps .

We’re experiencing a mental health crisis

Our bodies need some tlc, community is everything, digital developments help you invest in your brand, we want to be inspired, yoga helps us work through the hard stuff.

The American Psychological Association (APA) calls our current moment a full-blown “mental health crisis.” We’re stressed about economic uncertainty, social justice issues and the inability to plan for the future. The APA warns that the mental-health effects could linger for years.

To be clear, fitness—even yoga—can’t replace expert-provided mental health care, but study after study shows that yoga improves mood and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression. Indeed, just 25 minutes of yoga or meditation a day can boost people's mood, according to a study published in the journal Mindfulness .

“Yoga teaches breathing techniques that help people return to the present moment,” says Bre Williamson, yoga teacher and founder of Mindfully Bre . These techniques help students manage stressful thoughts about an uncertain future. “People in the yoga community also tend to be open about their struggles, which destigmatizes those experiences.” Read more about the new rules of training clients during a pandemic , including how to acknowledge anxiety.

If you thought people were sore and stiff before COVID-19 hit, just wait until you factor in our longer work-from-home hours. Research from the National Bureau of Economic Research found that the average workday increased by 48.5 minutes at the start of the pandemic (and this doesn’t include increased at-home demands like care-taking and home-schooling), which often translates to less movement and more body imbalances.

Williamson says she’s seen more stiffness and lower back pain among her clients. “Before the pandemic, many people were walking more during their commutes, or to grab lunch or talk to colleagues,” she says. “Little movements add up, but now we’re just sitting at home.” Whether you plan on offering classes in a studio, outside or online, yoga can help people address these issues.

When the pandemic hit and cleared her calendar in a day, Miami-based yoga teacher Julianne Aerhee Byun knew she wanted to recreate the hallway banter that surfaced naturally before and after her classes. “Those small daily interactions are so important, which is why we started a digital forum where students could chat,” she says. “Community is the heart of yoga,” and while this community might look a little different now, we still need it—arguably even more than we did before the pandemic.

“I’ve always used Wix Bookings for my studio, so when we stopped offering in-person classes, I just connected it to Zoom and hosted my sessions online,” Williamson says, noting that she thinks video-on-demand workouts are here to stay, at least in some form. “I think hybrid fitness trends will be cyclical,” she says. “If people are traveling more during the summer, maybe they’ll want to do video-on-demand workouts from their lake house; same for the winter when they don’t feel like going into the studio.” That’s good news for anyone who wants to experiment with new classes or launch a brand for the first time: there’s minimal investment with the potential for major pay-off. Here's how to shoot a workout video like a professional producer and how to up your Zoom exercise game .

The New York Times called languishing—a sense of stagnation and lack of progress—the “dominant emotion of 2021.” Again, yoga isn’t a cure-all, but it could help. “Part of yoga is discipline,” Williamson says. “Once that wheel picks up speed, and you keep showing up over and over, you feel more motivated and inspired in other parts of your life.” It can also help you feel more confident as you become stronger and hold poses for longer, Byun says. “People take joy in seeing progress on the mat.”

“Yoga fosters stability and courage in times of chaos,” Byun says. “Peace is easy when life is good, but staying calm when shit hits the fan is hard.”

That’s why we practice, and that’s why we need yoga in these uncertain times. (By the way, that's what inspired former NFL player DJ Townsel to become a yoga teacher.) “We hold challenging postures to cultivate inner strength, so that when something difficult happens, we can say, ‘I’m still okay. I’m still me. And I can keep moving forward because I have inner stability,’” she says. “We sit in discomfort and trust that we can get to the other side, where something new and beautiful will blossom.”

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Becoming a Yoga Instructor for the Right Reasons

Receiving a yoga certification is one of the most rewarding undertakings in life, but not for the reasons you might think. If you are considering yoga teacher training, you need to make the decision based on two factors: your love for the practice and your ability to teach others to love it.

There is no doubt that you love the practice of yoga if you’re reading this. It is an incredibly rewarding, challenging, and spiritual practice. Teaching yoga will be one of the most selfless acts you ever accomplish.

Providing the Effort

Yoga is an incredible practice, as it has been passed down for thousands of years from teacher to student. Every yoga guru has had their own guru, and so on. As you become a yoga instructor, you become someone’s guru.

The teacher can really make or break the student. It’s important to make sure students have what they need to learn the practice. Treat them as future gurus. As a teacher, you need to view yourself as the student, learning the needs of your clients.

Yoga Livelihood

The love of yoga alone does not mean that you should receive your yoga certification. There are some people out there with wonderfully developed yoga practices who are not a good fit for instructing. If you are contemplating teaching yoga for the money or ability to perform your practice each day, you will be in it for the wrong reasons.

Choosing the right path as a yoga instructor means that you are in it to teach the practice to others and continue the ancient cycle of teacher to student learning. It’s not just about having the best posture or timing; it’s about being an empathetic soul who is present for the students, not yourself.

Right Mindfulness

Choosing your path as a yoga instructor is a personal choice and should not be taken lightly. Be sure that you are in it for the right reasons. If you are thinking about joining the yoga instructor community, find a current teacher to speak with. They will be your best source of information for deciding whether it’s a good fit for you.

Do You Want to Become a Yoga Instructor?

If you feel that becoming a yoga instructor is the right path for you, []link id=1923]The Yoga Connection[/link] has an excellent 200-hour training program . We also offer scholarships to Active Duty Military and Veterans. To read the yoga training requirements, please browse our site and contact us today!

.custom-logo { height: 48px; max-height: 480px; max-width: 480px; width: 299px; } Pranalife Yoga & Teacher Training

Pranalife Yoga What problem do you want to solve?

Why do you want to be a Yoga Instructor?

I regularly meet with my Pranalife Yoga Instructors to talk about their success and challenges. At the heart of these conversations is a central question:

The answer to this question is the basis for every goal you’ll set as a teacher , and if you don’t know your answer, you’ll lack the clarity you need to be successful, however you define “success”. Whether you’re considering yoga teacher training (YTT) or you’re a teacher at a crossroads, here are a few good questions to help you get on with the business of loving what you do:

Do you want to give or receive?

Ideally, the more you give in your career, the more you receive and vice versa. Unlike the chicken/egg conundrum, though, you should know which one comes first for you. If you’re in the yoga world mainly to receive, you can focus on what’s in it for YOU. If you’re in it to give – i.e. teach – then you need to focus on what’s in it for you AND the people who (want to) practice with you.

Are you, as master yoga teacher Rolf Gates phrases it, throwing a party people want to attend? If you’re struggling to feel successful as a teacher (especially if “success” includes financial abundance), ask yourself: are you creating experiences people aren’t resonating with, or are you chasing after what you think people want at the expense of doing something you enjoy or are even good at?

When you create experiences people want, that you’re good at delivering, and for which people are willing to pay you, then you’ve got a healthy energy flow – which is the basis of how I define success. We explore how to create these positive energy flow cycles as teachers in the Pranalife Yoga Teacher Training course; for a summary of the process, check out James Collins’ book Good to Great , the chapter on the Hedgehog Concept:

Hedgehog Concept, from Good to Great (Collins)

The Hedgehog Concept, from Collins’ Good to Great.

Are you running toward or away from something?

Here’s a tip for YTT applicants : If I catch even a whiff of “I hate my current job” or “I’m doing this to make money” in an application, I send those seekers elsewhere. These motivations are rarely strong enough for people to make it through the training, and their energy is disconnected from others who are there with a passion/purpose for yoga that goes beyond this just being a job.

Being a yoga teacher can move you out of a place where you’re unhappy, and be a source of income – but those should be effects , not goals . If your core motivation for teaching is rooted in scarcity or dissatisfaction, re-evaluate what you’re doing. Moving away from something instead of toward something has a nasty habit of taking you out of the frying pan only to plummet you into the fire. Being a yoga instructor might sometimes frustrate you, but at your core it should excite you, challenge you, feel meaningful to you.

Do you have something to say?

When I did my Advanced Yoga Teacher Training with Mary-Jo Fetterly and Jennifer Steed at Trinity Yoga , we did an exercise where everyone stood facing a wall except one person, who stood across the room and repeated the phrase, “I have something to say” until everyone at the wall had turned to face her/him. Each person would turn around when they “believed” the speaker.

Do you have something to say? In the heart of all great teachers is a message that matters – to the teacher and to the students. More than any other piece of advice I could give to yoga instructors who want to integrate purpose and passion, I would urge you to say what you need to say . Use yoga to connect with people through your shared experiences, fears, joys, hopes, loves. Because you do have something to say, and there are people who want and need to hear it, and there’s a vitality that comes from this kind of connection to others that fuels great success – in your work and in every aspect of your life.

Considering this amazing career? Take a look at Pranalife Yoga’s Teacher Training . The 2015 training begins May 23rd.

Asia Nelson

Once again, your blog is really nice. I can’t stop reading it

I’m so glad!! Thank you for taking the time to read and respond.

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Student Essay: Me teaching yoga?

Take yoga teacher training me i dunno, by nancy cole.

Having taken yoga classes over the past four years or so, beginning slowly with one class each week, and moving forward to about year ago when I began taking a class every day, I had serious questions about making a commitment to teacher training. Would doing so ruin my love of taking classes or interfere too much with my personal life? Id heard others comment that it would be life-changing and maybe I was fine with the way things were. All of my experience with yoga, however, had taught me that not only could I change in major ways (physically, emotionally, spiritually) by becoming present, and remembering to breathe, but I could also do so much more in all these ways than yesterday, or last week, or last month. The idea of taking these classes floated around in my mind, teasing me for several months.

Then the time came for commitment. I spoke separately with at least two of the instructors for the teacher training, as well as instructors with whom I had been practicing. Was I too old? Could I do this training physically? I worked myself into some serious dukkha (suffering, being uneasy, anxiety, bad space) and had plenty of cita vritti (swirling of the mind) going on. I finally jumped in with both feet, taking a major step in faith that all would be well, and began classes in April 2007. This required paying attention to Yoga Sutra 11.16 Heyam duhkham anagatam (getting caught up in an old, habitual reaction to some experience, then recognizing it, and avoiding going in that direction, heading for good space).

I can now say, without reservation, that yoga teacher training did change my life in many very unexpected ways. My faith increased, first and foremost. Being exposed to all the different styles of yoga, as well as far more in-depth glimpses of the philosophy and yoga sutras, was an amazing experience. The seven weeks went by in a blink, and there were days that either my mind, my body, or both were utterly spent. Some days were discouraging (of my own minds making) because maybe I couldnt do some of the more advanced poses being taught, or maybe I broke my own rules and compared myself with another student; but for the most part, that wasnt the case. I simply became a sponge and absorbed all of it. I learned not to beat myself up over what my mind saw, accept what was happening, and move forward.

After listening to instructor after instructor reminding me to simply breathe, be present in my life, pay attentioneveryone who practices yoga has heard these comments over and over I began to do these things much more quickly and easily. I never really had the intention to teach yoga, and didnt exhibit much confidence during all of the valuable practice teaching sessions, but I was compelled on a very deep level to finish all of the requirements for certfication as quickly as possible. I turned in all of my completed packet within days of the last class (which was also an unforgettable experience!) and even returned the few terms definitions, which needed a little fine-tuning, in a very short time. I had finished it and I was satisfied.

Little did I know that less than two months later I would be teaching two one-hour classes each week, and very soon moving to another state where I would be enthusiastically asked to teach by three separate women. One of the teacher training instructors had said you would know you were ready to teach when you were asked, but even though I was asked, I was not particularly confident.

My first experience teaching outside the training sessions was with a friend at the gym where I do aerobics early every morning. She was so excited about yoga that after I left the gym, she told three other women about yoga and informed me the very next day that theyd like me to teach them as well, once a week if possible! In addition, two neighbor ladies have known how much I enjoy practicing yoga and asked me just last week if I could come into their home and teach them what yoga is all about, which I did with great joy. We three had a wonderful time and as I left, one of them said she now understands why Ive been so enthusiastic, and would I come again next week. Then, after fifteen years away, my husband and I went on vacation to re-visit an area of Minnesota, near where I grew up, from June 1-9 and, much to our amazement, found a lake home for ourselves, made an offer, and bought it. While there, on three separate occasions while talking with women in this tiny community, my husband mentioned that Id just finished yoga teacher training. Each of these women became excited and asked if I would be willing to teach them when we return there since there was no yoga being taught in that area. I received a letter from one of them when we returned to Tempe telling me that shed mentioned yoga to two of her friends, and by that evening (small town news!) she had lined up eight ladies for me to teach! The owner of the B & B where we stayed told me she often has womens retreats there, and has a massage therapist on hand, so would I please offer yoga for those week-ends. And heres another surpriseall of the teaching I have done is with women near my own age who have never been exposed to yoga. I am so excited and thrilled to share what Ive learned. I love working with beginners and have observed two introduction to yoga workshops to gain more knowledge. I enjoy working with this over fifty population and know that I will be doing so when weve moved out of state, so I am also observing yoga for seniors classes for this express purpose.

Having gone from I am not sure I can do this to being asked to teach by three separate groups of people, has been a huge concept to wrap my mind around, when I take time to dwell on it. Rather than doing that, however, I am simply grinning at the path Im on and the situation I find myself in, remembering all the times Ive enthused about how much I love yoga and how much it has helped me to anyone who would listen, including strangers at the grocery store, family members and friends.

None of this came about because I had carefully planned it, it was simply meant to be and by being still, my prayers to learn what I have been meant to be doing have been answered. I read a quote by Rumi which says: Do you have the patience to wait til your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving til the right action arises all by itself? And theres my favorite quote: Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). I have sincere gratitude that I have been able, through the consistent practice of yoga, to overcome (among other things) some serious impatience and frustration and do just that. My mind still chatters occasionally, wondering how I will demonstrate a pose which Ive yet to accomplish, but in my heart, I know the right thing will happen at the right time and Ill surprise myself yet again. I can always use words!!

To all those instructors who reminded me to quiet my mind and be still, to listen to that deep knowing within, and to set aside fear and worry, I say a heartfelt thank you. And to all those who may end up learning even a little bit from me about breathing consciously, or aligning themselves in an asana, or calming the busy mind in order to simply relax and be, I say Im glad you are here, lets enjoy this moment together!

E-Learning Platform

Why Become A Yoga Teacher? 7 Benefits Of The Career

Reading time.

18.7 minutes

Erin McDonough

Verified By

Luke Hughes

If you’ve been wondering ‘why should I become a yoga teacher?’, then this is the article for you. To give you a well-rounded view, this article will be divided into two parts:

7 Key Benefits Of Being A Yoga Teacher

Myths about becoming a yoga teacher.

To experience these benefits, you will first need to get qualified by completing a Level 3 Yoga Teaching Diploma . Once you’ve completed this course, you will be officially recognised as a certified instructor.

Furthermore, you can download OriGym’s course prospectus for FREE in order to learn more about this course.

Is Being A Yoga Teacher A Good Career Choice?

If you’re already passionate about the practice of yoga, leaving your current role and jumping into yoga teaching is certainly an attractive prospect.

However, changing careers is a big decision! Considering both the financial and social impact of pursuing this career is necessary to determine whether being a yoga instructor is the right move for you.

According to Indeed , the average yoga teacher’s hourly wage is £25.47/hour , and Glassdoor states the annual salary often starts at around £16,000 for freshly graduated teachers with an average of £38,363 :

As you’ve probably already considered, there are also tons of social benefits of pursuing a career related to your hobby. For example, you’ll spend every day doing something you love and working alongside like-minded people with similar interests.

One thing you may not have considered is how versatile the role can be. Once qualified, be prepared to spend a good portion of your time:

Visiting studios
Sending emails
Attending workshops
Building an online following or marketing a yoga business

Your social media presence is crucial for you to reap the benefits of being a yoga instructor, as is developing a holistic knowledge of marketing to promote your practice and keep your clients flooding in.

An obvious benefit of being a yoga teacher is incredible job satisfaction. While it can be difficult to maintain this in a regular working environment, yoga is built-in with stress reduction as well as job flexibility – all contributing factors for job satisfaction.

Although it might seem like a fairy tale, you’ll never know how good the job can be unless you try it! If you have a true passion and interest, the question of ‘why become a yoga teacher?’ should be easy to answer.

For those still wondering why they should become a yoga teacher , there are plenty of benefits we’ll explore to help you decide why this is the ideal career for you!

#1 – Why Become A Yoga Teacher? It Deepens Your Practice

If you’ve been practising for a long time, it’s likely you’ll experience a period of time where your yoga practice feels stagnant. You’re bound to hit a plateau at some point and this is natural!

Deepening and expanding your practice is a great reason why you should become a yoga teacher. Benita Mayo is a yoga instructor who didn’t go into yoga teacher training with the intention to teach.

In an interview with the University of Virginia , she explains she did it to deepen her own practice. After completing her yoga teaching course , she said she felt the obligation and desire to let people know that yoga is for everybody.

She now teaches Yin Yoga and gentle Hatha Yoga classes, which are more sustainable practices.

Going back to basics is one of the best ways to deepen your practice. Consider taking a beginner class to focus on adjusting your alignment or even go on a yoga retreat to immerse yourself in the basics again.

One of the benefits of being with a yoga instructor during a retreat is learning new and creative ways to do things. Consider a yoga mantra: mantra is a sacred sound, word, syllable, or group of words in Sanskrit, believed to influence the mind and spirit.

The most popular mantra is ‘Om’ or ‘Aum’ in Sanskrit. These three letters correspond to the states of being. The A is the waking state, the U is the dream state, and the M is the state of deep sleep.

You may have never considered using mantras during classes before. Or you might decide mantra isn’t for you at all! Take influence from other yoga teachers and employ alternative techniques like reading a book quote, singing, or storytelling.

#2 – The Benefits Of Being A Yoga Teacher Include Ultimate Flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of being a yoga teacher, and one of the biggest draws of the role in general, is that it doesn’t have to be a 9-to-5 career. You get to choose how classes work alongside your private life and create a schedule that works for you.

If you love to travel, you can set up blocks of time away from the studio for a holiday, or even expand your horizons by becoming an overseas yogi, working in yoga centres around the world.

The ability to make your own hours is an invaluable advantage for yoga instructors. If you’re an early bird, you can teach morning classes at a corporate fitness centre or health club. If you’re a night owl, run private yoga sessions, or lead an evening class at the senior centre.

A recent article from Insight discussed how flexible hours are the main reason self-employed people are happier than traditional workers. Self-employed people also generate on average £5,000 more than the average UK salary while working ten hours less per week.

66% of these people say they’re better off financially, while 65% claim they also feel better in terms of life satisfaction. This means you can reduce the likelihood of stress and yoga burnout.

The flexibility benefit of being a yoga teacher isn’t useful just for personal freedom – it gives you a safety net when you need it. In this article , Michelle Berlin shares how she became a yoga teacher back in 2007 after a car accident left her with multiple spinal injuries.

Michelle worked on her own healing through yoga and, thanks to the flexibility of the job, she was able to take time off when she needed a rest and recuperation day and schedule classes when she was up to the challenge.

#3 – Why Be a Yoga Teacher? To Be A More Creative Yogi

Another of our benefits of being a yoga instructor is that the profession will provide a boost to your creative juices!

Anne Cushman , pioneer in mindfulness and creative expression, explains how the practice of yoga can help to overcome creative blockages in our mind and body and significantly enhance energy and originality.

She believes that, when you take new and expansive shapes with your body, you’re also influenced to take new and expansive forms with the mind.

Growing your creativity is a great reason why you should be a yoga teacher as it requires you to stretch beyond what you know and understand. Each student brings unique abilities and limitations that you can learn from.

As you learn to develop your own unique yoga teaching style, you’ll be more comfortable custom-tailoring your classes to the type of students you have.

You’ll also learn to explore various teaching methods and practices that evolve you as a yoga instructor while expanding your own understanding and knowledge of yoga.

No matter the reason why you become a yoga teacher, there is always something new and different to learn. The more profound practices of yoga, especially Dharana and Dhyana are particularly powerful for training you to access and remain within a focused flow of creativity.

While artistic expression can be deeply fulfilling, accessing creativity is not always straightforward. Creativity arises naturally when we are in states of presence and stillness.

This is why creativity is one of the benefits of being a yoga teacher. When you practise asana, pranayama, and meditation, you access a distraction-free place where your inspiration flourishes.

#4 – Travelling The World Is Among The Benefits Of Being A Yoga Instructor

Another benefit of being a yoga instructor is the freedom to travel the world as a yogi. Teaching yoga worldwide allows you to meet and share your experience and knowledge with people you would never encounter teaching at a studio in your home country.

Gemma Clarke, a travelling yogi based in Phuket, Thailand, talks about becoming a digital nomad and travelling yoga teacher on her blog . After she completed her intensive yoga teacher training on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand, she immediately began teaching at the school.

Soon after, she secured a one-month placement teaching at a yoga retreat in Cambodia. A few months later, she returned to the UK and taught yoga in gyms and studios. While she states this was a great way to build up her experience, it cemented the idea this was not the lifestyle she wanted to be living.

After years of travelling, teaching, and living overseas, she wanted to create a lifestyle where she could be free to live wherever she wanted while working remotely.

It might seem like an impossible feat but there are plenty of ways to find work while travelling. Here’s just a few suggestions on how you can make the most of being a yoga teacher abroad :

Networking: Word of mouth is one of the best ways to get you new opportunities so network with studio owners and yoga teachers you meet on your journey.
Use The Right Resources: Tools such as Yoga Trade or Yoga Travel Jobs can help you find teaching opportunities.
Find a local yoga studio: Become friends with the staff and teachers, and offer to substitute classes if they ever need someone to fill in.
Define your brand: As the market for yoga teachers is more saturated every day, try to define what you stand for, and what makes your offering unique to set yourself apart from the crowd.

Travelling is a big reason why people become yoga teachers. See new places, try new foods, and learn and grow from other cultures. Plus, the cost of living in countries in South East Asia is much cheaper.

– – – –

Aside from answering ‘Why become a yoga teacher?’, check out these articles to see how you can be successful in this industry:

How To Become A Successful Yoga Teacher: 11 Top Tips
How To Turn Yoga Into A Career
What Makes a Good Yoga Teacher?

#5 – Why Become A Yoga Teacher? It’s Immensely Rewarding

Every time you teach a class, you’re helping people. You’re helping them get closer to their goals, even if you only see a student once or a few times.

The gratification of helping others on a daily basis is one of the biggest benefits of being a yoga teacher. You get to cultivate positive energy from within yourself. You give the gift of yoga, share your positive energy, and usually walk away with more fuel than you had before you taught a class.

When you see others starting their journey to spiritual and physical healing, there’s hardly a better feeling in the world. Whether you realise it or not, you have a story to tell – a story that will spur your students on to take their own path.

Teaching yoga provides students with the tools they need to grow spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. Seeing them flourish from your guidance is, without a doubt, one of the most rewarding aspects of being a yoga teacher.

#6 – Why Be A Yoga Teacher? To Specialise In Your Favourite Style

Why become a yoga teacher if you can’t focus on your favourite styles? On one end of the spectrum, you have more restorative yoga practices. These classes typically involve four or five postures, staying in each of them for prolonged periods.

At the other end of the spectrum are faster, more movement-based practices. This could be teaching Vinyasa Yoga classes, or instructing hot yoga in a 35°C studio.

As a yoga instructor, you have control over the type of training you provide. Keep this in mind when you’re looking for yoga studios to teach in. If they don’t offer your preferred style, promote yourself as an instructor who can help them grow their business.

As a teacher, it can be handy to refine your offerings by specialising in a particular form. However, this doesn’t mean you can’t still teach Yin alongside your Power classes, but you could invest in a high-quality yoga book to expand your knowledge, while attending workshops for Power yoga.

Don’t feel pressured to choose your niche as soon as you graduate from a teacher training course. Some people will know exactly where their heart lies, or will have a background in a field like psychotherapy or osteopathy and want to enhance their existing offers by completing the training.

But for most people, a specific interest won’t materialise until more experience has been gained. It’s completely normal to evolve in your yoga practice and branch out into many different directions over time.

Don’t feel pressured to re-invent the yoga wheel or create a class that’s entirely new. This is another benefit of being a yoga instructor. Your strength as a teacher lies in teaching authentically and with a positive attitude.

#7 – Keeping Your Work-Life Balance Is A Benefit Of Being A Yoga Teacher

For those in high-powered jobs that take up a lot of personal time, keeping the line between personal and professional can be hard. However, you don’t need to worry about this with yoga because it’s already built into the work!

Maintaining your work-life balance is another benefit of being a yoga teacher. As a tool of self-study, it helps us understand our patterns, strengths, and weaknesses, all of which are important when establishing healthy boundaries with work.

Some teachers end up teaching too many yoga classes at the start of their careers because they are concerned about maintaining a certain income. However, they soon realise this isn’t sustainable and is taking away from the very thing that made them a fantastic yoga teacher .

David Irvine is a world-renowned speaker and author who maintains an active lifestyle with yoga. In this blog post , he talks about the key principles to keep in mind as a yoga teacher trying to maintain life balance and combat burnout.

Yoga is all about presence and placing yourself at the centre of a moment. But it doesn’t have to stop as soon as you leave the studio. Practice being present in your daily life to understand your mind and body.

Another benefit of being a yoga teacher is having a routine and yoga exists on the foundation of a firm routine.

Research has proven routine plays a huge role in happiness and healthy lifestyles, so it’s not surprising people who incorporate yogic routines end up eating, sleeping, and exercising more consistently.

While there are many benefits of being a yoga teacher, it’s likely you’ve also heard plenty of myths! In this section, we’ll clear up some of these myths to help you make the right decision about becoming a yoga teacher.

#1 – You Must Be Flexible To Be A Yoga Teacher

If you’ve been feeling down and asking yourself ‘why become a yoga teacher if I’m not bendy?’, we’ll start by saying it’s unrealistic and unnecessary thinking you’ll be able to perform every single asana to pro levels.

Every single body is different, with built-in limitations of flexibility and strength. This means you shouldn’t expect any teacher, yourself included, to know the hundreds of poses and modifications.

You should know, before you become a yoga instructor , that flexibility isn’t a prerequisite and consistent practice will actually improve your flexibility over time, as well as aid:

Yoga isn’t just physical – it’s about placing your attention on the breathing underneath various postures. It’s about maintaining an attitude of presence and self-acceptance, focusing more on the ‘how’ than the ‘what’.

Yoga stems from a history that’s over 2,000 years old and the physical poses are only a tiny part of a larger practice that includes breathwork and meditation.

So, if you’re wondering why you should become a yoga teacher if you don’t have all the asanas nailed, think about all the other ways you can be an effective teacher of mindfulness, being present, and remaining appreciative and open.

#2 – Yoga Teachers Understand The Body As Well As A Doctor

One of the benefits of being a yoga teacher is the trust and positive bond you’ll build with each of your students. This means your students will be comfortable opening up to you and asking all sorts of questions.

However, you should keep in mind your own experience is not the same as speaking to a medical professional.

Students may tell you about various mental and physical health problems. Unless you have a previous certification in medicine, the best answer you can give to these students is to speak to their doctor, or refer them to another professional .

Work with your students within their limitations, listen to their feedback, and teach them only what you know.

The same goes for nutrition and dieting advice. There is nothing in the traditional yogic texts that tells you what to eat or how to eat. While you can encourage healthy eating habits from what is common scientific knowledge, don’t give advice on things you don’t fully understand.

All of this is not to say yoga teachers can’t have valuable insights into the state of someone’s health and wellness. Just keep in mind your own knowledge and remind students they’re talking to a yoga teacher rather than a medical professional.

#3 – All Yoga Teachers Are Relaxed And Positive, Never Succumbing To Stress

You might be wondering why you would be a yoga teacher if you can’t keep calm and collected all the time. However, it’s important to note many yoga instructors start their journey as a remedy for their suffering, pain, and anxiety.

After many years of dedicated and thorough practice, one of the benefits of being a yoga instructor is you will have accrued experiential wisdom about what consistent yoga practice can offer to those in need.

If you’ve been thinking ‘why be a yoga teacher if I’m always stressed?’, don’t worry! Not only will consistent practice reduce those stressful emotions but being open with your clients about the fact you’re struggling will allow them to bond with you.

A lot of people don’t consider instructing yoga classes as ‘work’ in the same sense as having a regular 9-to-5. However, if you’ve been struggling with burnout, one of the benefits of being a yoga teacher is flexibility for taking time off. Everyone needs and deserves the ability to switch off and do some self-care.

#4 – Doing More Advanced Poses Means You’re A Better Yoga Instructor

As a yoga novice, you probably fell into the trap of believing your ability to go deeper in backbends, further forwards in forward bends, or balance longer in handstands were all indicators of your yoga spirituality.

This isn’t to say that asanas (postures) aren’t an integral part of the yoga experience. However, what yoga is really about is what the postures teach: patience, self-awareness, and compassion.

Through the asanas, you practise being present and conscious of your actions instead of mindlessly moving through the world. Using asana as a tool to connect with yourself and explore your emotions is one of the best ways to use postures.

Being unable to do certain poses doesn’t mean you aren’t good at yoga or aren’t as good as someone who can do that pose. Being a successful yoga teacher isn’t measured by the number of advanced postures you can do.

Try a gentler, softer approach to your practice and teaching. You’ll soon discover the positive impact it can have. You’ll be able to improve your well-being this way more profoundly than with any fancy arm balance you’ve ever performed.

Before You Go!

Aside from the great benefits of being a yoga teacher as listed above, always keep in mind there are pros and cons to every career. However, in this role, the positives far outweigh the negatives.

To experience these benefits for yourself, be sure to complete our Level 3 Diploma in Teaching Yoga! During your study, you will learn how to develop skills and knowledge that will set you up for future scuess.

Find out more about this qualification by downloading our course prospectus – It’s FREE!

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What Makes a Good Yoga Teacher? Our List of 11 Top Traits

A yoga teacher—and longtime student—considers the qualities that make an instructor truly exceptional..

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When I’d been practicing yoga for nearly a decade, I began to think a lot about what makes a truly amazing yoga teacher. I had started to teach again after taking some time off and wanted to understand what sets some teachers apart.

So I considered what drew me to a particular class. Most yoga teachers can guide a class through a sequence of poses. Some teachers’ classes I attended out of convenience, whether because they fit into my schedule or the studio was nearby. But there were also teachers who were so amazing I’d be willing to get up early on a Saturday, pay twice as much to attend a workshop, and give up half my day just to be in their presence. There were even teachers I’d fly across the country to learn from because they were that exceptional.

For me, a teacher’s personality, style, and ability to relate to students made all the difference—and still do. Here are some of the qualities that I’ve noticed truly memorable yoga teachers share. I hope one day I’ll be able to join their ranks.

What makes a great yoga teacher

1. They have experienced intense situations in life and understand stress.

2. They are able to explain how the lessons we learn on the mat translate into the real world.

3. They have confidence in things they know and the humility to say “I don’t know” when appropriate. (And they appear unbothered when they don’t have all the answers.)

4. They give advice when they’re asked for it but respect boundaries and give students the space to figure out their own way, too.

5. They realize we’re all students and never put themselves on a pedestal.

6. They share enough of their personal life to connect with their students but never make the class all about themselves.

7. They remember their students’ names. They also remember their students’ injuries and challenges as well as their strengths and triumphs.

8. They make class accessible to all students and, when appropriate, make themselves accessible to students outside of class.

9. They admit their own faults freely.

10. They welcome all questions—especially the silly ones!

11. They don’t take themselves too seriously. They laugh when they fall down demonstrating balance poses or garble a cue—and by allowing students to see them laugh at themselves, they teach you to laugh at yourself.

What are some of the qualities you admire most about your yoga teachers? What are the qualities that you seek to bring to your own teaching?

This article has been updated. Originally published January 22, 2013.

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19 Top Ideas for a “Why I want to be a Teacher” Essay

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

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Here are the 19 best reasons you would want to be a teacher that you can include in your essay:

To help children learn more effectively.
To ensure children have positive mentors.
To improve children’s lives.
To help future generations solve the problems of today.
To help the future generations become good citizens.
To inspire future generations to create a more equal world.
To give back to the community I grew up in.
To be a part of helping my community thrive.
To be a part of my community’s decision-making processes.
Because you have the patience for working with children.
Because you have compassion for children.
Because you want to learn from children.
Because you’re enthusiastic about learning.
Because you are a generous person.
Because you’re interested in learning how to teach difficult students.
Because you’re interested in learning how to work with difficult parents.
Because you’re interested in learning diverse strategies for teaching,
Because you’re interested in learning to master classroom management.
Because you’re interested in learning what works and what doesn’t in teaching.

The ‘Why I want to be a teacher’ essay is all about showing you have thought in-depth about what a teacher does and what their role is in society. It’s also about showing you think you’d be a good person to conduct that role.

The 9 Tips are split into five categories. You can scan this whole post or browse through the categories here:

This essay is hard to get right.

Most students write the exact same thing as one another with the same old cliché statements like “because I love kids” (ugh, wrong answer!). If you do this, your teacher will just give you an average grade (or worse).

You need your essay on “why you want to be a teacher” to be different – indeed excellent – so it stands out for your teacher.

I’ll show you how.

Why should you listen to me? Well, I’ve been teaching university students in education departments for 8 years. In that time I’ve marked several thousand essays by people aiming to become teachers. I know what essays get top marks and which ones are average. I also know exactly what mistakes students make that make their essays seem … dull.

So, let me get you started out by introducing 19 points that you should make in your essay on why you want to be a teacher. I’ll break these 19 points down into 5 separate categories. Check them out below.

Read Also: Is Being a Teacher Worth It? (Why I Quit a Good Job)

1. Definitely do not say “because kids are fun”. Do this instead.

The word ‘fun’ is a big red flag for markers. Too many people want to become teachers because they think it would be a fun profession. Or, they might think that they want to help children have fun . No, no, no.

This is an incorrect answer in your essay about why you want to become a teacher.

Yes, teaching is fun a lot of the time. And it is really nice to see students having fun based on activities you’ve set for them.

But society isn’t paying you to have fun, or even to make children have fun. You’re not going to be a child minder, aunt, uncle or clown. You’re going to be a professional who has a bigger social purpose than having fun.

Now, a lot of students say to me “But, students learn more when they’re having fun.” Sure, that might be true – but it’s not a central reason for teaching.

If making learning more fun is genuinely a reason why you decided to become a teacher, then you need to frame it in a way that shows the importance of teaching for the good of students. Here’s three better ways to say ‘because kids are fun’; for each on, we can start with “I want to become a teacher because…”:

I want to help children learn more effectively. You could say something like: …When I was in school, learning was hard and I therefore hated teaching. There were a lot of teachers who seemed uninspired and uninterested in whether their children are learning. I was inspired to become a teacher so I could help children like myself to learn in ways that are engaging, motivating and inspiring.
I want to ensure children have positive mentors. You could say something like: …Many children in the world don’t have positive mentors at home. A teacher is often the one person in a child’s life who is a stable mentor that the child can lean upon. I chose to become a teacher because I believe all children need a positive mentor that instils in them an interest in the world and a belief that they can make something of themselves.
I want to improve children’s lives. You could say something like: …Being a teacher will give me the power to make children’s lives better. Learning opens doors to new opportunities, ways of thinking and paths in life that children wouldn’t have had before me. I am inspired by the idea of helping a child who is sad, uncertain and lacks confidence to see their own potential for creating a fulfilling life for themselves.

All three of those ideas still skirt around the idea that helping children have fun is something you want to see happen, but they also point out that there’s something deeper here than the idea that children should have fun: they should have fun for a reason. That reason could be so they learn more, develop an interest in the world, or see that their lives are full of potential.

Note that in my three examples above, I never used the word ‘fun’: it’s too much of a red flag for your markers.

2. Explain how teaching helps the world! Here’s how.

Have you ever heard someone say that ‘Teaching is a noble profession’? Well, it is. And this is something you really should be talking about in your essay on why you want to become a teacher.

Your teacher will be impressed by your understanding that teaching is a profession that keeps the world turning. Without teachers, where would we be? Probably back in the dark ages where people couldn’t read or write, technology wasn’t advancing very quickly at all, and people mostly lived in ignorance of their world.

So, being a teacher is has a bigger social purpose. As a teacher, you’ll be an important piece of society. You’ll be one of the army of tens – no, hundreds – of thousands of people helping future generations to propel our world towards better days. Below are some ways teaching helps the world. You can start these off with “I want to become a teacher because…”

I want to help future generations solve the problems of today. Being a teacher gives you the opportunity to propel students to greater heights. The children in your classrooms will be the people who solve climate change (oh, goodness, I hope so!), create the technologies to make our lives more comfortable, and get us out of the ecological, economic and political messes we seem to have gotten ourselves into!
I want to help the future generations become good citizens. There’s a concept called the ‘ hidden curriculum ’. This concept points to the fact that children learn more at school than what’s in the tests. They also learn how to get along, manners, democratic values and the importance of sharing. These soft skills are more than just a by-product of education. They’re incredibly important for showing our students how to get along in our society.
I want to inspire future generations to create a more equal world. A lot of what we talk about at school are moral issues: what’s the right and wrong thing to do? How do our actions ensure or hinder equality of races, genders and social classes? As a teacher, you will be instilling in children the idea that the decisions they make will lead to a more or less equal world. And of course, we all want a more equal world for our children.

These points are some higher-order points that will help you teacher see that you’re becoming a teacher for more than ‘fun’. You’re becoming a teacher because you see the noble purpose in teaching. If you do this right, you’ll surely impress your teacher.

3. Discuss your commitment to community. Here’s how.

Teachers are at the center of communities. Parents take their children to school, drop them off, then go to work. They busily get on with their jobs: architect, shop assistant, nurse, builder, and so on… Then, they all come back at the end of the day to collect their children from school.

School is one of the few things that brings all of these different members of a community together. Parents gather around the pick up location to gather their kids, and there they stand around and chat about sports and politics and community issues.

School is at the heart of community.

And you, as a teacher, will be one of the respected members of that community: there to serve all the members of the community by helping to raise their children with the values of the community in which you live.

You can talk about this as a central reason why you want to be a teacher. How about you start off with: “I want to become a teacher because…”

I want to give back to the community I grew up in. You could say …I grew up in a close-knit community where we all looked out for one another. Being a teacher will give me the opportunity to give back to my friends and mentors in the town who need someone to raise their children who they trust will do a great job.
I want to be a part of helping my community thrive. You could talk about how you are from a growing community that needs good quality, respectable people who will educate future members of your community. As a teacher, you will be at the heart of ensuring your local town remains a great place to live.
I want to be a part of my community’s decision-making processes. Teachers hold a certain authority: they know how students learn, and they usually have a very deep understanding of what is best for children in order to ensure they thrive. You can talk about how you want to become a person with deep knowledge about the children in your community so you can help guide you community’s decisions around how to raise their young people.

Note that in this group of ideas, ‘community’ represents the close-knit town in which you live, whereas in point 2, I talked about ‘society’, which was the bigger picture of the future of our nation or world rather than just your town.

4. Discuss the personality traits you think you can bring to the role. Here’s how.

You should show how you have reflected on the requirements of the role of teaching and thought about whether you have the personality traits that are required.

Why? Well, you need to be able to show that you know what being a teacher is all about… and that you think you’d be good at it.

So, let’s dive in to 5 personality traits that teachers have, and how you can show you have those traits:

Patience. Patience is an enormously popular skill for teachers to have. You’ll have kids who just don’t understand concepts one iota, and you’ve got to sit there and work with them until they get it. It’s tedious, let me tell you!
Compassion. Patience and compassion go hand-in-hand. If you don’t feel empathy for the kid who’s struggling super hard at learning, you’ll get pretty mad and just give up. You might also say some mean things to the kid! So, compassion is really necessary if you want to become a good teacher.
Open minded. Teachers always need to be learning new things. We often talk about the importance of learning with students more than directly teaching If you set a student a task, you’ll be sending them out to gather as much information on the topic as possible. They’ll often come back with new knowledge and you will want to praise them for teaching you something new.
Enthusiasm. Let me tell you, when it’s Wednesday afternoon in the middle of a hot school week and everyone’s depressed and flat there’s one person to rally the troops: you! Teachers need to wake up every morning, put their happy face on, and march into the classroom with boundless enthusiasm. It’ll motivate your students and make them feel welcome in the learning environment.
Generosity. You need to be generous with your time and praise. You need to be constantly thinking about the students in your care and doing anything you can to help them learn, instil in them a love of learning, and give them the confidence to try anything. Teachers need to be very generous people.

There’s a ton more traits that make a good teacher that you can talk about. These are just a few. Go forth and learn more, and add them to your essay!

5. Conclude with the things you still need to learn. Here’s how.

One more thing: good teachers are constantly learning. As someone studying to be a teacher, you need to remember that there’s a long way to go before you have all the answers. Heck, I’ve been a teacher for nearly a decade and I’m not even half way towards knowing everything about being a good teacher.

So, conclude your essay by highlighting that you understand what the role of a teacher is in society and the key competencies required of a teacher; but then go further and mention your enthusiasm to learn more about the profession over the coming years.

Here’s 5 things you can mention that you still need to learn:

How to teach difficult students. Some students hate school – mostly because of their terrible experiences in the past. You need to learn to get through to difficult students, and this takes time and patience to learn the art of inspiring the uninspired.
How to work with difficult parents. Oh boy, you’ll have a lot of these. You can highlight this as one of the key things you want to work on in the coming years: again, you’ll need to draw on that skill of patience (as well as the skill of diplomacy ) when it comes time to deal with an angry parent.
Diverse strategies for teaching. There are a lot of different ways to go about teaching. Over the years you’ll pick up on the various strategies and tricks different teachers have to help children learn.
Classroom management. This is one of the hardest things young teachers need to learn. And really, it just takes time. Discuss how this is something you want to focus on, and how you’ll use mentors to really work on this skill.
What works and what doesn’t. Great teachers have this intuitive knowledge about what works and what doesn’t, all based upon their deep experience and trial-and-error. The only way to learn to teach is to do it. Over the coming years, you’ll be learning about this. A lot.

You’ll only need one or two paragraphs on this final point, but it’s a great way to end your essay on why you want to become a teacher. It’ll show your humility and eagerness to take on one of the noblest professions in the world.

If you want to learn to write a top notch conclusion, you might also like my post on the 5 C’s Conclusion method .

Before you finish up your essay, you might want to check out my awesome posts on how to improve your essays, like these ones:

How to write a killer Introduction
My perfect paragraph formula , and
How to edit your essay like a pro .

I promised 19 thoughtful points to make in your essay about why you want to be a teacher. Here they are, all summed up in one final list:

Say you want to help children learn more effectively.
Say you want to ensure children have positive mentors.
Say you want to improve children’s lives.
Say you want to help future generations solve the problems of today.
Say you want to help the future generations become good citizens.
Say you want to inspire future generations to create a more equal world.
Say you want to give back to the community you grew up in.
Say you want to be a part of helping your community thrive.
Say you want to be a part of your community’s decision-making processes.
Say you want to share your patience with your students.
Say you want to share your compassion with your students.
Say you want to learn from your students (be ‘open minded’)
Say you want to share your enthusiasm for learning with your students.
Say you want to share your generosity with your students.
Say you’re interested in learning how to teach difficult students.
Say you’re interested in learning how to work with difficult parents.
Say you’re interested in learning diverse strategies for teaching,
Say you’re interested in learning to master classroom management.
Say you’re interested in learning what works and what doesn’t in teaching.

Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Number Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Word Games for Kids (Free and Easy)
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 25 Outdoor Games for Kids
Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 50 Incentives to Give to Students

What makes a good yoga teacher?

What are the raw ingredients you need to be a successful teacher by louisa craig.

What makes a ‘good’ yoga teacher? What does the student want or need to get from their practice? Most yoga practitioners practice what feels good and not what is necessarily good for them. This is human nature.

People with Vata constitutions (according to ayurveda) are typically drawn to strong Vinyasa practices, and Kaphas are drawn to Restorative Yoga; these choices, if the student doesn’t do any other type of yoga practice, may lead to Doshic imbalances. Yoga is self-awareness, and the more self-aware we become, the better choices we make. As teachers we should help to guide our students on this path, but it’s up to them whether they walk it or not (they usually tend to wander off and come back a few times first!).

There are so many beautiful yoga ‘shapes’ on social media, and ads for workshops on how to get into wild and crazy poses, but really asana should be about ‘function’ and not ‘form’. Teachers need to think about the biomechanics and the energetics of the asanas, and what they want to give to their students on that chosen day or time. What is the ‘Bhav (the theme or feeling) of the class? If you’ve got a group of stressed-out NHS workers, you don’t want to stimulate their sympathetic systems by giving them an energetic back-bending class with an emphasis on the inhale. And if you’ve got a group of lethargic, depressed students you don’t want to give them a calming Yin class followed by a Yoga Nidra (they need to be uplifted).

One of my own yoga teachers, Rod Stryker, once said to me about modern yoga classes that throw in so many complex sequences and asana types, “if you take all the colours of the rainbow and mix them together, what colour do you get? Brown”. You don’t want to be teaching a ‘brown’ yoga class. Your classes don’t need to be filled with as many asanas as you can fit in to that time.

Students should be given some time to check-in with themselves during class.

As a teacher trainer I don’t want to churn out generic yoga teachers who are clones of me either. I feel it is important that my graduates are able to share what yoga is to them in an authentic way without losing the ‘real’ essence of yoga along the way. We all came to yoga from a different perspective and it’s important we don’t lose ourselves along the way. Having a daily meditation and yoga practice as a teacher is incredibly important and applying yogic philosophy to our lives is also a must. Embodying what you teach and being ‘real’ is what makes a teacher stand out. I tell my trainees to become ‘curious observers’ (it makes life more fun!). It’s about stepping out of your own way and not taking anything personally; everyone has their own path to take and can only meet you where they’re at. Learning to sit in the eye of the storm and choosing not to ‘react’ can help you make ‘wise choices’.

During this recent pandemic my graduates have found reading the Bhagavad Gita a huge support. You can’t learn how to swim by reading a swimming manual, and my graduates have found that they now have a greater understanding of ‘performing their Dharma on the battlefield of life’ by applying this philosophy to their lives during this unsettling time.

Something that I reiterate before every YTT is that before you can hold anyone’s space, you need to be able to hold your own. Always make sure you feel grounded before you teach. I usually meditate and do some Nadi Shodana before class so I’m in the right space for my students. In summary, to be a ‘good’ yoga teacher, it’s important to be true to yourself, keep practicing and evolving, and always be a student. Good luck!

Louisa Craig, LKY Yoga Teacher Training School ( yogateachertrainer.co.uk )

Om Magazine

First published in November 2009, OM Yoga magazine has become the most popular yoga title in the UK. Available from all major supermarkets, independents and newsstands across the UK. Also available on all digital platforms.

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Teaching yoga requires a tremendous amount of passion and focus. It also requires you to be very committed to the craft of teaching. Perhaps the most important qualities, however, are emotional stability, stamina, and patience. The truth is, not everyone is ready to become a yoga teacher . Are you? Let’s find out!

You are practicing yoga regularly (at least 3 times a week)

If you’re not practicing regularly, you’re not ready to be a teacher yet. Consistency is everything in yoga. Less important than how often you are practicing is that there is some consistency. Is it 3 times a week? 5 times a week? Once a day in the morning? This is a good sign that you’re ready to go deeper.

Meditation is a central part of your life

Yoga was invented to help people get into deeper meditation . As you can imagine, meditation is a part of any Yoga teacher’s life. If you meditate, you’re already on the right path. As long as you can maintain this desire to continue deepening your meditation, you’ll constantly feel inspired by the path of yoga. If you don’t maintain this practice, again your career will very quickly start to feel like a job.

Can you master the simple poses?

Just because you want to be a Yoga teacher, that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to know and master all the poses. Sure, knowing some of them will be very helpful. But that doesn’t mean you have to master all the advanced poses to become a teacher. Great teachers constantly are focusing on mastering the basic, foundational poses. There is no such thing as perfect, in a great teacher’s mind.

You love to connect with people

As a yoga teacher, you will connect with many people on a very special level. Everyone is going to yoga to get something out of it that no other physical exercise class can offer. At yoga, people open up and let go. They have questions and they trust you. They might share things with you that they don`t share with anyone else. You will be your students` therapist, psychologist, doctor, priest, best friend, and life coach. If you don`t have a general openness and interest in people and their lives, you`ll find being a yoga teacher very tiring and draining. If you are a sympathetic person anyway and love connecting with people on a special level, this will be easy peasy for you.

You feel like you MUST share your passion with others

If you’re a person that doesn’t hold information or passions from others, then you may be good as a yoga teacher. Sharing and communicating is very important if you want to become a teacher, so this will be a step in the right direction. If you don’t have this passion, it will start to feel like any other job very quickly, and you’ll burn out.

You enjoy learning

A great yoga teacher is always learning and improving their craft. If learning is a pleasure to you, it can lead you to some pretty magnificent results in the long-term. The challenge is that you’re constantly learning about your own body, how it works and how each part of our body is integrated into the yoga poses. If you are turned on by learning about your own body, teaching yoga is right for you.

You are surrounded by open-minded people

The people around you will inevitably rub off on you. An open-mind is mandatory to continually stay inspired, and to continue exploring your true purpose as a teacher. By surrounding yourself with open-minded people, you are eliminating problems before they arise. Your path will be more supported, always. Nothing is worse than being surrounded by people who don’t understand and support your life’s work.

You are ready to make some changes in your life. Mainly, discipline

Yoga is a path of discipline. Naturally, being a Yoga teacher does require you to make some changes. If you are up for that, then you are ready to pursue this path. Great yoga teachers don’t teach from theory but from their actual life-experience. To know the path, you must become the path, as they say.

Yes, becoming a yoga teacher is a challenge, but no path is more rewarding. It’s a unique lifestyle and one that inspires consistent variety and growth if you are up for it. At the East West Yoga Institute , we train students from all over the world to become successful yoga teachers. We combine real Indian teachers with popular western teachers, so students can experience the real depth of the practice, along with the practical information involved in building a yoga career.

DISCOVER MORE

Yoga practice, 9 tips to stand out as a yoga teacher in the modern job market.

The Science Behind Chanting Mantras and How They Can Change Your Life

How Long Should You Practice Yoga Before Your Teacher Training?

Sitali Pranayama 101: Cooling Your Body and Calming Your Mind

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For Teachers: When (and How) to Talk About Yoga Philosophy

Teacher: “Ah, wonderful! A new student! What brought you to yoga today?”

Student: “I understand that yoga is about becoming more flexible…I need that.”

Teacher: “Yes, yes, yoga challenges the rigidity of our mindset!”

Student: “…Right.”

Teacher: “And when we recognize that our tendency to identify with our physical shape and form is merely a confusion, then our true identity can emerge as unchanging, eternal, and free.”

Student: “Well, my hamstrings certainly feel unchanging. Can we free that?”

Teacher: “Yes, of course! Because you are not your hamstrings. Your hamstrings are not you.”

Student: “Umm…can I just forward fold?”

We are standing on the precipice of yoga’s next great incarnation. Over the last century, the practice of yoga has expanded beyond its motherland. Now, in every class we teach, we are forging and defining the identity of yoga within our culture. Yoga is no longer an incense-scented hippie habit from the counterculture of the 1960s. Today, yoga is mainstream. You can buy a yoga mat at Walmart, Lululemon is considered office casual, and mala beads are sold as jewelry. Yoga is here to stay.

We are standing on the precipice of yoga’s next great incarnation.

As yoga moves from outlier to insider, teachers have the unique opportunity to redefine the definition of yoga within their own cultural context. This transition is full of opportunity and delightful confusion. Most poignantly, we often struggle with wanting to uphold the roots of the tradition while maintaining the favor (and attendance) of our students. How can we ethically negotiate this balance?

While each teacher’s answer will be personal, and each class situation unique, here are five guidelines that will help you find your best route through this thorny philosophical wilderness.

1. Clarify your intention. First and foremost, yoga philosophy isn’t about words—it’s about ideas. Our students are practitioners, not scholars.

When you want to bring philosophy into your class, pause to consider your underlying intention and purpose. For example, if you want to talk about Hanuman , the monkey god, what impact are you hoping to have on your students? What do you want them to learn? It could be that you just love Hanuman and want everyone to know about him. But if you aren’t clear about your intention, you run the risk of seeming pedantic. When you are clear about the underlying intention of the story (for example, “I want my students to remember that they can take a great leap of faith for love!”), then you can more effectively share the heart of the teaching.

If you’re going to bring some of the less mainstream practices into the classroom—such as (chanting) and kriya (cleansing techniques), or if you’d like to talk about the vayus (the directional movements of energy)—then give your students some context for the practice so that they understand your intent.

2. Define your terms. It can be gratifying for teachers to share philosophical terms in Sanskrit, but make sure you translate what you are saying so that students don’t feel they’re in the wrong clubhouse. Even terms that you may deem commonplace—such as “om,” "virabhadrasana,” or “namaste”—can be alienating for new students. If you use Sanskrit, take the time to explain what your words mean. A little extra effort in defining your terms will help everyone feel included and make yoga philosophy more accessible.

Even terms that you may deem commonplace—such as “om,” "virabhadrasana,” or “namaste”—can be alienating for new students.

3. Make it relevant. Resist separating philosophy from practice. Instead, try to relate directly to your students’ lives the spiritual terms and stories that you share with them. Help them bridge the gap between an abstract yoga idea and its practical implementation. For example, if you want to share the concept of tapas (heat and intensity for the sake of transformation), move beyond definition to application. Help them see how their willingness to undergo intensity not only assists them in warrior II , but can help them in that sticky board meeting as well.

Let’s face it: we’re what the yogis call “householders”—we live squarely in the fray of human relationship, drama, and conflict. And yoga practice can help us, and help our students, to negotiate these challenges with more grace. By taking the opportunity to connect the dots for your students, you can help them understand that they can take their yoga practice off their mats.

4. Know your audience. We want yoga to be accessible. As Krishna teaches in the Bhagavad Gita , yoga isn’t just for the mendicant in the Himalayan foothills—it’s for everyone: moms, dads, business owners, and barkeeps alike. If our goal is to bring the remarkable science of yoga to as many people as possible, then we don’t want to scare our students off.

Who are your students? Are they seasoned practitioners at a boutique studio, or first-timers at an all-levels class at a gym? If you’re teaching an advanced class, they may be ready to hear the crazy revelation you had about that Upanishad or be excited about a ten-minute chanting party. At a gym, they may want to stretch their hamstrings and call it a day.

If you offer practices that may be unexpected for some students (chanting or kirtan, for example), then give them the option to observe the practice rather than participate. Explain what the practice is designed to do and why your students may find it beneficial. Help your students to feel safe and to feel that they belong here too. Soon your gym students may be showing up at that little boutique studio.

5. Share what you love authentically. What inspires you most about the practice? How is practicing and teaching yoga different from other physical disciplines?

To be a great yoga teacher, you don’t need to use philosophical terms or tell stories from mythology . Being a great yoga teacher is about lighting the lamp of self-inquiry in our students and inspiring them to live fuller, richer lives. Some of us may choose to use philosophy explicitly for this purpose, while others may never utter a Sanskrit word.

If you do choose to share philosophy, share concepts that are authentic to your own personal experience. Just as it can be dicey to teach a pose you’ve never personally done, it’s also unwise to share philosophy that isn’t personally meaningful and clear to you. When you share from your heart, even the most esoteric yoga philosophy becomes relevant and relatable. Then it comes alive.

If you do choose to share philosophy, share concepts that are authentic to your own personal experience.

The Heart of the Practice

Scholars estimate that yoga has been practiced on this planet for at least three thousand years. And within that time, many diverse and divergent forms of yoga have been explored and developed. But though there may be a myriad of practices and philosophies, the goal of these practices is the same: self-realization .

Now that yoga is spreading beyond the bounds of its native land of India, it is natural that this transcendental technology will continue to evolve and ripen as it appears in different cultural contexts. Yoga outside of India will never be the same practice as it is within India; how could it? However, we teachers have a sacred (yes, sacred) duty to mindfully consider how we want to participate in this great synthesis, and to teach in a way that upholds the heart of the practice.

You are the face of twenty-first century yoga. You are the embodiment of the teachings. Carry them forward with humility, mindfulness, and gratitude. And share them gloriously.

About the Teacher

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500 Words on Why I Want to Be a Teacher

Categories: Career Goals Personal Goals Teacher

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Published: Mar 18, 2021

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Future Educators

Helping America's Future Teachers

I Want to Become a Teacher Because | My Dream Job Essay

My dream is to become a teacher . If you have this dream, you’re not alone. Here’s a collection of short essays by aspiring teachers. Current and future education students were asked to describe their motivation; what inspires them to succeed at their teacher training studies.

In these 31 student essays, future educators answer the question “I want to become a teacher because …” or “I want to become a teacher to …”. The short student essays are grouped thematically, forming the top reasons to become a teacher.

1. Giving Brings Its Own Rewards

Helping people is the unifying theme as to why students are inspired and motivated to become teachers. Education is a field where you can help young people directly in a personal way; potentially changing their lives for the better. Teaching is more than just a job.

For a significant percentage of education students, the opportunity to be of service provides plenty of motivation to pursue a teaching career. In each Why I Want to Become a Teacher essay here, a future educator explains why teaching is an opportunity to do something meaningful and beneficial.

by Hanna Halliar

If I can make an impact in just one child’s life, I will be able to consider myself successful. That is my motivation. As a future educator, what else would it be?

Every day that is spent in class, the late nights at the library, the endless hours of studying are all just steps getting me closer to the goal. When I am still up at 1 a.m. struggling to keep my eyes open, but only half way through my 6 page paper I remember how excited I am to work with my own students one day.

To me, being a teacher is so much more than the typical response most people have towards education majors. “Oh, you’re going to be a teacher. You know how much you will make?” Yes, I’m aware that I will be making an average of $50,000 a year in Indiana.

To me being a teacher means that I get the opportunity to not only teach my students math, English, and science but to teach life lessons that will stick with them as well. It means walking into school every day being the reason my students look forward to coming to school. It means being surrounded by crafts, books, and music and not being stuck in an office. It means educating our future generation. And if somebody has to do it, it should be somebody who is passionate about it.

So what motivates me to study? It is so simple, it is the kids.

by Savannah Stamates

I lay awake at night and practice my first morning message to my first round of students whom I will not meet for more than a year.

I wonder if I will have hungry children, happy children, or broken children. I wonder if I will be good enough or strong enough to reach those most in need. I wonder if my students will trust me enough to tell me that they are hungry, happy, or scared.

I worry that I will not be strong enough to share their burden or provide a place for peace and learning. I worry that I will misread their actions or their words or miss them reaching out.

So I study, even when I am tired from working two jobs or sick of not being where I want to be. When my time comes to walk into that classroom, my worries and doubts will be silenced by the knowledge I have mastered and the dream I have finally achieved.

by Charity Latchman

Dreams for the future are subjective. They can be based on what we desire. But visionary dreams are not only for us. Imagine asking some of the greatest revolutionaries and pioneers about their dreams. They generally had others in mind. In the famous “I have a Dream” speech, Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr said “we” more than thirty times. Dreams are not for our benefit alone, but to encourage, inspire and benefit others.

Recently I graduated from California Baptist University with a degree in English literature. During my studies, I was cared for my disabled mother. She was a religious studies professor who inculcated me with a diligent and steadfast approach to schoolwork. Managing the role of caregiver with university studies was challenging. But the goal to become a teacher kept me going. Approaching graduation, my mother was diagnosed with throat cancer. She didn’t worry about herself as much as you might expect but kept pushing me to finish the final paper in the program.

With her encouragement, my faith, and a burning desire to teach English literature, I graduated. My motivation comes from wanting to help, to encourage, and to inspire others. Teaching is an act of giving that has its own rewards. Life’s trials bring ups and downs. But we must always strive to attain our dreams, especially when others are central to them.

by Katheryn England

As a high school senior, many people assume I’m prepared for college and know what I want to study after graduation. These assumptions cause me to experience moments of self-doubt. Then I re-evaluate what I want for myself, and what it is that keeps me working towards my dreams. Through the goals I’ve set for myself, I can maintain focus, move past my self-doubt and succeed. By focusing on my goals, I can make a difference in the world directly around me.

A goal I have in my life is to be an elementary teacher, also known as an early childhood teacher. As a teacher, I can share the knowledge I’ve gained to leave behind a better future for our world .

Last year, I had the opportunity to work alongside a previous elementary teacher and mentor of mine. I’d visit her classroom daily, and taught lessons alongside her or independently. Uniquely, they were the opening act in my high school’s original winter play. They read first-hand from our scripts and learned what happens behind the scenes. Showing a new part of the world to the youth of my community has motivated me to pursue my dreams.

Remembering this experience and the positive influence I had on those students helps me overcome self-doubt and stay focused on my goals. Thanks to the goals I’ve set for my life, I not only can find purpose for my efforts, but find the will to be confident in whatever choices I make.

by Emma Lillard-Geiser

I have always known that I would become two things: a mother and a teacher. What I didn’t know is that I would become the mother before the teacher. Having a child that depends on me is what fuels my desire to succeed in life. When I get frustrated with my studies I take a deep breath, look at my daughter, and know that I have reason to persevere. I know that one hour of studying will give me hours with my daughter as soon as I am done.

My mother is a teacher and growing up I cherished learning from her. She had knowledge that I admired and I quickly realized that I had to spend my whole life learning. I love to learn, to have that light go off in my head when it all just clicks.

I cannot wait to see that light in the eyes of my daughter and my future students. For every thing that I learn, is another thing I can teach someone else. It isn’t easy to study when you have a small child to take care of but I know that my education will provide me with the ability to take care of her for the rest of our lives.

2. Help Disadvantaged Students

Students are disadvantaged for many reasons, whether it’s because of a handicap, where they live, economic disadvantage or a language barrier.

Future educators may want to become teachers so they can make a difference in the lives of students who face extra learning challenges. This special interest often comes from the future teacher’s own experience, either personally or involving people they’ve known.

by Ian T Thomason

While attending the University of Minnesota-Mankato, I have aspirations of becoming a Special Education Teacher. Becoming a Special Education Teacher and helping students who have a need for extra help and students who are having troubles with everyday life are things that I dream of doing. I was in their shoes once and know how difficult it is to deal with everyday life and how nice it was have a teacher to talk to.

Becoming a Special Education Teacher is my ultimate goal and, when difficult times arise, I have to remind myself of the children out there who have it potentially worse than I. When I remember this, I also think back to all of the support that I had from my parents, family members, and teachers. I also know that there are lots of children who don’t have this type of support and, if I can be there for them, that would make my career choice all the more worth it.

My Special Education degree is something more than just a degree for me. It is a degree that allows me to help children improve their education. I realize that children are our future and that their minds are terrible things to waste. So, instead of wasting their minds, why not put our best foot forward to educate them? My dream is to help kids realize their full potential, promote education and a brighter future for every child.

by Katherine

Motivation allows you to persist through difficult circumstances. Mine comes from a desire to grow into an instructor who is able to make a difference to many children’s lives.

In elementary school, I actually was a special education student. I’ve had to work hard most days of my life to achieve anything. I could not have succeeded without the support of some absolutely amazing teachers. Now I desire to take on that supporting role for as many students as I can reach.

When a class or an assignment I don’t want to do come up, I think of what motivates me. And the motivation is children. Many students feel powerless about their education, just like I did. I could be a teacher who turns their education around, providing vital support and motivation to succeed at their studies. Ultimately, everyone motivates themselves by one way or another. My motivation comes from the pure desire to help future students.

by Robbie Watson

My road to graduate school has been a long one. I studied religion and culture in undergrad, interested in the material, yet not sure how I would apply it later. Yet I found places, got involved in community and international development, engaged with different cultures, and now feel I use my degree every day.

For over two years I worked alongside Congolese refugees in Rwanda, developing educational opportunities for youths who could not finish secondary school in the underfunded camps. It is these refugees, young and old, the students, the teachers, their passion and vision for a better future that has driven me to seek out more education for myself. I remember how they would pay from their families’ meager funds to attend classes led by volunteer teachers. When finances were against them, or time, or family obligations, or the dire depression of the camp life itself, or even government officials were against them, still those students attended, still those teachers taught.

It is their example of perseverance towards a goal against all odds that inspires me now. I think of them often, think of the friends they were, are still. And I think of how that passion is in me now, to better understand education so that I might better educate, and thus equip such downtrodden communities to work for transformation themselves. I work not only for myself, and am motivated by the potential in those students and educators, which is also in me, and in others like them.

by Natalie Pelayo

I’m a young Latino woman working towards the goal of earning a bachelor degree in bilingual education. On occasions, I feel a slowing in my motivation. But, every time it happens, I think about the goal and that pushes me to move forward.

Looking back to a middle school class I attended, there was a boy who never really participated. He sat in his hoodie, looking down to his desk. Only after trying to talk with him, I discovered he spoke with broken English and a thick Spanish accent. It seemed as if no-one in our class actually knew that he struggled to understand what was being taught because it was presented in English.

By his manner, it was apparent that he had already accepted a dismal fate. Past teachers may have been unable to communicate with him. Eventually, he’d become demoralized. Thinking about the disadvantages he had to endure provides ongoing motivation to study hard.

I aim to become a bilingual elementary school teacher to support young Spanish-speaking children. As a teacher, I’ll be able to show them that they can succeed. Children need not grow up thinking they’re incapable of learning due to a language barrier. I’ll keep working towards my goal to help ensure teaching is inclusive of all children, no matter their first language.

by Abigail Young

I am an American citizen, but my whole life I have lived in Cameroon, Africa. I have been blessed with an enormous amount of opportunities and a great education at a private international school.

Every day I have seen children and teenagers around me who do not get the same education or have the same possibilities of a “bright” future. I see schools that are forced to have three children share a small table, paper, and pens. I have seen a badly lit room with poor roofs and walls made from bricks. Even in my school there are numerous Cameroonians, my friends, and classmates that do not have the same chances at a higher level education, although they work just as hard.

When I study, I study hard because I do not want to let this chance and opportunity go to waste. I study because I have been undeservedly blessed to be able to go the United States for a high education with better chances at getting scholarship money. I study my hardest because it is my dream that I may come back and make a difference in countries like Africa with poor education systems . It should be a right for children to be able to learn like I have. Therefore, because of this mindset, I am driven to study not just out of thankfulness for my circumstances, but also in hope that I may be able to give other children a better chance, and a greater reason to study.

3. Helping Many People Is Achievable in Teaching

A powerful source of motivation for some education students is the potential to touch and positively impact the lives of many people. Education is a field of consequence and that’s a good reason for wanting to join the teaching profession.

Over the course of a long career, a classroom teacher may help shape the learning experience of hundreds or even thousands of students. In policy roles, educators can affect millions of people.

by Rachel Bayly

Through high school I worked as a teacher at a daycare. When I left for college I said goodbye to a lot of people, including my students. All summer I had woken up at five in the morning to go to work and wait for them to arrive and put a smile on my face. Those kids motivated me to keep waking up and working hard, and leaving them was not easy.

The thing that made that goodbye worth it, the reason that I keep pushing through this tying chapter of my life is that I am determined to improve early childhood education in the United States .

I want to be a positive force in the lives of as many children as I possibly can, and I plan on doing that by improving standards and policies for early childhood education and making it more affordable.

Every week I write in my planner, “I will make a difference” and one way that I will change the lives of children and families. On days that I find myself asking, “why am I here?” “why am I going into debt, paying to be stressed out all the time?” I think of my students. I read my “I will make a difference” statements.

I remember that some children out there are stuck in low quality child care centers, they will never reach their full potential, and they need help. I keep working hard everyday so that I can help those children.

by Megan Burns

My ultimate goal is to change the lives of people. Studying to be a teacher is hard. All of the classes that are required, all of the practicums, and all of the time spent just to become a teacher is stressful, but the thought of being able to help just one person changes everything.

It takes one person to be a light in someone’s life. It take one person to be a helping hand. It takes one person to change an unmotivated, broken life, and make it brand new. Qualified teachers are those people. We motivate students to do their best, we guide students to success when no one else will, and we are always available to listen. One teacher can change the lives of thousands of students. That is my motivation.

I know that after college, I will be a teacher, a guider, a counselor, and a friend to so many students. No matter how many bad days I have or how many times I want to quit, I just think of what is to come in the future. I can be that change this world needs, even if its in a small high school classroom. It just takes one person.

by Victoria Shoemkaer

My dream is to make a difference in the life of children.

To make them excited about learning.
To make it fun the way it used to be when they were younger.
To show them that someone cares about them and wants to see them succeed.
To show that they are much more that a test score or a number.
To believe in them so much, that I do not let them get discouraged from chasing their dreams.
To showing them that everyone fails and it’s your recovery that determines what happens next.
To sacrifice myself to gives them more opportunities for success.
To encourage students to succeed in and out of the classroom for the betterment of themselves and the community.
To inspire them to change the world, because they can.
To help them transform into caring and compassionate adults who are ready to conquer the word, but remember where they came from.
To teach them to do good in the world because anyone can accomplish doing well.

Most importantly, my dream is to make children feel like their voice is important and valued and that they are loved more than they know.

4. Lives Can Be Improved by Dedicated Instructors

Teaching a subject such as Math or English is the everyday task of a teacher. But our prospective teachers see a greater purpose in their training and career path.

The daily motivation to teach doesn’t come from the superficial advantages of a teaching career, such as great job security or extra vacation time. Here are stories by future educators who want to go beyond the curriculum and improve people’s lives all round.

by Savannah Luree Weverka

Teachers are the ones who ignited my love for learning and there is not a day that goes by when I do not challenge myself to a personal goal of lifelong learning.

My mother is a teacher, so I was a student educated in an institution filled with support and a home that also supported education. I recall many teacher “get-togethers” and Husker parties where an informal invitation led to my presence.

Due to all of this support and interaction received throughout my elementary and high school career, Elementary Education continues to be at the top of my career choices. And now, as a senior looking forward to graduating from high school, teachers remain my role models .

In considering a focus in Elementary Education, I now realize that many teachers not only teach children eight hours of the day, but become doctors for scraped knees, dictionaries for challenging words, mediators between students, and parents away from home.

Now, as I am taking the steps to make my dream come true I hope to make school an escape to free their minds and expand their knowledge. I want to share my love of learning with my students.

by Aaron Banta

Since I was younger, I have had the dream of becoming a history teacher at the high school level. The reason I am striving for this career is thanks to a teacher I had. They held such a passion for history and taught it so well that it made me want to keep learning everything I could about it.

In college, I have had to work multiple jobs and attend school full-time. I would wake up early in the morning and not get home until late at night. The one thing that kept me on top of my studying and work was the dream I have; to be able to teach history and express my love for it by teaching the next generation. I strive to impact their lives for the better just like mine was.

Being able to pass my courses and get a degree and teaching credentials is the first main goal I am striving for. But being able to have a positive impact on students I have will be an even greater goal that I want to accomplish. I am hoping to guide them through their study of my favorite subject so I can teach them about the world and help them just like my teacher had helped me.

by Chelsea Rogers

At USC Upstate, I am studying to be a Secondary Education Mathematics teacher. The math courses are not easy and the education courses pushes you to challenge yourself. The thought of being a future teacher is what motivates me to keep pushing.

Although I do not know any of my students, they are precious to me and I believe it is my job to change their lives for the better. Teaching math is my job, but looking beyond my content and into the wellbeing of my students is my passion.

The question I always ask myself is how can I teach students who may not trust me? I have to establish a connection with each student so that they will see I care about them academically, physically, and emotionally. Once students see that you care about them in these areas, it becomes easier to teach them and they are willing to perform to the best of their ability because they know their teacher supports them 100 percent. Being a great teacher is what motivates me to continue striving for my degree.

by Micayla Watroba

One plus one is two. Phone is pronounced with an F sound. 60 divided by 15 is 4. An essay typically has five paragraphs. I know all these things because I went to school. I also had teachers that helped me understand it even when I didn’t get the same opportunities as everyone else.

See, when I was in first grade I was diagnosed with ALL Leukemia. This made school very hard. I was either out of school so often that I missed entire chapters or I was bullied so badly that I couldn’t focus because I was so scared. Having cancer also made it hard for my mom and dad to pay for food and rent much less after school activities and tutoring. I grew up knowing that there were some things that were just not in reach for us.

For as bad as I had it, I can’t imagine having to live on the streets, going hungry, or even being taught in a language I don’t know.

My dream is to be the teacher that makes sure that every student gets an education that helps them succeed. I want to make sure that my students not only enjoy being at school but feel safe while there. My students will know that it doesn’t matter where they came from or what background they came from. I am going to be there and I will not leave them behind. This is my dream.

5. Promote Lifelong Learning in Young People

What inspires some people to become teachers is the power to set young people on the right education path. Helping children to have good early experiences and embrace the learning process can profoundly enhance someone’s life. The potential for transformative early development applies to handicapped and disadvantaged kids as much as anyone.

by Lesley Martinez-Silva

I aspire to make a difference in others’ lives through education. I’m studying to be an elementary school teacher because I believe that children can achieve so much more if they learn early of their potential.

Education has always been my priority. My parents always stressed the importance of obtaining an education, having missed that opportunity themselves. My parents taught me as a child that schooling was vital to success in life. Truly, that lesson has been the most important in my path to college. I don’t think I would’ve made it this far had I not taken my education seriously.

I want to teach others about the importance of education so they too can prosper. Everything I’m learning at university is important for my future career and, if I don’t study it, I’m failing my future students. Every child deserves the best education available and I should strive to be the best educator possible to provide that for them. When balancing academics, work, and my social life, it can get challenging to keep going. But, with the future of children’s education in my hands, I always get back on track.

by Brianna Rivers

One of my goals is to become a teacher and work in an public elementary school within the greater Boston area (possibly my own elementary school). I want to be a teacher because I enjoy working with children and I know how important teachers are in children’s lives. I plan on receiving my Bachelor’s degree for Early Childhood Education and my Master’s degree in Special Education.

I want to major in Early Childhood Education because early education is significant for children and is a building block for their future in learning . I also want to major in Special Education because I believe all children should receive equal learning opportunities as well as equal treatment (meaning an inclusive environment, etc).

I think all of my experiences have a positive impact on myself because I am learning more about what it takes to be a teacher and what it takes to be a good teacher. My experiences also have a positive impact on the children and adults I work with. I offer a helping hand to the teachers and a friendly face to the children.

I plan to continue to work hard and take advantage of learning opportunities to achieve both of my goals. Being a teacher is my desire and I will stop at nothing to be a great teacher one day.

by Jennamarie Moody

When I close my eyes, I picture myself in a school located in an urban setting, teaching a classroom of diverse yet alike students. These students are in the second grade, meaning that they are impressionable yet vulnerable to their environment whether this means at home, at school, or in their greater community.

Some of these students don’t speak English as their first language, and some come from low-income households that can limit their educational experiences outside of the classroom. And yet, no matter what differences these students bring to the table, their uniqueness flows throughout the classroom in such a positive energy that embraces, respects, and promotes learning. This is the goal I am working towards; the goal to inspire our youth to become self-advocates for their learning .

Opportunities for equal educational experiences may not exist, however the beauty lies in the growth of love young students can develop as they are challenged in the classroom to question their surroundings. I plan to make a difference in the lives of the children I meet along the way, and to create a safe learning environment.

Although the tests for certification and studies can be difficult, my passion for education and dedication to shaping the lives of my students is what keeps me going. The end goal is to nurture the development of my students to become active and engaged participants in society, and that is what I intend to do completely.

by Julie Anderson

My long-time goal has been to become a teacher, and this year I’m in a class called Teachers for Tomorrow, where I get to shadow a kindergarten teacher. Working with her and the students has increased my interest in children with special needs.

From here on out, I want to support my students in academics and other parts of their lives so I can help them learn, grow, and succeed. I know that children need a strong start to their school career because the first few years of school are crucial; this is when students begin to love or hate learning itself. Whether or not children enjoy school, they deserve to appreciate learning. Students who love learning will always want to improve themselves.

I will make an effort to provide a loving environment where each child can prosper. However, for students with special needs, this task becomes even harder to accomplish because traditional classrooms are usually set up for non-disabled students. While I know I can’t “save” every student I teach, and some of them will still hate learning, at least I can start them off right.

When I’m swamped with schoolwork, I will imagine my future students and how I could influence their lives. Even though not all of my college classes will relate to my major, forming a habit of working hard in college will help me to succeed as a future teacher.

6. Teachers Are Excellent Role Models

The experience of being helped and transformed by a good teacher leaves a lasting impression. Teaching is considered a noble profession for good reasons.

Some education students are motivated to become a teacher to emulate their own role models. They want to provide the same kind of service they once received. An added reason for pursuing a teaching career is to be a role model to younger people outside the classroom, including one’s own children.

by Teresa Pillifant

My first day – well, more like first semester- of my freshman year in high school was the hardest semester of my whole school career. Usually the kind of student who loves school, I found myself getting stomach aches in the morning and dreading school with my whole being. I was new to the school, and the number of students was overwhelming.

It seemed like there was no relief, except for my first hour Spanish class. Having no friends, I would always arrive at my first hour class early. As this pattern continued, my Spanish teacher and I developed a relationship. My teacher started giving me books to read, asking my opinion on what we should do in class and just talked to me in general about life. Through my teacher’s support, I grew to find my place in the school and became more confident.

Her kind words and actions inspired me to become a teacher myself. Now, whenever school or life gets difficult, I think of my freshmen year Spanish teacher and how she inspired me. I want to do what she did for me for my future students. Whether it be a difficult test or a challenging class, my goal of making a difference in a student’s life keeps me going.

by Mo Cabiles

The world we live in is hard, unsteady and ruthless. We see this everyday in the harshness of homelessness, to social media screaming for justice. What motivates me to continue on is that I have felt the bitter cold bite of homelessness. I know what it’s like to not have enough to eat and to be scared of what will happen next.

I am fortunate to no longer be in those situations but that, by no means, is an indicator that it will all now come easy. As an adult learner and your “non-traditional” student, there are other obstacles I must overcome. From transportation to childcare or education application mastery to APA formatting, the many roadblocks I tackle both large and small are what I consider to be my victories.

I’ve seen what having a higher education can do for someone and I want that for myself and that of my daughters. I strive to be a good example for them , to show them that, regardless of social standing and unforeseeable circumstances, if they work hard and put their best effort forward, they can achieve their dreams.

My dream is to obtain my Masters in Education with an emphasis in counseling. I want to be an academic advisor or guidance counselor. I’ve seen so many youths attempt community college and fail because they fell through the cracks. These students need to realize their potential and I want to help them achieve that and to be their cheerleader.

by Gia Sophia Sarris

In every school I’ve ever attended, experienced teachers were there to support and inspire me. I have looked up to these people ever since I was in elementary school, and they have had an immense and positive impact on my life and my view of the world. My fondness for these people [educators] has led me to aspire to become a teacher.

I want to “pay it forward” and improve the lives of children and teenagers who grow up struggling as I did, or in any way for that matter. I want to make a difference in their lives and let them know that they are not alone with their problems.

This is what motivates me to study hard. Becoming a teacher, I believe, will help me fulfill my purpose in life, which I think is to create happiness and ease the burdens of others. I feel that children and teenagers need this especially, because they are struggling to understand the world and their place in it. I study hard for their sake.

by Jennifer Wolfert

From elementary school to my first year at college, I struggled to establish a dream for myself. Trying to figure out what career I wanted to pursue as successful adult always filled me with anxiety. I had spent multiple years in special education and left with a low academic self-esteem. So, after high school I attended Bucks County Community College in search for more time. Still I made no progress. Then I decided to change my outlook. I stopped asking “what do I want to do?” and started asking “who do I want to be?”. That’s when my dream took shape.

The educators that I met during my time at community college were my inspiration. They are brilliant, hardworking people with a passion for their specialty that I had never seen before. Their belief in hard work was infectious. School began to fill me with excited anticipation and my grades improved. I started to believe that if I worked hard enough then I could be like them and inspire others like they had inspired me.

At the end of my second year attending community college, I accomplished a task that had previously racked me with fear. I applied to Temple University as a Secondary English Education major. I have now completed my second semester at Temple and earned my first 4.0 GPA. In time, I am confident that I will be able to accomplish my dream. I will become the passionate and inspiring educator that my younger self never had.

by Jenyfer Pegg

My entire life has been filled with discouragement. I grew up in a household where I was constantly told “No”. I was told my ideas were stupid and would not work. In my junior year of high school, my teachers and counselors started talking about college and sending in applications to different places. At that point, I knew I was not going. I came from a poor family and I knew we could never have money for something like college.

But I went on college visits, I listened to people speak about their college, and I was set. I had a lot of things pushing me, except the one thing I really wanted, my family. No one in my family has gone to college, and when I told my mother, she was shocked. She told me she just wanted me out of the house.

When I came to school, I realized I wanted to teach high school. I want to make an actual difference in someone else’s life. My family has taken the same road for years, and I’m not going down that road. I won’t live paycheck to paycheck like my mom, I will be a person that others will look up to.

I’m going to do something worthwhile, and I will work harder than anyone else if it gets me there. I’ve seen what my life will be like without school and motivation and there is absolutely no way I’m going down that road. I’ve got bigger plans.

7. Unlock the Success Potential of Students

Educators want to help students in every way they can but, for some future teachers, the focus is on helping students soar. That child in front of you in the classroom might grow up to do great things for society, raise a strong family, or just be happy and fulfilled.

Whatever the potential of a pupil, a teacher’s job is to help unlock talents and remove any barriers to future success.

by Tamara Vega

The thing that motivates me the most is the thought of having my own classroom someday. I want to be the teacher that changes a child’s life, inspires them to set high goals for themselves and encourages them to reach it.

College can be so hard at times and I get really anxious and scared. I worry about not passing my classes and exams, I worry about not getting my degree. Despite that I do not give up because I have to do this and I want to do this.

I cannot see myself doing anything else besides teaching, I have never been this passionate about something. I want to graduate and get my degree. I’d love to look at it and say, “I worked hard for this and I earned it”.

The idea that the students in my classroom could grow up to cure cancer, or become president, pretty much anything they want, brings me so much excitement. I want to be the teacher that they remember, the one who helped them realize their dream and who gave them the knowledge needed to reach it.

Be the teacher that I needed as a child but unfortunately never had. That is what gets me through all the stress and anxiety, I know in my heart that all the studying I’m doing right now will be worth it in the end.

by Nicole Gongora

The dream of success motivates me to study – not my success, my future students’ success. I push myself through the rough spots for them.

I was a lost child in high school; I didn’t know how to apply to college, let alone afford it. No child should have to experience that. As a future educator, I am committed to helping my students succeed, achieve more, and continue onto higher education. Every child should be given the opportunity to showcase their strengths and follow their dreams.

College was never a dream for me; it was a far off, unattainable fantasy. I met some inspiring teachers in high school who encouraged me to change my life and who helped me to thrive. Without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

I plan to work at a low-income school similar to the one I attended. These types of schools are the ones who lack resources. I will serve as a resource to my students and I hope to be an inspiration to them. In turn, I hope they become kind, respectful adults. I want them to see the virtue in helping others and I hope they will serve others in their future careers. I want to be the teacher they remember. I want to be the teacher that helped them succeed.

I’ll feel successful as a teacher if my students are successful in attaining their goals. If one student decides to achieve more then I will have lived out my dream.

by Madison Sherrill

I’ve decided to become a teacher because I want to show the value of compassion and diversity.

As I begin college this upcoming fall, my main motivation is the students. While I haven’t even met them yet, they inspire me to persist in my classes and stay optimistic. My classroom will support innovative thinking and celebrate each student’s individuality.

As a classroom teacher, I want to encourage and positively influence the next generation. They should know that they can be successful and achieve what they aspire to become while making the world better. By teaching the value of inclusiveness and the power of kindness, my students may turn out to be visionary thinkers and leading members of society.

by Alicia Costin

I am returning to school after taking a few years off. After graduating from California Lutheran University with my BS in Mathematics, I wanted to land a job with benefits and begin my “adult life”.

While it took me a few months to find my current job, is it just that; a job. I have benefits, a full-time schedule, weekends and holidays off, but am I happy? Is this what I want to do as a career for the rest of my life? I have asked myself this question a few times and the answer is always the same; no.

My dream is to become a teacher and help motivate and encourage students to do their best in their studies and in life. It is my dream to do what I was meant to do; shape young minds and help future generations.

When things become difficult during my graduate program, I know to keep pushing, thriving, and studying hard so that, when I do become a teacher, I can use this as a positive story to shape their way of life. I landed a job outside of college, however now it is time for me to land my career.

Who taught the first teacher, what can i do with a master’s in education, why teaching is still a good career choice, how to become a homeschool teacher.

6 Top Reasons for Doing A Yoga Teacher Training

class with a teacher who found out how to become a yoga instructor

September is a time of transition. The first leaves are changing, and pumpkin season is just around the corner. S eptember also happens to be International Yoga month ! I was quite intimidated when I first started my yoga teacher training as I wasn’t sure if I was really ready for it. However, after a bit of research, I quickly realized how welcoming the whole Yoga community is and that it truly is for everyone who wants to expand their already existing knowledge. That’s why I would like to share the top six reasons why you should enroll today and start your Yoga Teacher training.

1. Turn your hobby into a career

Is there something more fulfilling to think of? Probably not. Over the last one and a half years, well, basically, since we’re dealing with a worldwide pandemic, I’ve seen many people rethink their lives, values, and priorities. I can feel a greater sense of awareness about our physical and mental well-being taking a more extensive presence in our lives, which in the end is a good thing, right? People are changing career paths : We’ve already adapted to life without gyms, and Yoga is an excellent example of a mind-body practice that can be performed everywhere – all you need is a mat. Modern technology makes it possible for you to start your zoom class from the comfort of your own home.

2. Build life-long friendships with like-minded people from all over the world

YogaRenew has its own Facebook group for enrolled students. They can ask questions, exchange knowledge and tips, or simply celebrate their success when, for example, someone hosted their very first class.

I was fascinated to see such a heartwarming and positive group of people encouraging each other and am convinced to have made friends that I’ll keep for life. Having a shared passion can build incredible bonds. The sense of belonging within this positive community has also helped me feel less isolated when I couldn’t see friends or family due to Covid-19 travel restrictions.

3. Push yourself out of your comfort zone

Let’s keep it real; Doing Yoga Teacher training will not always be easy. It requires determination, discipline, and endurance. It can be very challenging at times, especially if you’re trying to balance family life and your already existing career – I get it. But the sense of accomplishment you’ll feel once you finish it is priceless. Besides that, YogaRenew allows you to complete your studies at your own pace, as Kate Lombardo perfectly explained in How To Become A Yoga Instructor (The Ultimate Guide) .

4. Do something for your mind, body, and soul

Yoga is more than just stretching or exercise; Yoga is about mindfulness and helps restore the balance between soul and body. The so-called asanas aim to resolve inner contradictions and make you fully aware of the connection with the world, its living beings, and the whole universe. While teacher training will provide you with all the tools to extend your wisdom and deepen your practice, you will eventually also have even more fun doing Yoga. I found that the more knowledge and understanding I assembled, the more rewarding and exciting it has gotten for me.

5. Experience a boost of self-confidence

Knowledge is a power that can lead to more self-confidence . I’ve noticed that many people look up to Yoga teachers as they are calm, wise, and overall balanced. Now that’s what Yoga does to you, right? My own mentor was a pioneer in the Yoga scene in Switzerland, and I remember vividly how I knew at the early age of fifteen that I want to be just like her one day. She’s over ninety by now and still keeps me inspired to this day. She radiates happiness and confidence. I aim to be that glowing old lady for someone else one day, and absolving a Yoga teacher training is undoubtedly a step in the right direction towards that goal of having a satisfying future with purpose.

6. Welcome the journey of self-exploration

The term self-discovery comes from psychology and refers to a process in which a person wants to find out what makes them tick, what values they have, and what goals they are pursuing. Self-discovery, therefore, includes self-realization.

The Sanskrit word Svadhyaha means “self-study.” It is not without reason that self-discovery, along with the appropriate treatment of our fellow human beings, stands at the beginning of the path to self-realization. If you want to lead a happy life, you can’t avoid taking an inward look; s omething you’ll get the opportunity to do a lot while in training. Maybe you don’t even necessarily plan to teach but instead gain a deeper understanding of yourself, your mission in life, and your values?

A yoga teacher training is not only a valuable education; it is also a powerful and fulfilling investment in yourself.

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Male teacher high fives young student as she enters a classroom.

News & Stories

What Motivates Teachers to Enter the Profession?

In a piece for EdSurge, researchers share their work that suggests the reason someone chooses to become a teacher could determine how successful they will be in the role.

Andrew Kwok and Brendan Bartanen

August 12, 2024

This commentary was originally published by EdSurge. (Photo iStock)

What if why you choose to become a teacher determines how successful you will be in the role?

Society has always been fascinated to learn about the motivations of famous athletes, entertainers, and politicians and how they came to their profession. We think about their career trajectory and consider its relevance to ourselves or people we know. What if, similarly, we learned about the motivations of aspiring K-12 teachers, and used that to predict how effective they will be and how long they will stay in the classroom?

Persistent concerns reiterate teacher shortages throughout the nation . Recent evidence has also pointed to declining interest in becoming a teacher, aligned with the decreased professionalization, prestige and pay of the sector . Yet noble individuals press forward and choose to educate our children anyway. Why, in spite of the headwinds, do they become teachers?

As professors and researchers in university teaching and learning programs, we’re fascinated by this question. We figured that learning more about teacher motivation could help us better understand teacher pipelines and find ways to diversify and improve the quality of our nation’s teachers, so we designed a study to gather more information.

From 2012-2018, nearly 2,800 preservice teachers within one of the largest teacher preparation programs in Texas responded to an essay prompt, “Explain why you decided to become a teacher.” We used a natural language processing algorithm to review their responses.

Historically , people went into teaching for relatively straightforward reasons: They desired a stable career, enjoyed having summers off, or had family members who were teachers. However, across the essay responses, we found that those motivations were not the most prevalent, nor were they related to teacher outcomes — but others were.

Read the full story, including the study results, at EdSurge.

News Information

Media contact.

Audrey Breen

[email protected]

Research Center or Department

EdPolicyWorks

Featured Faculty

Brendan Bartanen

News Topics

Teaching & Learning

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Essay on Importance of Yoga|Write a passage of benefits of yoga|how important is yoga for ones life
Want To Become A Yoga Teacher: Here's What You Need To Know, Chu Boomer

COMMENTS

My Journey to Becoming a Yoga Teacher
How I discovered yoga, realized the importance of meditation, got trained as a yoga teacher and found my life's purpose before turning 21.
Why I Want to Be a Yoga Teacher Essay
Download. My aspiration to become a yoga teacher springs from a profound connection with the practice and a desire to share its transformative power with others. Yoga is more than physical exercise; it's a pathway to balance, self-discovery, and mental clarity. As a practitioner, I have experienced its profound impact on both body and mind, and ...
Why become a yoga teacher & benefits of being a yoga teacher
Five reasons why to become a yoga teacher. Yoga-teaching is seen as 'living the dream' to many people, because they will be focusing on doing the thing they love every day, and (hopefully) getting paid for it. Some are lucky enough to travel the world doing it, teaching in paradise locations. Whilst as a career choice it's not all palm ...
Why Become A Yoga Teacher
Why Become A Yoga Teacher. Yoga teacher training can help rescue life simply by presenting the way to live in good health. You realize physical exercise is good for you. Ideally, you are researching to integrate physical exercise into your day-to-day schedule. However, if your cardio workouts are not proportionate with a good dosage of weight ...
Why Should I Become a Yoga Teacher?
We also share several reasons you may want to take a yoga teacher training course—even if you don't ever plan to lead a yoga class. What a Yoga Teacher Does. A yoga teacher has a variety of responsibilities. Some are related to the physical practice of yoga while others are more spiritual or even educational.
The Yoga Teacher's Journey: 7 Personal Reflections and Stories
Yes, we are a yoga insurance company ultimately hoping that all yoga teachers protect their career but we are also here as a resource for connection, support, and career protection. Please enjoy the stories written by yoga teachers in their own voice. If you feel so inspired to connect with us or one of the teachers below, we have included ...
Why be a Yoga teacher? 6 reasons to invest in your practice today
Yoga helps us work through the hard stuff. "Yoga fosters stability and courage in times of chaos," Byun says. "Peace is easy when life is good, but staying calm when shit hits the fan is hard.". That's why we practice, and that's why we need yoga in these uncertain times. (By the way, that's what inspired former NFL player DJ ...
Becoming a Yoga Instructor for the Right Reasons
As you become a yoga instructor, you become someone's guru. The teacher can really make or break the student. It's important to make sure students have what they need to learn the practice. Treat them as future gurus. As a teacher, you need to view yourself as the student, learning the needs of your clients.
Winning Scholarship Essay— Yoga Teacher Training RYT200
Everyone, everything, has a story. This is mine. I wrote this essay in 2013, and because of it I received the Elizabeth Blue Yoga Teacher Training Scholarship. The full-ride scholarship gave me ...
Why do you want to be a Yoga Instructor?
Use yoga to connect with people through your shared experiences, fears, joys, hopes, loves. Because you do have something to say, and there are people who want and need to hear it, and there's a vitality that comes from this kind of connection to others that fuels great success - in your work and in every aspect of your life.
Student Essay: Me teaching yoga?
This required paying attention to Yoga Sutra 11.16 Heyam duhkham anagatam (getting caught up in an old, habitual reaction to some experience, then recognizing it, and avoiding going in that direction, heading for good space). I can now say, without reservation, that yoga teacher training did change my life in many very unexpected ways.
Why Become A Yoga Teacher? 7 Benefits Of The Career
One of the benefits of being with a yoga instructor during a retreat is learning new and creative ways to do things. Consider a yoga mantra: mantra is a sacred sound, word, syllable, or group of words in Sanskrit, believed to influence the mind and spirit. The most popular mantra is 'Om' or 'Aum' in Sanskrit.
Why I Want to Become a Yoga Teacher.
I want to teach Agama yoga because the first time I tried it (four years ago on Koh Samui with a wonderful teacher called Paola), a big, bright cartoon light bulb clicked on inside my head and chest. Agama was exactly the kind of yoga I love—focused yet playful, spiritual and yet not steeped in religious doctrine, physical but not competitive.
What Makes a Good Yoga Teacher
What makes a great yoga teacher. 1. They have experienced intense situations in life and understand stress. 2. They are able to explain how the lessons we learn on the mat translate into the real world. 3. They have confidence in things they know and the humility to say "I don't know" when appropriate. (And they appear unbothered when ...
19 Top Ideas for a "Why I want to be a Teacher" Essay
Here are the 19 best reasons you would want to be a teacher that you can include in your essay: To help children learn more effectively. To ensure children have positive mentors. To improve children's lives. To help future generations solve the problems of today. To help the future generations become good citizens.
What makes a good yoga teacher?
We all came to yoga from a different perspective and it's important we don't lose ourselves along the way. Having a daily meditation and yoga practice as a teacher is incredibly important and applying yogic philosophy to our lives is also a must. Embodying what you teach and being 'real' is what makes a teacher stand out.
Are You Ready To Be a Yoga Teacher?
Just because you want to be a Yoga teacher, that doesn't necessarily mean you have to know and master all the poses. Sure, knowing some of them will be very helpful. But that doesn't mean you have to master all the advanced poses to become a teacher. Great teachers constantly are focusing on mastering the basic, foundational poses.
Teaching yoga provided lessons for the classroom (essay)
It's their body, their mat and their yoga. There comes a point when, as teachers, we have to let go. Yoga teaches us to pour our hearts, minds and souls into our actions, and then to release our attachment to the outcomes. While we have tremendous influence over our students, we do not have control over them.
For Teachers: When (and How) to Talk About Yoga Philosophy
Teacher: "Yes, yes, yoga challenges the rigidity of our mindset!". Student: "…Right.". Teacher: "And when we recognize that our tendency to identify with our physical shape and form is merely a confusion, then our true identity can emerge as unchanging, eternal, and free.". Student: "Well, my hamstrings certainly feel unchanging.
12 Reasons Why You Should do Yoga Teachers Training
This Yoga teacher training course is recognised by Government of India and abroad and is Quality Council India (QCI) certified school. So if you want to change your life for the better; invest in the future you and join the Yoga teacher training course. Why wait any longer, dare to take a path of self-discovery and develop a well round personality.
500 Words on Why I Want to Be a Teacher
The ability to change children's lives is something that will most likely inspire me. The reasons why I want to be a teacher are very important to me because they would help me mentally and physically. The first reason would be to impact children's lives in the classroom in a good way. Next, having lots of time off during the school year is ...
I Want to Become a Teacher Because
In these 31 student essays, future educators answer the question "I want to become a teacher because …" or "I want to become a teacher to …". The short student essays are grouped thematically, forming the top reasons to become a teacher. Top 7 Inspiring Reasons to Become a Teacher. 1. Giving Brings Its Own Rewards. 2. Help ...
6 Top Reasons for Doing A Yoga Teacher Training
While teacher training will provide you with all the tools to extend your wisdom and deepen your practice, you will eventually also have even more fun doing Yoga. I found that the more knowledge and understanding I assembled, the more rewarding and exciting it has gotten for me. 5. Experience a boost of self-confidence.
What Motivates Teachers to Enter the Profession?
From 2012-2018, nearly 2,800 preservice teachers within one of the largest teacher preparation programs in Texas responded to an essay prompt, "Explain why you decided to become a teacher." We used a natural language processing algorithm to review their responses.
2024 Southport stabbing
The Hart Space, where the attack occurred, is a studio venue on Hart Street in Meols Cop, Southport, about a mile east of the town centre.It hosts yoga, dance, pregnancy, and baby and toddler classes. [1] [2] It is on the first floor of a building which it shares with an office on the ground floor.[3] [4]The workshop was organised by yoga teacher Leanne Lucas. [5]