At over 5000 years old, yoga is the oldest practice of self-development, and it is still strongly practiced today. In fact, yoga has become a multi-million dollar industry. In 2013, more than 15 million Americans practiced yoga. Every year, yogis collectively spend $27 billion on yoga products. But what keeps this ancient practice not just alive and well, but growing? It could be the health benefits.
The health benefits of yoga are well-known; practicing Rigorous Flow, Vinyasa, or Ashtanga yoga for 90 minutes, three times a week or more, is shown to produce weight loss. More than 78% of yogis say that their flexibility has increased due to yoga, and it was shown that, after eight weeks, the flexibility of yogis increased by approximately 38%. In addition to physical health benefits, yogis report stress relief from their practice. With the demand for local yoga classes rising, yoga studios are extremely popular. They’re places where people can learn yoga of all levels — and those classes require teachers.
Passionate, dedicated yogis may choose to teach local yoga classes through yoga teacher training classes. Yoga teacher certification includes education on anatomy, ethics, philosophy, techniques, and teaching methodology, and certification is generally done through the Yoga Alliance. The Yoga Alliance has two levels of certification based on the length of the program: 200 Hour and 500 Hour, with the 500 Hour certification showing a more advanced teacher.