Becoming an Iyengar Yoga teacher

 

Teaching yoga can reinvigorate your own learning and deepen your understanding. The approach to becoming an Iyengar yoga teacher is more like an apprenticeship than a training course, and is seen as an evolving development of your usual yoga practice and study, rather than something separate. It will entail close study of basic and intermediate yoga asana, pranayama and related subjects, as well as examining what is involved in passing on the understanding of yoga to others. Trainees will be able to advance their personal practice and gain experience of teaching in a supportive context, alongside mentors who are themselves experienced teachers.


Ros has been an Iyengar yoga teacher trainer and assessor for over twenty years. She offers mentorhsip for yoga teaching according to the approach of B.K.S. Iyengar, within the framework set out by Iyengar Yoga (UK), our national association. Complementing your regular classes, Ros offers small, in-depth workshops of interest to trainees and teachers. These normally take place in Crouch End, North London (N8). If you're interested, speak to your regular teacher about whether the time is right for you to think about studying to teach, and get in touch with Ros.


Ros trikonasana in blue

Practicalities


The IY (UK) teacher mentorship programme (under the direction of the Iyengar family via the parent Institute in Pune, India) requires a minimum of 500 hours class/contact time over a minimum of three years. After this, trainees who have passed their assessments qualify as yoga teachers with the Introductory teaching certificate, and are eligible for the Iyengar Yoga Certification Mark, which licenses qualified teachers to use the Iyengar name. Much of the mentorship period has a practical focus, with a few essay assignments complementing class work, and acting as a form of continuing assessment. Shadowing (observing, assisting, etc.) an experienced teacher is another key part of preparing to become a teacher yourself. At initial registration, a fee (currently £45) is payable to IY(UK). The final assessment (for which a fee is charged, to contribute towards the cost of the event) has both theoretical and practical components, relating to the candidate’s practice and teaching.


New trainees will be integrated into the existing group, which will typically include trainees embarking on their second, third or later year. In-depth peer group workshops for trainees and teachers are currently held on occasional Sunday mornings (10.30am - 1pm).


Please note that this information is subject to review and change. IY(UK) has only recently made the shift away from formal training courses to a system based on mentoring. We try to update frequently, but we cannot guarantee that this website holds the latest information. Neither Ros Bell nor IY(UK) will be liable for any loss or other adverse outcomes consequent on actions or decisions based on information provided on this website.


introductorypostures.pdf
Downloadable list of the Introductory postures

Eligibility requirements for starting mentorship


Information about this can be found on the IY(UK) website here, and Ros can provide more details too. You are not expected to have a teacher's standard of proficiency now, but you should have a sound practical understanding of the basic postures (the asanas on the introductory syllabus) and some intermediate asana too. An entrance requirement is that you have been studying regularly with an Iyengar yoga teacher (a qualified teacher member of IY(UK)) for at least three years recently without a break (apart from normal holidays). Your current regular teacher will be asked to write a recommendation that mentorship would be appropriate for you and that you have attended Iyengar yoga classes for three years or more. You must continue regular attendance at your regular (ideally, intermediate) yoga class while being mentored, and maintain your membership of IY(UK).


Mentorship will act partly as an exploration, during which you discover whether you are ready to engage with the challenges and responsibilities of teaching yoga. If you'd like to work with me as your mentor, please speak with me or your regular teacher (if that's not me). If I have not seen you recently at a yoga class, please get in touch to arrange to attend a meeting, so that your readiness to join the mentorship programme can be assessed.

 

Please note, you must be a member of the national association, Iyengar Yoga (UK), to register as a teacher trainee. You can join as an individual member (apply via the IY(UK) website), or you can join via a local Iyengar Yoga Member Group (recommended).  If you join NELIY (North East London Iyengar Yoga), for example, this is really good value. It gives you both IY(UK) and NELIY membership (you get interesting mailings, newsletters or magazines from each) with discounts to NELIY workshops.

 

Please contact Ros if you have any questions about mentorship or teaching Iyengar yoga