Becoming a yoga instructor isn't as easy as putting on a cute outfit, grabbing a mat and hanging a shingle outside your studio. There are many different types of yoga, and as such, yoga instructors must go through many hours of training in order to learn the art of instruction. This enables the instructor to understand the positions and teach them properly. It also helps avoid injuries for students and teachers, by ensuring instructors have the proper training. If you are thinking of becoming a yoga instructor, consider the following three things before you take the plunge.

Cost Investment  

With any career, whether you are in it for the love of what you do or not, money is a huge consideration for most people. The cost to get started as a yoga instructor is at least several thousand dollars. This is just for the initial training. Once you complete all of your training, you will have costs for equipment, a studio, marketing materials, insurance and overhead costs. The high cost of the training alone is enough to deter potential students. It is important to weigh the cost of going into business as a yoga instructor with the potential return on your investment. 

Time Investment

Again, along with the huge investment of money, a huge investment of time is required to become a yoga instructor. The initial training is upwards of 200 hours. This training can't be done online or via correspondence; it must be done in person with a qualified instructor at an approved teaching institution. Once you finish your initial training, you should continue with specialized training in your chosen style of yoga. Learning is a life-long process, as is the process of teaching yoga to others. You will also spend many hours prepping for classes and researching new techniques and information.

Over-Saturation

This is one of the biggest issues that many yoga instructors cite with their choice of careers. The market is becoming over-saturated with yoga studios and yoga instructors. If you live in a smaller town where no one has cornered the yoga market, you may be okay. If you are in a larger city, there are yoga studios everywhere. This can cause an issue when you are first starting out and trying to build your client base. You will need to put in many hours researching the market, developing marketing strategies and reaching out to current and potential clients. You can avoid some of this hassle by joining an already-established studio, but many of those are filled with instructors due to the over-saturation in the yoga instructor career field.

As with any career, you should weigh the pros and cons and do what will make you happiest.