Updated October 2026
Before you enroll in any yoga teacher training, ask these five questions: Can I take a class with the lead trainer? How much of the training is live, and who leads it? How many times will I practice teach, and who gives me feedback? What does tuition include, and what costs extra? What do your graduates do next, and can I talk to one? A program that answers all five clearly, without hurrying you, has earned a closer look.
You’re about to hire someone to teach you a profession, so it’s fair to interview them the way a professional would. I put these questions in The Professional Yoga Teacher’s Handbook, and they hold up whether the training you’re considering meets in a studio or on video call. Below they’re grouped by topic, each group with what a good answer sounds like, so you can tell a clear answer from a vague one.
One permission before the list: you don’t need a perfect match. It’s better to choose a training that meets most of your requirements than to wait for the ideal schedule, location, or price, because waiting for perfect can mean you never start. These questions help you find a good fit.
Questions about the lead trainer
- Can I take a class or a workshop with you before I enroll? If you’re far away, is there video of you teaching?
- Are you still teaching regular classes to everyday students?
- How long has this program, in this format, been running?
- How do you handle physical limitations in the training?
What a good answer sounds like
“Yes, come to class,” or “Here’s a recording, and let’s set up a call.” A workshop is even better than a class, because the lead trainer explains the how and the why as well as the what, and the how and the why are a lot of what a teacher training teaches. You don’t have to want to teach the way the lead trainer does, but you do need to understand how they communicate, since you’ll be learning from them for months.
On format, either answer can be fine. A brand-new format often has extra enthusiasm behind it, and a long-running one may have its kinks worked out; what you want is to know which one you’re joining and to feel it will work for you. On physical limitations, you want a program that’s glad to work with them. If a training expects you to press up to wheel and hold a handstand away from the wall, and that turns you off, it isn’t your training (and that’s useful to learn early!). I tell every prospective trainee that working around your own limits in practice tends to make you a more sympathetic and empathetic yoga teacher, and that sitting out to watch can teach you as much as doing.
Questions about live time and practice teaching
- What does a typical week in the training look like?
- How many hours are live, and who leads them?
- How many times will I practice teach, to whom, and who gives me feedback?
- What do trainees find most challenging?
What a good answer sounds like
A specific schedule: how many live hours a week, which of them are lecture and which are practice, and what you do on your own time. If the program is registered with Yoga Alliance, at least 15% of its hours have to be live, which works out to at least 30 hours of a 200-hour training (Yoga Alliance, Standards for RYS Credentials). If any part is online, ask how much individual attention trainees get.
On practice teaching, listen for numbers and names: how many times you’ll teach, to whom, and who watches. As I put it in the Handbook, “You will not grow as a teacher unless you get specific feedback.” For the last question, a candid answer is a good sign, something like “practice teaching makes most people nervous at first, and here’s how trainees get through it.” Compare it with what you expect to find hard yourself (speaking in front of a group, say, or a long day of practice) and picture how you’d handle that part.
Questions about what’s included and what it costs
- What’s the full tuition, and is there a payment plan?
- Are books, materials, and recordings included, or extra?
- How long do I keep access to the materials and recordings?
- Is there anything else I’ll need to buy or attend to finish?
What a good answer sounds like
One clear number, a written list of what it covers, and no surprises later. Then do your own math, the way I lay it out in the Handbook: the tuition, plus the time you’ll spend, plus any income you’ll miss while you train, set against how long it would take to earn that back teaching at somewhere between $20 and $60 an hour. The math just shows you what you’re investing so you can plan for it. For current price ranges and what drives them, see what yoga teacher training costs.
Questions about support after you graduate
- What is a typical next step for your graduates?
- Can I talk to a recent graduate? Can I watch one teach?
- What support continues after the last session?
What a good answer sounds like
A plain description of where graduates go: some audition at the host studio or another studio, some join a work-study program, some go on to another training the school offers. Listen for a straight answer, then ask yourself whether it fits the career you have in mind. The best sign is an easy yes to the graduate question, followed by a name or a class you can attend, because a recent graduate will tell you what the training was like week to week, and watching one teach shows you what the training produces.
Questions about policies
- What happens if I have to miss a session?
- What is your refund or deferral policy?
- Has anyone ever been asked to leave the training, and on what grounds?
- Are you a Registered Yoga School, and will you recertify under Yoga Alliance’s 2027 framework?
What a good answer sounds like
Clear terms, ideally already written on the website. Missed time usually has to be made up, and programs handle it differently; many charge for makeups, especially when you need the full hours to meet Yoga Alliance standards. Teacher training costs a lot for the trainee and is an important part of a studio’s revenue, so many programs offer credit toward a future training instead of a refund, which is reasonable as long as you know it before you pay. The question about leaving should lead to a reassuring conversation, a calm description of the standards and how they’re upheld.
A plain yes with a link to the school’s Yoga Alliance profile, or a plain explanation of why the school has chosen not to register. Either can be fine for you, depending on whether you plan to register yourself; a vague answer is the one to notice.
How do I choose once I have the answers?
Lay the answers side by side, and you’ll probably notice you’re drawn toward one program already. If two options really are even, try a trick from the Handbook: flip a coin, and pay attention to your reaction to the result more than the result itself. If format is the open question, online vs. in-person yoga teacher training walks through the trade-offs, and my guide to choosing an online yoga teacher training goes deeper on the online side. If you’re wondering whether a registered school matters for you, read what Yoga Alliance certification actually means.
How I answer these for my own training
I lead the Comfort Zone Yoga® 200-Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training, so here are my answers in brief. Each week there’s a 90-minute live call plus a separate one-hour live practice on video call, about two and a half hours together, and the lectures, reading, and practice teaching run on your own schedule. I review each trainee’s practice-teaching videos myself. Tuition is $3,500, or four payments of $875, with an early-bird rate of $2,997 paid in full during the first weeks of each application window. Curriculum access begins the day you enroll, and trainees get the Prep Station, my membership for yoga teachers, from enrollment through six months after graduation. The five required textbooks are my own books. Comfort Zone Yoga is a Registered Yoga School, and I’ll recertify under the new framework in 2027. It’s a curated training: I’ve made the curriculum decisions so trainees spend their time on exactly what they need to come out of the gate as confident yoga teachers.
The spring cohort meets live February–April 2027, and applications are open through January 31, 2027, so you can see the dates for the next cohort whenever you’re ready. If you’d like to ask me any of these questions directly, book a free 30-minute call. And if you’re at the very start, how to become a yoga instructor lays out the whole path.
Frequently asked questions
What should I ask before signing up for yoga teacher training?
Start with five: whether you can take a class with the lead trainer, how much of the training is live, how practice teaching and feedback work, what tuition includes, and what graduates do next.
How can I tell whether a yoga teacher training is legitimate?
Take a class with the lead trainer or watch them teach, look up the school’s Yoga Alliance profile if it’s registered, and talk to a recent graduate. A school that welcomes all three checks is a good sign.
Should I talk to graduates before choosing a yoga teacher training?
Yes. A recent graduate can tell you what a week was really like, and watching one teach shows you what the training produces.
Is it OK to choose a training that isn’t perfect?
Yes. A training that meets most of your requirements is better than waiting for an ideal one that may never come along.
