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Becoming a ‘yogapreneur’

Life as a yoga trainer enables you to experience growth for yourself, besides the noble feeling of coming to the…

Becoming a ‘yogapreneur’

Representational image (Photo: Getty Images)

Life as a yoga trainer enables you to experience growth for yourself, besides the noble feeling of coming to the service of others. It is all about equality, equity, and empowerment. This field is an ancient art and a natural way of remaining fit and healthy. An integral part is practicing physical and breathing exercises. Fitness is the call of today’s world, raising the need for a yoga instructor or teacher on the global platform.

Before becoming a professional, it is important to learn the practice from a reliable and trusted school. The government has taken steps to certify such teachers just a day after the 1st International Day for Yoga celebrated across the world on 21 June, 2015 and launched the “Scheme for Voluntary Certification of Yoga Professionals”.

To enable more people to tap this vibrant opportunity, and bring about standardisation in the quality of practices, the ministry of Ayush has launched a scheme for voluntary certification. The Quality Council of India that provides accreditation standards for various sectors has developed this scheme to provide yoga lessons.

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It has also come up with many institutes and universities like Patanjali University, Haridwar; Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar; Gurukul Kangri Vishwavidyalaya, Haridwar; Dr Hari Singh Gour University, Sagar; Bihar School of Yoga, Munger; Muraraji Desai International Institute, Delhi. After completing the course, an aspiring yoga enthusiast should ideally spend some years practicing and attaining higher levels of knowledge before venturing into teaching.

Some of the institutes offering a degree in this subject are SDM College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, Ujire, Karanataka; JSS Institute of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, Mysore Road, Ootacamund; Shivaraj Naturapathy and Yoga Medical College, Salem; Government Naturopathy and Yoga Medical College and Hospital, Anna Nagar, Chennai; SRK Medical College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, Kulasekharam, Kanyakumari district, Tamil Nadu; Mahavir College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, Durg, Chattisgarh; Alvas College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, Moodbidri, Karnataka; KLES College of Naturopathy and Yogic Sciences, Shahapur, Belgaum, Karnataka; Morarji Desai Institute of Naturopathy and Yoga; and Government Nature Cure and Yoga College, PKTR Hospital, Mysore.

There are also yoga ashrams that offer a number of professional trainings for short and long term courses. The corporate sector has woken up to the deadly effect of stress on the health of its employees and has adopted yoga into its culture in a big way. Instructors are therefore highly sought after in these domains. Personal oneon-one classes are also becoming a popular option.

One can get employed in schools, health centres, fitness training centers, gyms, health clubs, yoga studios, spa and resorts, health centres and yoga schools. There are also chances of employment in TV channels where regular yoga shows are broadcasted. On a professional level, trainers can specialise in postures.

There are yoga asanas which can bring relief to specific body ailments or pains. One can work as yoga therapist in health centres, resorts, etc. There is even scope to start centre of your own and impart therapy to patients at their homes which is a more lucrative option.

Yoga teachers can earn anything from Rs10, 000 to 30,000 per month by taking group classes. Personal (one-on-one) classes for individuals/ celebrities pay much better, especially if you’ve created a reputation for yourself among clients.

Working at spas is also a good option as one can start at Rs 15,000 approximately and with experience earn as much as Rs 80,000 per month. Yoga instructors who cater to two or three organisations in the corporate sector also earn around Rs 70, 000 per month. Becoming a yoga instructor is not an overnight thing, as it requires a lot of patience, practice, perseverance and dedication.

The writer is a yoga expert, Medanta Hospital

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