As yoga has become more popular over the last couple of decades It seems that there is a myriad of yoga teacher training courses on the market. Yoga is an unregulated industry in Australia. There is nothing to stop someone declaring themselves a yoga teacher and hanging out their yoga teacher shingle. One important factor that distinguishes Iyengar yoga from other styles of yoga is its rigorous teaching standards and the professional certifying process that exists within the community both here in Australia and throughout the world.

Iyengar Yoga Australia

Iyengar Yoga Australia, formally known as the BKS Iyengar Yoga Association of Australia, is a community of yoga teachers and students who are committed to the learning, practising, propagating and protecting of the art, science and philosophy of yoga according to the teachings of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar, one of the world’s foremost yoga masters. It is an association of over 1000 members whose goals are to promote the teaching of the Iyengar method of yoga, establish and maintain guidelines for the certification of the teachers of Iyengar yoga, and to provide social, cultural and educational services for its members.

The Association, through its Certification Committee, administers and regulates the requirements and standards for the training and assessment of Iyengar yoga teachers. The assessment and certification procedures are guided and coordinated by the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute, the home of Iyengar yoga. The Association upholds rigorous ethical guidelines, based on the limbs of yama and niyama as laid out in the Yoga Sutras, and certified teachers are recognised internationally.

Iyengar Yoga Teacher Requirements

Unlike many other teacher training courses where previous yoga experience is not necessarily a pre-requisite, to take part in an Iyengar yoga teacher training course requires regular class attendance for a minimum of three (3) years, or to have attended a minimum of three hundred (300) hours of classes, and have established a regular personal practice. Establishing a regular personal practice takes time and dedication, but it really is the key to becoming a competent and effective teacher. The certification process maintains the precision and integrity of Iyengar yoga and offers teachers a clearly identifiable professional development path. This is a progressive process consisting of five levels, from Level 1 to Level 5, with each level reflecting a higher degree of teacher commitment and responsibilities.

Each of these levels has a specific syllabus of asanas and pranayamas. To progress a teacher must, at an assessment, meet the standard of practice and teaching appropriate for that level.

To attain Iyengar certification at the first level, Level 1, requires attendance of at least 300 hours of a recognised teacher training course or apprenticeship programme, and 100 hours of assisting and adjusting with their teacher trainer. Candidates present at assessment supported by a referral from their training teacher. This referral indicates that, in the eyes of their training teacher, the candidate has developed the required skill and commitment to practice and teaching. Candidates are required to satisfactorily complete an assessment process involving a written examination, the presentation of a two hour practice, and a thirty (30) minute teaching segment It is the role of the assessing committee to independently verify the judgement of their referring teacher. This system has helped to create a vibrant community of teachers throughout Australia and the world.

Certified vs Registered Teachers

It is important to note that in Iyengar yoga teachers are certified through the process described above, not just registered. In Australia there exists other yoga organisations such as Yoga Australia and Yoga Alliance, however they are not certifying bodies. They register teachers as having completed 200 or 500 hours of study. That training can vary widely and is not really assessed or monitored in any thorough or systematic way.

When attending an Iyengar yoga class students can be assured that they are in competent hands, and any aspiring teacher who is prepared to put the effort and dedication in knows that they have a clear pathway forward.

The Central Yoga School offers teacher training via its on-going Yoga Study Group sessions.