200 Hour YTT Journey

You’re probably wondering what “ytt” stands for. At least I did when I first started publishing pieces about the yoga practice. This acronym, I noticed, was also placed after numbers often. I started to ask the yoga teachers around me, “What does E-RYT 500 mean?” and, “What is 200 hour versus 300 hour versus 500 hour?” Here’s what I learned…

YTT stands for Yoga Teacher Training

A 200 Hour YTT is the first certification along your journey. A 200 hour ytt sets you up with the foundation of a strong understanding of the ancient practice. In a 200 hour yoga teacher training, you will most likely learn about the physical practice (yoga asana), ancient yogic texts (the yoga sutras), Ayurveda (a relative science to yoga), and other branches and elements within the yogic sphere. This varies from training to training, but most yoga teacher trainings will at least touch on these subjects.

A 300 Hour YTT is a continuation of your 200 hour studies. A 300 hour yoga teacher training builds upon the 200 hours to fully certify you at the maximum amount of hours, 500. A more in-depth look at the practice is what the 300 hour is for, and you’ll usually go a layer deeper into anatomical phrasing, further into Ayurveda and how it intertwines with yoga, and learn more about how this practice made it ways over to the west. It’s not always a continuation of a 200 hour yoga teacher training, but a 200 hour ytt is recommended before enrolling – however you complete the hours is up to you.

A 500 Hour YTT is the final amount of hours necessary to register through Yoga Alliance as a RYT 500. If you continue to enroll in more trainings (i.e. specialized trainings in the different “genres” of yoga such as: restorative, yin, hatha, yoga nidra) your hours will count towards being an E-RYT 500. However, you can only obtain the status of E-RYT if you continue to have 2,000 hours of experience teaching yoga.

What does a 200 hour ytt typically look like?

Well, for starters, you must complete 200 hours of yoga. This is typically broken up through modules on the weekend days (given most modern day people have jobs they tend to throughout the week). Usually, the different topics throughout the training are segmented into different weekends. For example, the first weekend may take a look at yoga asana, the physical practice. In this module, you’ll probably be responsible for looking at the poses and determining where the alignment and structure of the pose come from. Depending on which lineage you choose to study (Iyengar, Jivamukti, Bikram, Ashtanga, etc.), you’ll learn the foundations of the poses, their Sanskrit names and meanings, and what to focus on physically when teaching classes (or even taking classes – completing a 200 hour ytt can be solely to advance your personal yoga practice and not to even teach at all).

They’re all so expensive… why?

A lot goes into a fully baked yoga teacher training, and to put it simply: You need to pay the teachers in the training for their time and wisdom. The price of a yoga teacher training is usually dictated by the quality of the training and the overhead it costs to stack up a fire staff to teach you about each respective area they are an expert in.

Over the pandemic, yoga teacher trainings became popular online (hello, us!) and some of that accessibility has remained. Though not ideal if you’re really looking forward to hands on adjustments and physical assistance throughout your learnings, an online yoga teacher training still gives you all of the benefits of an in person training at a fraction of the cost (because the teachings are recorded).

Other costs that are factored into the training (online or in-person):

• Physical handouts & items to track your work — Sometimes the school will gift you with a binder full of information. The binder will house important info and act as a calendar to move through the modules, annotating anything you find important.
• Special workshops — You’ll have access to fellow teachers who the leader of the ytt thought were imperative to your learning and potential networking
• General maintenance of the studio & access to props — The yoga studio becomes your home, and that home usually comes with yoga mats, bolsters, blocks and other items necessary to learning about the yoga asana practice
• General maintenance of digital course materials — A lot of online yoga teacher training platforms will continue to improve their training material. They will assess what works well & what doesn’t and find ways to cater to the yogi student in the best ways possible.

To 200 hour ytt or not ~ that is the question

To put it simply: You’ll never regret taking a 200 hour yoga teacher training. We’ve had thousands of students all over the world, and some of them don’t even start the program until they’ve had it for a bit, but one commonality we find is that no one ever completes the studies and says, “Wow, I wish I never learned all of this quality information about yoga.”

Chances are, if you’re a dedicated practitioner, or even slightly interested in furthering your yoga practice, there will be at least something you will take away from enrolling in a training. The amount of information that is covered spans out far across the landscape of yoga, and you may even find that a lot of the material can assist other aspects of life. Whether it’s a deeper appreciation for meditation or a better understand of how your bones work and function in your body, a yoga teacher training will give you that insight. From there, you can choose what you do with that information.

What does a 200 hour graduation look & feel like?

Every 200 hour yoga teacher training will look and feel different — but the journey is the same. The path towards understanding yoga, its roots and the many avenues it spans across is truly a gift ~ and each studio/online yoga program will treat that in their own special way.

I’ve seen huge celebrations with tons of flowers and incense and comfortable meditation pillows. I’ve seen online certifications with warm language centered around the program they’ve completed and a repost to LinkedIn on how they plan to share their studies and learnings. All in all, the way you celebrate this huge accomplishment deeply personal, but also part of a strong community. It is imperative to find a way to honor both as you set out into the world with your new insights and profound knowledge.

I’ve completed my 200 hour ytt journey, now what?

The choice is yours! Either continue on to a 300 hour training to obtain your RYT 500 or take some time to ruminate in your learnings. You can look into specialized trainings in the areas that ignited something in you and sparked a specific interest, or you could let everything from your 200 hour marinate and let that be enough for your yogic journey.

If you are trying to become a teacher — look for places to teach! Having a 200 hour certification is a great way to get started leading classes. You’ve learned an immense amount about the practice, and there are so many veins within the “yoga umbrella” that are sure to find something that resonates. Overall, let yourself be proud of your accomplishment ~ you’ve accumulated 200 great hours of one of the world’s most ancient studies! That is something to be happy with.