Yoga is becoming more and more popular in Knoxville

To fill this gap to get more certified yoga teachers, there are now several yoga teacher training programs in the Knoxville area. What to look for in a Knoxville Yoga Teacher Training program 1. The most important thing to look at when researching yoga teacher training programs in Knoxville is, who is the director of the teacher training? Have you studied with this person and do you like their style? Does their philosophy of yoga resonate with you? Are they easily accessible? Do they live by the words they speak, or at least try to? 2. Next, look at training dates for your Knoxville yoga teacher training. Do the dates fit your schedule? Some yoga certification programs offer the whole training at once, some offer it on weekends only, and others offer weekend trainings in combination with some yoga teacher training requirements through the week. 3. Can you afford the yoga teacher training, or are there payment plans or scholarships available to make your yoga training more manageable? 4. Is the yoga teacher training offered at a Registered Yoga School (RYS) through the Yoga Alliance? The Yoga Alliance is the most respected yoga organization in the country. If you're serious about learning and teaching yoga, then do yourself a favor and go for a 200-hour Yoga Alliance-recognized program at a Registered Yoga School. Why Do Your Yoga Teacher Training in Knoxville, TN? Unless you want to be part of a lineage of yoga like Ananda, Kundalini, Kripalu, Sivananda, Kriya, and so on - where you will need to go to a yoga center or ashram outside of the Knoxville area to study - it is a good idea to study hatha yoga in the area you intend to teach yoga. Iin this case, we're talking about studying and teaching yoga in Knoxville, TN. Why? Because the local Knoxville yoga school will have insight into how to reach people in the area, how to market to them, and how to attract people to your classes once you graduate from your yoga training program. If the yoga teacher training has a service project as part of the requirements, some of the people you meet in your community classes may very well become your first clients. Not to mention, a director from the Knoxville area will have a list of connections for places you can contact and possibly teach once you graduate from the YTT. You'll also get support from the people you go through training with once the program is finished, because most of them will live in the area. You'll become lifelong friends with many of your fellow yoga teacher trainees. In the case of Knoxville, where yoga is behind the growth curve of the East and West Coasts, the majority of students in yoga classes are beginners. That means the focus of your 200-hour basic yoga training should be at least in part on how to teach safe classes to beginners. Once you have completed a 200-hour training and built a base of students who have started yoga with you, it will be easier to target niche audiences as your interests and the interests of your students grow. David Morgan is director of the Knoxville yoga teacher training at New Moon Yoga LLC in West Knoxville.