Retraining as a yoga teacher: testimonials, training, and first steps
Dreaming of becoming a yoga teacher — but don't know where to start?
Career changes into yoga teaching are attracting more and more people. And for good reason: after years in an office, a maternity leave that shifts your priorities, or simply a practice that has turned into a passion, the idea of sharing yoga with others eventually takes hold.
But between the dream and the reality, there are practical questions. Which training should you choose? How much does it cost? Is it really financially viable? Can anyone teach, or do you need a specific background?
Rather than giving you a theoretical answer, we asked these questions directly to those who have done it. In the podcast "Le yoga quoi qu'il en coûte", Mikaël met with yoga teachers from very diverse backgrounds — and their testimonies are the best resource we can offer you.
Very diverse paths to career change
What stands out from all these stories is that there is no single path to becoming a yoga teacher. Some jumped in right after a long training course, others waited for years, and some discovered yoga later in life and turned everything around in just a few months.
Here are some of the profiles we met in the podcast:
- Charlotte, former fashion salesperson, who changed careers in Saint-Tropez — episode #32
- Fauve, who started yoga through videos and is now a teacher in the Drôme region — episode #33
- Margaux, who opened her own studio in the South of France — episode #34
- Natacha, ex-actress turned yoga teacher — episode #28
- Anaïs, who went from Club Med, surfing, and yogalates before teaching gentle movement — episode #30
- Céline, who completed her training and then created her own wellness space — episodes #14, #19, #20, #31
- Bertrand, kung-fu and tai-chi instructor who switched to yoga — episodes #16 and #17
- Pablo, specialized in prenatal yoga — episode #7
- Emma, who teaches outdoors at Parc Montsouris — episode #8
- Kevin, dancer and boxer turned yoga teacher — episode #22
- Chloé, from project manager to yoga teacher in Bordeaux — episode #40
- Coline, from Nepal to Fontainebleau and yoga marketing — episode #37
- Julia, from life on a boat to a yoga studio in Lyon — episode #38
Common themes in these stories
Without spoiling every episode, here are the big questions that almost everyone asks — and that these teachers had to navigate:
- Do you need to have practiced for a long time before training? Not necessarily. Some began their training after only 2-3 years of practice.
- Which certification to choose? Yoga Alliance 200h is the international benchmark, but it's not the only option. Training courses vary enormously in duration, cost, and content.
- Can you make a living from it? Yes — but often by combining several sources: studio classes, private sessions, retreats, online. Margaux (episode #34) and Coline (episode #37) talk specifically about the business side of the activity.
- Career change is scary. How did they experience it? Everyone speaks of a leap into the unknown — but none of them regret it.
Listen to the podcast
All these stories are available for free in the podcast "Le yoga quoi qu'il en coûte". Long, unfiltered conversations with people who have truly experienced this career change.
And if you're looking to practice before you train?
Before becoming teachers, most of them practiced a lot first. If that's where you are, we also have resources on daily yoga practice, different styles, and how to improve — on the YOFE blog.
