First, you should practice yoga regularly. Key to teaching yoga is having your own, personal practice, so that you can internalize the benefits of yoga. It’s also good to challenge yourself in your own yoga practice. For instance, some people are naturally flexible, and will find the stretching aspect of yoga relatively easy. If this is case, look for aspects of yoga that you find more challenging – for instance, yoga poses that require physical strength, or the meditative practices that require internal calm and quiet. It’s important that you practice the yoga that challenges you, so that you feel empathy and compassion to support your students in working through their own challenges. An important part of yoga is learning self-control and self-regulation, and that comes through deliberate focus and practice, even (and perhaps especially) when it is difficult.
Many long-term yoga practitioners come to love yoga deeply, and to feel strongly about its potential for profound life change. When this happens, yoga practitioners often want to become yoga teachers, so that they can share their love of yoga with others.
If you are interested in becoming a yoga teacher, start with a registered yoga teacher training program. Look for a program registered with Yoga Alliance (www.yogaalliance.org) and/or affiliated with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (www.iayt.org). These organizations offer core standards that ensure the training program will provide a solid foundation in anatomy, yoga theory, and yoga practice.