Prenatal yoga certification is available at yoga studios, birth centers, and through home study modules. Programs vary in length and require specific prerequisites. Students should be aware of local and national licensing requirements and participate in continuing education.
A prenatal yoga class is generally designed to help women stay healthy throughout their pregnancy, provide safe delivery of their babies, and heal their bodies faster after birth. In turn, prenatal yoga training is for those who want to teach these techniques to women. This requires prenatal yoga certification which may be available at yoga studios, full birth centers or home study guides. Students can select a program based on their national yoga governing body, and specific prerequisites must be met prior to enrollment. Those who successfully complete certification should be aware of local and national licensing requirements, as well as participating in professional yoga affiliations and continuing education expectations.
Prenatal yoga certification may be available at yoga studios, full birth centers or home study modules. Courses can vary considerably, ranging from a one-day workshop to a full nine-month program. Safe pregnancy poses, breathing techniques, and ways to relieve pregnancy pain can include study materials. Students can also attend prenatal yoga classes, discuss childbirth techniques, and participate in prenatal yoga poses. Home-based courses are often self-paced and may come with DVDs and other study materials that mimic a real classroom.
When considering prenatal yoga certification, students can use their national yoga governing body to locate reputable programs. This body usually accredits quality instructors or facilities. In the United States, for example, the Yoga Alliance maintains the National Register of Yoga Teachers. Teachers who meet the criteria established by this organization are eligible for Registered Yoga Teacher credentials. Likewise, the British Wheel of Yoga is the unofficial body for yoga in the UK and accredits reputable teacher training associations.
In order to become a prenatal yoga instructor, students often have to meet specific requirements imposed by the educational institution. It is often required, for example, that students have previous experience with yoga, meditation, or both. Some courses require students to be licensed teachers in traditional yoga, while others expect students to have existing yoga practices that have been in place for over a year. Yoga students who are licensed obstetricians and gynecologists, midwives, massage therapists, or nurses may also qualify for prenatal yoga certification. It is likely that each individual program will have its own prerequisites.
Students need to be aware of yoga licensing requirements imposed at the local and/or national level. Prenatal yoga certification is usually provided by instructional facilities, and course participants in areas such as the United States are not required to meet additional licensing requirements. In order to register with a national or local yoga body, however, yoga instructors of all types may need to have a specific number of hours of study and practice. This registration can be useful for attracting students, making contacts and keeping abreast of new trends in yoga.
After certification, a prenatal yoga instructor usually takes continuing education classes to register with professional yoga affiliations or the respective yoga governing body. These classes are usually available at the same facilities that received the initial prenatal yoga certification. Continuing education credits are generally provided for each course, and these may be applied toward an individual’s certification record.
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