Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training
To become a teacher trainee, you must have at least three years of Iyengar Yoga practice under your belt and have daily home practice. You should have a relationship with a senior Iyengar Yoga teacher. This relationship should be with a teacher in Aotearoa New Zealand. But you may also, with permission, be training under a certified Iyengar yoga teacher from another part of the world.
If you are interested in becoming a teacher trainee, we encourage you to show interest by conversing with your senior teacher. They will then decide when you are ready to begin your training.
Once you have become certified as a Level 1 teacher, the teacher training process is ongoing. All certified Iyengar Yoga teachers in Aotearoa New Zealand continue training under a mentor for the lifetime of their yoga teaching. This means that Iyengar Yoga teachers and studios are always supported by senior teachers in their country, the Iyengar family, and other members of the Institute in Pune, India.
Certification and assessment guidelines
From July 2020, RIMYI has implemented new Certification and Assessment Guidelines after considering the input from Iyengar teachers and students around the world. Iyengar Yoga New Zealand is hard at work to implement this new system.
The changes to the Certification and Assessment system are intended to make the process more open and sensitive, with the overarching goal of allowing all of us within the system to deepen and develop our study and practice of yoga.
We strongly encourage all current and future Teacher Trainees, Certified Teachers, Teacher Trainers/Mentors and Assessors to familiarise themselves with the new Guidelines.
You can download a copy of the Certification and Assessment Guidelines here. Or learn more about the Iyengar System below
Got questions?
The new Certification and Assessment Guidelines are in-depth. We suggest that you refer to them in the first instance if you have any questions or concerns.
If you are currently working with a Teacher Trainer/Mentor and have questions about the new system, we recommend that you contact your Trainer/Mentor in the first instance. Alternatively, you can email the IYNZ Assessment & Teacher Training Committee.
Future Assessment Dates:
2025
Level 1 assessments have been planned for the weekends of
Friday 2nd – Sunday 4th May 2025
Dates for the 2025 Level 2 assessment are still to be confirmed.
