Can You Actually Fail Yoga Teacher Training?

So you’re thinking about becoming a yoga teacher. As enthused as you are about practicing yoga and potentially sharing it with others, your excitement might be offset by practical factors, including the time and tuition required by attending a weeks- or months-long yoga teacher training (YTT). In light of the substantial investment, perhaps you’re also secretly wondering, “Is it possible to fail YTT? And if I do, what happens?”

There are many determining factors of a student’s final outcome. Although you don’t need to let the possibility of failure deter you, you want to begin YTT with a thorough understanding of what’s expected of you so you can set yourself up for the best chance of success.

The Role of the Yoga Teacher Training

Traditionally in India, yoga was taught in a one-on-one environment. A guru (teacher) decided when their shishya (disciple) was ready to teach yoga. “That transmission has a long tradition in yoga,” explains longtime yoga teacher Richard Rosen, author of The Yoga of Breath: A Step-by-Step Guide to Pranayama. “This passing was something like passing a baton from runner to runner. The student likely spent years studying with the teacher, being continually monitored on their advancement,” says Rosen. “The ceremonial passing was a very solemn, momentous, yet joyous occasion.”

Although much has changed since then, the job of the modern YTT is also about quality control. It’s up to the individual program to uphold standards and ensure students are qualified to lead others through the practice of yoga.

So, Can You Fail YTT?

In short, yes. However, many teacher trainers say that this happens only rarely. But it does happen.

“When you step into the role of teacher, you’re no longer just practicing yoga—you’re facilitating it. You need to understand a clear body of knowledge so you can keep others safe—physically, emotionally, and energetically,” says Brett Larkin, founder of the online yoga school Uplifted Yoga. “It’s our duty to prepare students for real-world situations.”

There’s a level of responsibility expected of both teacher trainers and students. Schools registered with the Yoga Alliance, for instance, are required to have a thorough course curriculum, including anatomy and physiology, yoga humanities, professionalism, and more. Students in these programs must demonstrate their proficiency in these subjects through a combination of writing assignments, tests, and teaching—all of which trainers evaluate.

Teaching yoga is unlike many other wellness fields in that there is no licensing exam after graduation and no outside governing body assessing the competence of aspiring teachers. Yoga schools must do that. Dani Reese, head of community engagement at Yoga Alliance, says, “It’s important that training programs ensure that students who wish to pursue teaching are fully prepared to lead safe, high-quality yoga classes.”

If a student fails, that may signal that they are not ready to teach…yet. Christopher Perkins, co-founder and lead trainer at Yandara, says, “Passing someone who is not ready does not serve them or the people they will go on to instruct.”  That doesn’t mean they won’t ever be, just that spending a little more time in study and training might be necessary.

Of course, not all students aspire to be yoga instructors. Some YTTs have a different set of expectations for students who want to deepen their personal practices or knowledge since “graduating” means something altogether different for them.

“In these cases, schools often provide a certificate of participation rather than a teaching certificate, acknowledging progress in the program without verifying readiness to instruct others safely and effectively,” says Reese.

Common Reasons People Fail YTT 

Different YTT programs offer their students varying amounts of latitude, but there are usually a few non-negotiable qualifications that must be met in order for someone to pass a training. If a student fails YTT, it’s usually for one (or more) of these reasons:

• The student was short on required hours
• They didn’t complete or failed assignments and/or exams
• The student’s teaching practicum was consistently unsafe
• They violated a program’s code of conduct

Attendance

A 200-hour training is just that: students must put in 200 hours of training in order to graduate. Some programs allow students to miss a limited number of classroom hours and make them up in some way. Even online trainings have required attendance where trainers and students gather at the same time and engage with each other.

Sarah Ezrin, Bay Area yoga teacher, former YogaWorks teacher trainer, and author of The Yoga of Parenting, explains that if students missed a portion of the face-to-face trainings she led at YogaWorks, they had the option to book a private session to make up the time. Although the makeup sessions cost extra, students who missed the same classes often pooled resources and shared an hour of the trainer’s time. Alternatively, some programs allow students to make up hours in future trainings, after which they get their passing grade and certificate.

But not all students follow through with these arrangements. “One woman I failed had a number of absences and made no effort to make them up,” says Ezrin.

Final Exams

Many programs require students to pass a comprehensive final exam in order to graduate. Ezrin recalls a number of her teacher trainees failing the final take-home exam, which was a multiple-choice and essay exam covering sequencing, teaching cues, anatomy, and philosophy. Ezrin observes that many people who failed didn’t seem to put much effort into the exams.

“For example, for philosophy, we asked for short paragraphs, and someone would write one sentence.” Other times students left questions unanswered, Ezrin notes.

Some programs give students the opportunity to retake exams and pass on the next go-round. Still, Ezrin points out that she has had to fail a student for cheating and plagiarizing.

Other programs, including the yoga teacher training at UNM Taos, have explicitly stated “no artificial intelligence” policies in which repeated AI use in personal written assignments can result in student failure.

Practice Teaching

In some programs, students must complete a “practicum,” or a practice-teaching assignment in which they teach their classmates or film themselves teaching prior to passing.

Programs have different standards for grading practicums, but for many trainers, safety is a make-or-break issue. It’s what Larkin looks for in the recordings submitted by the online students at Uplifted Yoga.

“We only hold back certification if we feel a student cannot yet teach safely,” says Larkin. That could mean trainees are consistently ignoring their students’ needs by teaching poses inappropriate for the class description or being blatantly unresponsive to their struggles. Or it could mean skipping variations that could help students balance when they’re clearly unsteady or taking them into a challenging peak pose without warming them up for it.

Misconduct and Disruption

Most YTT programs have codes of conduct that set boundaries on student behavior. These often emphasize inclusivity and doing no harm, not using demeaning or discriminatory language, and not disrupting the learning environment.

“All students agree to our diversity and inclusion agreement, which outlines expectations around body positivity, gender inclusion, religious acceptance, and respectful communication,” says Larkin. Though students have fortunately never violated this policy, if they did, Larkin explains she would ask them to leave the program and issue refunds as appropriate.

YogaRenew has similar expectations which are discussed at the very first training session. Kate Lombardo, Yoga Director, explains, “If a student were to do something that jeopardized the safety of their fellow trainees, like some type of harassment or consistently offensive language, that would be a reason for someone not to graduate.”

Failing to Complete

Many studios find that it’s more common for students not to finish YTT than to fail. “We have more cases of students who don’t fully complete the training and assignments, in which case they don’t receive a certificate. But I wouldn’t consider this ‘failing’ in the traditional sense,” says Lombardo.

Personal circumstances such as injuries, sickness, and moving can interrupt a trainee’s progress. In other cases, a student feels overwhelmed or unengaged by the material and wishes not to continue. “Sometimes a student realizes for themselves that they are not ready to teach, or that teaching is not really what they came for. That is not failure. That is awareness, and awareness is the whole point,” says Perkins.

What If the Student Disagrees?

Occasionally, students disagree with a failing grade from their YTT leader. In these situations, communication is key.

Lombardo recalls a time a student was asked to make adjustments to their final sequencing assignment. “The student pushed back and said that they didn’t want to sequence a class in the way that we were asking them to,” says Lombardo. “I explained that in order to maintain the quality of our training program, we have to hold all of our students to a certain standard and keep consistency in our requirements.”

Lombardo says explaining that has always allowed students to understand why they are asked to do things a certain way.

Uplifted Yoga has been able to resolve any rare disagreements with the help of a second opinion. “If a student wants a second review, another senior trainer revisits their practicum using our rubric,” Larkin explains. “Once students understand our role is to uphold safety and integrity—not to gatekeep—they usually appreciate the process.”

If a student can’t resolve a disagreement by talking to the program leader or the school’s director, and they feel that they were failed unfairly, they can reach out to the Yoga Alliance, which has some safeguards.

YTTs registered with Yoga Alliance are held to rigorous standards. They must have policies covering anti-harassment, grievances, refunds, and retaliation which their trainers follow, Reese explains. “If a trainee attended a registered yoga school (RYS) and believes these policies have been breached, or that the school is not adhering to the Yoga Alliance Code of Conduct, we recommend filing a report with our Ethics and Safety team,” she says.

What to Do If You’re About to Fail (or After Failing) YTT

If you’re taking a YTT, it’s usually because you want to, and chances are, you’ll be extremely dedicated—which could make it all the more disappointing if you don’t get the diploma you came for.

Students may be at a loss for how to process almost failing or having failed YTT—and wondering what to do next. “Not passing doesn’t mean the door is closed. It means there’s more learning to do,” says Larkin.

Ask for Help

If you hit a rough patch in YTT, don’t be afraid to reach out to someone. Yoga schools are businesses, after all, and naturally want their customers to be satisfied if at all possible. Remembering that your program is there to help you can help take the stress off.

Many programs offer one-on-one support for students. “Sometimes what they need most is encouragement or a little extra time…not to fix them but to listen,” Perkins says. “The aim is never to push someone across a finish line. It is to help them find their own rhythm again.”

Many programs are willing to allow some flexibility if students communicate their needs. “Every situation is met with compassion. We offer deferrals, extensions, and individualized plans,” says Larkin.

Ask for Another Try

Asking for a second chance on an assignment isn’t unusual; in fact, many programs expect that students will benefit from another try on high-stakes assignments and exams, and allow redos as a matter of policy. Lombardo explains that there is a final test on which students are required to score 80 percent or above. If they miss that mark, they can retake it. By their second or third attempt, they’re usually able to demonstrate an understanding of the information, which is the goal.

At Uplifted Yoga, Larkin allows redos on students’ teaching practicums and gives encouraging feedback as well as the opportunity to resubmit videos of themselves teaching. “One trainee initially demo-ed on her own mat the whole practice, rarely looking at her student and relying heavily on her notes,” explains Larkin. After feedback? “She redid her video standing, interacting, and confidently guiding transitions, and she passed with flying colors.”

Some programs offer students a chance to retake entire trainings for a discounted price, although students who failed due to misconduct may require additional steps to be readmitted, says Larkin.

Ask for More Time

Larkin also points out that if students in her training need more time to integrate the material, there’s a built-in cushion: they can take up to 18 months from the program start date to graduate.

There are teacher trainers who work with students even after a program’s end date. For instance, all students at I Am Yoga all participate in the graduation ceremony, and those that require additional time receive their signed certificates at a later date, after receiving one-on-one support to complete the requirements, says program coordinator Marcia Ramoutar.

Consider Other Programs

Failing YTT is also an opportunity for self-reflection, says Angela (Dharma) Fears, lead trainer for the 200-hour YTT at the Southwest Institute of Healing Arts and instructor in their Advanced Yoga Programs. Students can ask themselves what they were hoping to get out of the program, why they stopped, or what went wrong.

It’s possible that there was a mismatch between the student and the trainer or the program. “Find a program that resonates with you. Find a teacher that speaks your language, who can support you on the journey into this tradition,” says Fears. You might begin by researching a specific program’s teachers and their professional backgrounds and take a class or two with them before committing to the YTT.

Fears acknowledges that students are at different ages and phases of life, and their understanding of yoga and their embodiment of each asana (pose) and teaching will vary. She is more interested in seeing that they can communicate what yoga means to them.

“If they can do that, they’ll be able to lead a successful class,” she says. “My own teachers gave me that space to try, and to learn, and get a little bit messy,” she says.

Let Go of Perfection 

You might not feel entirely ready to teach yoga after 200 hours of study—and that’s okay. Your teaching also doesn’t need to be perfect. Students don’t have to be at a point where they can demonstrate the most challenging of asanas or pronounce every Sanskrit word without a flub.

“Readiness is subjective,” says Larkin. “We recognize yoga teaching is a journey of growth. A student may still be finding their voice or confidence, but if they meet our safety and alignment standards, and show sincerity and heart, we pass them.” In other words, you don’t need to be able to practice or teach all the things in order to pass.

“Just because someone can’t do a Headstand doesn’t mean that they won’t be an incredible yoga teacher who can share in-depth knowledge of yoga philosophy and sequence great gentle yoga classes,” says Lombardo.

Many graduates of 200-hour YTT’s go on to further study, matriculating into 300-hour programs, or learn by teaching, possibly through a mentorship program. “Yoga teaching is a lifelong path,” says Perkins. “Certification does not mean ‘finished,’ it means ‘begin.’”