7 Reasons for choosing an in-person vs. online yoga teacher training in 2025
A Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) is probably one of the most valuable investments one can make in his/her lifetime. It can be a life-changing experience that transforms your body, energy, mindset and perception of not only yourself, but everything around you. A lot depends on the place, your teachers and the format you choose and of course your very own intentions for finding a suitable Yoga Teacher Training.
It can be a real challenge for a yoga practitioner to choose a training experience that ensures a secure return-on-investment. The aim of this article is to provide you with more clarity by summing up some key points for you to make an informed, yet intuitive choice. Your mind can weigh the pro’s and con’s, but your heart will bring you to the right place at the right time, that’s why we believe that part of this decision is to be made by your ‘pull’ or the instinct that naturally draws you somewhere.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic the landscape of yoga trainings and offerings has been transforming rapidly and online trainings have emerged more than ever as an alternative to real-life training experiences. You might as well grow a new skill and deepen your connection to your own body and mind at home, right?
In this article we present an expert view on Yoga Teacher Trainings with in-person vs. online presentation by offering a comparison that highlights some important aspects of your teacher training.
1. Price – Quality
An important aspect of your decision for a 200-hour yoga teacher training is the price tag of the full experience. Prices of Certified Teacher Trainings can vary widely, starting from 300 Euros / 400 USD for online trainings, to 3000 – 4000 USD for in-person trainings. A higher price does not necessarily reflect a higher quality or vice versa.
Be aware of how you feel about the training you are considering, by checking videos and reviews, reading more about the lead trainer and experiencing how this person’s energy feels. Always check the references of past students on the training program – and the training space in case you are going to an intensive – and be aware of how you feel about this and the lead trainers involved.
Online YTTs often are cheaper because of the amount of pre-recorded content and also the option to reach more people and thus lower the price of the training.
In any case it could come in handy to scan the ‘Yoga Alliance US’ Standard, as it is used as a trademark for yoga teachers and the knowledge they should master. Because of the many schools there are, there is barely a control on the way trainings actually respect those rules practically vs. theoretically. Checking the amount of ‘live hours / interaction hours’ for example could already be a way to see whether you actually receive value for your money, as fully pre-recorded trainings don’t comply with qualification standards and norms.
Another way is to figure out the way you’ll be tested by the end of the training and how involved the school is in following up the quality of the teachings the students will be able to deliver by the end of the TT.
2. Physical adjustments & learning styles
Physical adjustments can be a large and important part of the yoga studio experience. Adjustments can be aimed at deepening your experience of the pose, but mostly they can help students to improve alignment in the poses and actually get to know what the adjustments feel like. As different students have different learning styles, this is one of the ways that works best for a large part of students. It makes sense that performing physical adjustments is not possible in an online learning experience. While teachers could help you explain it in order to perform it, the correct alignment and experience can’t be checked. A great way to still grow your body awareness practicing from home is by checking the mirror and / or making videos to focus on and improve your alignment. Make sure to opt for the format that makes you feel comfortable and good in what you’ll learn.
Yoga is definitely more than a physical practice, yet the physical alignment (and especially the spinal alignment) is crucial to cultivate and maintain a healthy practice that benefits your physical and energetic body. Understanding the physical body and gaining body awareness of your own, definitely benefits your future students and increases your ability to safely guide your students through poses, preventing injury and ensuring benefits in the long run. Another advantage of an in-person vs. online yoga teacher training here is your ability to already see, observe and touch bodies other than your own, so you can become familiar with other ways people move and experience the practice to offer more inclusive and embodied teaching.
3. Home vs. away from home
Ideally a yoga teacher training transforms more than just your yoga practice, but it provides you with knowledge and tools to integrate more balance into your daily life as well. While weekend formulas (in-person) focus on implementing these changes gradually, an immersive YTT can shift your ways radically. As you’ll be resident in the training space, you’ll be able to implement your daily routines under the supervision of your teachers. This can help you to access just that little extra discipline you might lack when you are in the comfort (and thus conditioning) of your own home, where you sleep, eat and perform in a certain way.
4. Community online vs. in-person
As we know, a yoga teacher training is truly a life changing experience – or it could be – affecting way more than just your physical experience of the practice. The biggest teachers in your training are you – yourself – and your fellow students, as their experience and knowledge will provide you with great insights and tools that will benefit your personal development. Even though technology these days is improved and ZOOM is definitely ‘the new normal’, there are still a few limitations to this application that are almost impossible to bridge. These are the spontaneous interactions and engagements that take place, that simply don’t exist in zoom. The threshold is bigger to actually speak – as everybody will hear versus connecting with one simple neighbor during lunch or break and the spontaneity gravely affected by it.
You will also only have your sessions and not the bonding and interactions that take place on the side, which can be (dis)advantageous depending on what you’re looking for. In-person yoga teacher trainings therefore tend to be more social, allowing you to build deeper relationships with fellow yoga students and teachers that can offer profound support long after the YTT.
5. Distraction vs. Connection
Technology is definitely a savior, as it enables us to evolve and grow in times of confinement. Online learning is definitely better than no learning at all and many benefits of online learning have become apparent, like its flexibility and its opportunity to learn from home at any given time. That way online yoga offerings can bring you the benefits of yoga straight into your home, the place where your transformation matters most. Your home however does have a lot more distractions to it and it requires a lot more discipline for you to show up consistently to your online yoga teacher training when upholding your day-to-day responsibilities in your own home.
A real-life teacher training on the other hand might be harder to get to, but offers you a well-maintained space, free of distractions, dedicated to you and your spiritual and physical growth. There is a certain magic to a beautiful yoga shala where the space itself can inspire you to reach greater depths and highs.
6. Food , scenery & energy
One of our favorite parts of retreats and yoga teacher trainings? The culinary experience of course! The joy of tasting something new and getting to know nourishing recipes and meals and the satisfaction that comes with treating your body to what it really needs. In most real-life trainings you are being cared for 100%. So you don’t have to combine your daily practical tasks with your yoga and spiritual practice and instead can be fully immersed and nourished by the care and love of your teachers and training team.
Your gut and brain health are definitely interrelated, so make sure to cook healthy and make healthy balancing meals a priority during your teacher training, whether at home or online. You will – whichever training you choose – learn about Ayurveda and a balanced diet that supports physical and mental health and it is definitely worth experiencing and integrating this knowledge into your lifestyle.
7. Go with your flow & follow your feelings
The last and most important reason to consider:
You can have arguments on the perfect training and reasons why to (not) do it online, but the main deciding factor is and will stay the same: follow what you feel. Whatever you feel like doing in this exact moment, will be the right thing for you to do. As this is the most important part of yoga philosophy: it’s not about perfection, but about the process. So sometimes we need one or another experience to enable our growth. The most important part definitely is that you will learn from a yoga teacher training and that it will always teach you valuable insights that will enrich your yoga practice – and hopefully – your life experience, too.
We wish you an incredible experience, whatever you choose to do! If you are interested in opting for a real-life training experience then check out the Immersive In-Person Yoga Teacher Training at Costa Dulce. We have it all: an established Yoga Alliance certified training experience, the best food, community, rituals, and a unique location that allows you to connect with yourself surrounded by nature. We have created a safe haven paradise, where your well-being and self-development are our priority.
Learn more about our upcoming 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training.
