Doing a yoga teacher training in English when it’s not your first language

By yum · Updated 2 November 2026

Yes, you can do a yoga teacher training in English even if it’s not your first language. If you can follow a conversation, a podcast or a work meeting in English, you can follow a yoga teacher training in English. You don’t need to speak perfectly. You need to understand what’s said and dare to speak up. At yum in Copenhagen, all teaching and the manual are in English, and some of our teachers and the studio team also speak Danish.

If English isn’t your first language, you’re in good company. Our training is international by nature. Here’s what it actually means for you.

In short

• yum’s 200-hour Vinyasa yoga teacher training is in English, and so is the 170-page manual.
• The requirement is that you understand and speak English. Comfortably, not perfectly.
• Some teachers and the studio team speak Danish.
• You can teach in your own language afterwards.
• yum is a Registered Yoga School (RYS®200) with Yoga Alliance, in Sydhavnen, Copenhagen.

Why is the training in English?

Because everything at yum is in English. All our regular classes are taught in English, and the training is international by nature. People come from Denmark and from all over the world, and English is the language everyone can meet in.

There’s a bonus. Yoga vocabulary is already a mix of Sanskrit and English. “Downward dog”, “alignment”, “cue”. Teachers all over the world use the English words anyway. You just learn them from the source.

How good does my English need to be?

Our requirement is simple: you understand both written and spoken English. That’s it.

A good rule of thumb: Do you watch series in English without reading every subtitle? Can you hold a meeting or a conversation in English, even if you hunt for a word now and then? Then you’re ready.

The hard part isn’t vocabulary. It’s teaching out loud, in front of others, in a language that isn’t your mother tongue. It feels clumsy the first few times. For everyone. Native speakers included, honestly. Teaching is a new skill in any language.

Unsure? Write to us at yoga@yum.dk. We’d rather be honest before you start than after.

What about Sanskrit and anatomy in English?

Sanskrit is new for everyone. It’s as foreign to a Londoner as it is to someone from Lyon, so you start on the same line.

Anatomy sounds scary, but a lot of the terms come from Latin and may look familiar from your own language. Hamstrings, pelvis and spine stick quickly once you’ve felt them in your own body a few weekends in a row.

And the manual is your friend. Read it at your own pace, look words up and write notes in your own language in the margins. Go ahead. We won’t look.

Can I ask questions in Danish?

Yes. Some teachers and the studio team speak Danish. Teaching happens in English, but if you get stuck on a tricky question at the break, you can ask in Danish. Breaks often happen around a table in the café anyway, and there language is the smallest problem.

Can I teach in my own language afterwards?

Yes. Your certificate doesn’t say which language you may teach in. Many people teach in their own language after training in English.

Translating your cues takes a little practice. “Ground through your feet” doesn’t always land the same way in another language. Our advice: practise your cues in both languages along the way, for example when you teach friends or family. Then you finish as a bilingual yoga teacher. That’s a real plus in Copenhagen, where many classes mix locals and newcomers.

Are there benefits to training in English?

A few:

• You can teach in two languages. More doors open, including retreats and studios abroad.
• The vocabulary sticks. You know the English terms the yoga world uses.
• An international group. You learn alongside people with very different backgrounds. It makes for a different conversation about yoga than if everyone came from the same place.

How can I test my English before I decide?

The easiest test is to take a few classes. All our regular classes are in English. With yum intro you get 30 days of unlimited yoga, so you can feel what it’s like to be guided in English. And whether you like the place, the people and the coffee.

You can also get our free prep kit: a recorded webinar, a peek inside the manual and the e-book “yum’s Guide to The Essentials of Yoga Teaching”. The webinar is a good test in itself: if you can follow it comfortably, you can follow the training. Questions along the way? Write to yoga@yum.dk.

How we do it at yum

• Training: 200-hour Vinyasa yoga teacher training. yum is an RYS®200 with Yoga Alliance. Once you pass, you can apply to become an RYT 200.
• Language: English, including the manual. Some teachers and the studio team speak Danish.
• 2027 groups: Winter/Spring, 16 January–2 May (weekends only), and Summer Intensive, 3 July–15 August (6.5 weeks). Same content, same certificate.
• Group size: 7–15 participants. Small groups make it easier to speak up, in any language.
• Price: DKK 28,995 excl. VAT, where VAT applies. The DKK 4,000 booking fee is included.
• Included: free membership to our regular classes from booking until the last day of the training. Plenty of extra English practice on the mat.
• Where: yum yoga & café, Alliancevej 22, 2450 Copenhagen SV. By the canal in Sydhavnen.

Want to know what 200 hours and Yoga Alliance actually mean? Read how do you become a yoga teacher in Denmark?. Curious why we teach Vinyasa? Read why choose a Vinyasa yoga teacher training.

Still unsure about your English? Write to us at yoga@yum.dk. Or come by Alliancevej 22 and we’ll talk it through over a coffee. Still the best way to find out if this is for you. See the full training on our yoga teacher training in Copenhagen page.

FAQ

Is yum’s yoga teacher training taught in English?

Yes. All teaching and the manual are in English. Some teachers and the studio team also speak Danish.

How good does my English need to be for a yoga teacher training?

At yum, you need to understand written and spoken English and speak it comfortably. It doesn’t have to be perfect. If you can follow a meeting or conversation in English, you’re usually ready.

Can I teach yoga in another language after training in English?

Yes. Your certificate doesn’t decide which language you teach in. Many people teach in their own language afterwards. Practise translating your cues during the training.

Is there a yoga teacher training in English in Copenhagen?

Yes. yum’s 200-hour Vinyasa yoga teacher training in Sydhavnen, Copenhagen, is taught in English. In 2027 there’s a weekend group from 16 January to 2 May and a Summer Intensive from 3 July to 15 August.

How can I test whether my English is good enough?

Take some of yum’s regular classes, which are all taught in English, for example with yum intro. You can also get the free prep kit, whose recorded webinar is in English, and send your questions to yoga@yum.dk.