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All About Yoga Alliance: Complete Guide for Aspiring Yoga Teacher
Himanshu Raj
6 min Read | 13 Feb, 2025
Yoga Alliance is a non-profit private organization based out of Arlington, Virginia, United States. It provides internationally recognized certifications to Yoga teachers and schools. This organization has helped to standardize yoga teachers and schools at the international level, and, as a result, many have benefited from its certifications in this field.
On an international level, it is one of the most popular certifying organizations, which enables many schools and teachers to have a global name
What does Yoga Alliance exactly do ?
It certifies Yoga Teachers and Yoga Schools as per international standards. It helps them to grow beyond their boundaries of state, and country and gives them global recognition.
There are 5 types of Registration for Yoga Schools called as RYS (Registered Yoga Schools) and 6 types of Yoga Teachers called as RYT (Registered Yoga Teachers).
It thoroughly checks the content that is taught in a Yoga School and if that school fulfils the standard, it gives them the registration and similarly it is done for Yoga Teachers.
Types of Registration for Yoga Schools
It provides five types of registration for a yoga school as follows. For any kind of yoga school registration, you need to pay a fee of USD 640 for the first year and USD 240 for annual membership renewal charges.
- Registered Yoga School 200 Hours (RYS 200): This type of registration is given to a yoga School that is considered to be satisfying the standards set by the yoga alliance to teach a 200 hours teacher training program
- Registered Yoga School 300 Hours (RYS 300): This type of registration is given to a yoga School that is considered to satisfy the standards set by the yoga alliance to teach a 300-hour teacher training program.
- Registered Yoga School 500 Hours (RYS 500): This type of registration is given to a yoga School that is considered to satisfy the standards set by the yoga alliance to teach a 500-hour teacher training program.
- Register Children’s Yoga School (RCYS): This type of registration is given to a yoga School that is considered to be satisfying the standards set by the yoga alliance to teach a children yoga teacher training course
- Register Prenatal Yoga School (RPYS): This type of registration is given to a yoga School that is considered to be satisfying the standards set by the yoga alliance to teach a prenatal yoga teacher training course
To get any type of registration for your yoga school, you need to apply on their website. The link is given below. Also, you need to read thoroughly about their standards and how the application has to be submitted.
After reading about their standards and the application guidelines, you need to submit the application on their website and wait for their response. Approximately speaking, their response time is one week, but they may respond earlier based on their availability. After they respond, you will be required to work on the shortcomings of your application, and then again they will come back with their feedback. This chain of conversation goes on for a while. The whole process from applying to getting the registration takes around one and a half to 2 months.
Registration for Yoga Schools - Quick Links
Types of Registration for Yoga Teachers
As yoga teachers, there are 6 types of registrations. The first two types are for yoga teachers called RYT 200 and RYT 500. The next two types of registration are for experienced yoga teachers called E-RYT 200 and E-RYT 500. For these types of registrations, one needs to have certain years of experience. The last two types of registrations are for specializations. The first one is a registered children’s yoga teacher, and the other one is a registered prenatal yoga teacher.
- RYT 200 (Registered Yoga Teacher, 200 Hours): To get this registration, one needs to complete a 200-hour teacher training program from a yoga school registered with Yoga Alliance.
- RYT 500 (Registered Yoga Teacher, 500 Hours): To get this registration, one needs to complete a 500-hour teacher training program from a yoga school registered with Yoga Alliance. These 500 hours can be completed at once or can be completed in two parts: 200 hours and 300 hours separately. Both ways are acceptable for RYT 500 registration. If one chooses to complete 500 hours in parts, he may choose two different schools to complete his 200 and 300 hours of teacher training.
- E-RYT 200 (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, 200 Hours): This type of registration can be obtained after a student has completed a 200-hour teacher training program and has teaching experience for 2 years after the completion of the course.
- E-RYT 500 (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, 500 Hours): this type of registration can be obtained after a student has completed a 500-hour teacher training program either at once or in parts and then gained 4 years of teaching experience afterwards.
- RCYT (Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher): This type of registration can be obtained after a student has completed a children’s yoga teacher training course under a yoga school that is registered with Yoga Alliance.
- RPYT (Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher): This type of registration can be obtained after the student has completed a prenatal yoga teacher training course under a yoga school that is registered with the Yoga Alliance.
Registration fees for RYT or RPYT/RCYT are 115 US dollars for the first year, and then the annual renewal is 65 dollars. Fees for ERYT are USD 150 for the first year and then USD 65 for annual renewal.
After you become a registered yoga teacher, you can use the logo provided by Yoga Alliance on your profile or your social media accounts and increase your credibility as a yoga teacher. Also, if you wish to expand internationally, this registration will help you in getting recognition.
Registration for Yoga Teachers - Quick Links
How to Get Yoga Alliance Certified ?
The process of becoming an RYT is simple. After you complete the course you need to create your profile on the Yoga Alliance website and then apply for the desired RYT. The first step of the application includes declaring the courses that you have completed and uploading the certificate of the same for approval from your yoga school. Once your yoga school approves your certificate, Yoga Alliance allows you to make payment and get suitable RYT registration.
How to Get Yoga Alliance Certified ?
Whether you become an RYT or an RYS, you receive many benefits and support from Yoga Alliance to grow and thrive in this field. I will list the major benefits a Yoga Alliance member may get.
- The first one is credibility: Yoga Lions is known for its standards; it has maintained a high standard at an international level for a very long time. As a registered yoga school or a yoga teacher, your credibility will not be doubted if you are a registered member of the Yoga Alliance.
- The Second is Popularity: Yoga Alliance has been doing this for 26 years now. It started operating in 1999, and since then it has been working to spread yoga across the world. Because of that reason, many countries recognize the Yoga Alliance.
- Online Resources: Yoga Alliance provides business, financial, and legal resources on their online platform, which any member can use after registering themselves with Yoga Alliance.
- Directory: They maintain a directory in which they list all the registered yoga schools and yoga teachers. Somebody looking for a yoga teacher or a yoga school may end up in that directly and may see your listing on the directory and contact you. But directly can be filtered using location also.
- Other Benefits: Yoga Alliance provides exclusive discounts in like-minded organizations on their products and services supportive of your yoga practice. They also conduct events sometimes online and offline, both for aspiring yoga teachers and yoga schools, which may help them to grow in the field.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I would like to say that if you are thinking of making a great career in yoga as a school or as a teacher, you must have Yoga Alliance registration, especially if you want to work on the international level. If you want to operate locally, you must inquire about the certifications that you need in that state or country. For example, in India, you need to be certified with the Yoga Certification Board, Ministry of Ayush, Government of India. Along with it, if you have Yoga Alliance registration, it is an additional feather in the
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