What are the Yoga Alliance Standards for Teacher Training Programs?

The Yoga Alliance is an institution committed to teaching yoga in the United States. The Yoga Alliance participates in many outreach programs, including International Yoga Day, but is known for its recommendations for yoga teacher training.

Registered Teacher Training Programs

You often see references to yoga teachers or studios being “certified” by the Yoga Alliance. This is a misunderstanding because the Yoga Alliance does not certify teachers, but instead enrolls in teacher training programs that meet the minimum standards in the following categories: 200 hours, 500 hours, prenatal, and children’s yoga.

For example, at the 200-hour level, the Yoga Alliance has broken down how many hours should be devoted to each part of the training, including teaching methods, physiology, philosophy, and so on. If the teacher training program of the yoga studio meets these standards, you can register with the Yoga Alliance.

How To Become A Registered Yoga Teacher

Once you have completed the teacher training for the Yoga Alliance, you can register as a teacher. Many people think this happens automatically, but you must contact Yoga Alliance directly and pay the annual fee to register.

Then, you can use the abbreviation RYT after your name to represent a registered yoga teacher. In the past, if you completed teacher training for an unregistered course, you could complete the documents provided by YA and apply for registration status. This is not the case. There are currently no alternative or continuous registration options.

How Relevant is Yoga Alliance Certification

One of the basic principles of YA is to promote minimum standards of safe and competent teaching. Their success in this area makes them relevant, although registration with them is voluntary.

At the very least, the minimum standards provided by YA provide a benchmark for the number of teaching hours required by teachers and standardize what is taught in teacher training programs.

Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, including certificates in professional fields. Yoga, such as Ashtanga or Iyengar, in this case, you can be sure that they have far exceeded the 200-hour standard, but RYT is a very useful way to make sure that the teacher has completed a complete course and put it into practice. At least 200 hours, not just a training weekend.