What Is Yoga Alliance Certification – The Complete Guide

Yoga has been a part of the world's religions and cultures for thousands of years. Whether you are looking to get physically fit or connect with the divine source of life, yoga offers you a lot. In the last few years, this ancient art has moved from being practiced strictly by spiritual seekers to a global phenomenon. If you want to learn everything about this sacred art, you should consider joining a Yoga Alliance certification program.

Do you know about Yoga Alliance? For the uninitiated, Yoga Alliance is an international non-profit organization that has set the standards and protocols for teaching yoga around the world. Their website contains a listing of all the registered and certified yoga schools and teachers. Every yoga school or teacher has to comply with these standards.

Let us now take a look at how Yoga Alliance came into being.

Yoga Alliance – A Brief History

The idea behind the foundation of Yoga Alliance came into being in 1997. In the earlier days, Yoga Alliance was mainly as a registry that certified schools and teachers interested in teaching yoga. With time, it became popular as more and more yoga instructors started looking for a certification, which started with the implementation of online registration back in 2010.

As of now, since 2016 Yoga Alliance has been certifying yoga practitioners who have either done Continuing Education in yoga via the Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) program.

Yoga Alliance provides the right credentials for yoga teachers and schools that offer yoga teacher training (YTT). The organization has internationally recognized trademarks like the RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher), RYS (Registered Yoga School), and the popular Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP).

Yoga experts have come up with what exactly Yoga Alliance offers.

What Does Yoga Alliance Membership Offers?

Do you know that signing up for a Yoga Alliance membership provides you some major benefits as a yoga instructor? Read further to know more.

1. Increased Credibility
The yoga teacher training programs under Yoga Alliance are comprehensive and provide you in-depth knowledge of yoga in theory and practice. On the completion of a yoga teacher training under Yoga Alliance, you become a certified yoga instructor.

Moreover, Yoga Alliance registry mark is globally recognized and top-of-the-line yoga teacher training program. It improves your credibility as a knowledgeable and skilled yoga teacher.

2. Increased Networking
When you accomplish a YTT program under Yoga Alliance, you don' just become a certified yoga teacher, you also become part of an ever-growing community of yoga practitioners. This gives you an opportunity to connect and network with the best yoga practitioners from other parts of the world.

Since yoga is one such art where there is always something new to learn, you can share tips and knowledge to improve your and other's yoga practice.

3. Legal Help
Finding legal help can be cumbersome for you as a yoga practitioner, especially if you are not registered with a yoga association. However, becoming a member of Yoga Alliance offers you a major benefit.

You are entitled to essential legal services to help you come out of a court case. In other words, Yoga Alliance has your back to help you get out of a lawsuit which is not feasible when you are not under the ambit of an international yoga organization.

4. Directory Listing
Every member of Yoga Alliance has a registered profile as a certified yoga instructor on their online directory. This directory provides you additional visibility as a yoga teacher and makes it easier for potential employers to find you. It improves your chances of working with a reputed yoga school as a certified yoga teacher.

5. Insurance For Safety
Apart from helping you become a certified yoga instructor, there is another major advantage to becoming a Yoga Alliance member. Yoga, like every other way of fitness, also carries a certain level of risk and injuries. Keeping this in mind, Yoga Alliance provides you with liability insurance.

6. Free Online Workshops
When you complete the Yoga Alliance certification program and become a member of Yoga Alliance, it opens up doors for you to access the numerous free online yoga workshops. This helps you stay updated about any latest developments in the industry regarding the techniques and any new literature.

These online workshops are organized by some of the best yoga teachers and yogis who are at the top of yoga practice. In short, this is your chance to stay updated and learn anything new about yoga without spending money.

Therefore, these were some of the advantages you get after enrolling in Yoga Alliance membership. Right from helping you find employment to providing legal assistance, there is a lot Yoga Alliance membership does.

Do you know about the different levels of yoga accreditation programs that Yoga Alliance offers? Yoga experts have compiled a list of programs that Yoga Alliance offers to help you become a certified yoga instructor.

Also Read:- How To Become A Yoga Instructor In India

Yoga Alliance Yoga Accreditation Programs

There is a variety of yoga certifications that Yoga Alliance offers depending on the experience and the amount of time a yoga school or teacher has spent in their YTT.

With that said, let us take a look at the different levels of yoga accreditation provided by Yoga Alliance.

Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT)
You have to complete specific prerequisites to become an RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher). Yoga Alliance offers four different levels of RYT programs.

1. RYT 200
The RYT 200is beginner-level yoga teacher training certification. You should enroll in an RYT 200 to get knowledge about the basics of yoga. You become an RYT by completing the 200-hour training at a certified yoga school and signing up with Yoga Alliance.

2. RYT 500
After completing the RYT 200 and 300 program, you can sign up for this advanced-level yoga teacher training certification. You need to complete 500 hour of yoga training and sign up with Yoga Alliance.

3. E-RYT 200
You become an E-RYT 200 by completing the basic 200-hour yoga teacher training from an RYS (Registered Yoga School) and signing up with Yoga Alliance. However, you do need to complete 1000 hours plus two years of yoga teaching.

4. E-RYT 500
If you complete the advanced 500-hour yoga teacher training from an RYS (Registered Yoga School) and sign up with Yoga Alliance, you become an E-RYT 500. However, you still need to complete at least 2000 hours and four years of teaching yoga.

Registered Yoga School (RYS)

The RYS credential is given to those yoga schools that offer certified Yoga Teacher Training programs. However, the yoga school's curriculum has to comply with Yoga Alliance certification standards to be eligible for registering as an RYS.

Moreover, the subjects taught at the yoga school must cover the five categories as set by Yoga Alliance. These categories include;

• Yoga techniques, training, and practice
• Yoga teaching methodology
• Yoga Anatomy & Physiology
• Yoga Philosophy, lifestyle, and ethics
• Yoga Practicum

The yoga school has to teach these subjects with a defined number of hours to meet Yoga Alliance standards.

With that said, given below are three categories of yoga schools;

1. RYS 200
For you to become a basic yoga instructor, enroll in an RYS 200. The teachers at this yoga school has to be an E-RYT 200 or E-RYT 500 with a minimum of 65 contact hour

2. RYS 300
For you to become an RYT 300, the RYS 300 is the perfect yoga school. This yoga school offers you foundational yoga training and intermediate 300-hour YTT. The lead teachers at this school have to be an E-RYT 500 with a minimum of 135 hours.

3. RYS 500
To become an RYT 500, you have to enroll in an RYS 500 that covers all the five categories of yoga education. The school might offer the training in two different segments namely 200 and 300 hour YTT.

Different Levels Of Yoga Teacher Training

To help you make the right decision when it comes to becoming a certified yoga teacher, given below is a complete breakdown of what the 200, 300, and 500 YTT offers. Let us start from the basics.

1. 200 Hour YTT
The first and basic level of Yoga Alliance certification is the 200-hour YTT program. This yoga teacher training program offers you an introduction to the world of yoga. Some of the yoga topics covered in this program include;

• Ways to adjust your body in a specific yoga asana
• Lessons on correct body mechanisms
• Introduction to digestive, respiratory, and nervous system
• Physiology of yoga asanas
• Classes on Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga
• Introduction to Hatha Yoga
• Lessons on Kundalini and Kriya Yoga
• Lessons on Yoga Mantras
• Difference Between Dharna and Dhyana
• Lessons on Pranayama and Prana
• Eye cleaning methods
• Yoga Practicum

If you want to kickstart your journey in yoga, you should sign up for the basic RYT 200 course.

Also Read:- 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training In India, Rishikesh-2021

3. 300 Hour YTT
Once you are done with the basic 200 hour yoga teacher training program, it is time you move to the next level in yoga teacher training which is the 300 Hour YTT. This program offers you an in-depth knowledge of yoga techniques, philosophy, and anatomy.

Enrolling in this intermediate-level yoga teacher training provides you lessons on;

• Using own body weight and body mechanics for safe yoga practice.
• Bone system and its function in yoga
• Anatomy & Physiology of Yoga Pranayama
• Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga
• Effects of yoga asanas
• Seven main chakras
• Concept of Kundalini
• Introduction to Mantra yoga
• Scientific approach towards yoga mantras
• Introduction to meditation, its meaning and definition
• Importance of meditation in daily life
• Understanding of Prana and Pranayama
• Different Pranayama practice
• Yoga Discipline for students and teachers
• Importance of asana demonstration as a teacher
• Yoga Nidra
• Three states of consciousness

The 300 hour YTT is for you once you are clear with the basics of 200 hour yoga teacher training program.

Also Read:- 300 Hours Yoga Teacher Training in India, Rishikesh 2021

4. 500 Hour YTT
The top-of-the-line Yoga Alliance certification program that is open for beginners, intermediate, and advanced yoga practitioners. If you want to learn the mental and spiritual aspects of yoga and become an RYT 500, this is the course for you.

In the advanced-level 500 hour YTT, you learn yoga on a whole different level. The course includes lessons on;

• Introduction to yoga origins and philosophy
• Introduction to eight limbs of Ashtanga yoga
• Introduction to Pranayama
• Introduction to joints and range of motion
• Introduction to yoga injuries and how to prevent them
• Lessons on different types of meditation
• Introduction to Yoga mantras
• Backbend and forward bend yoga asana
• Classes on yoga teaching methods
• Ways to observe and assist students
• Introduction to yoga Bandhas

A 500 hour Yoga Alliance certification offers you beginner and advanced-level yoga knowledge. In other words, this is the paramount YTT program you can sign up for.

Yoga experts around the world get a ton of questions concerning the Yoga Alliance YTT programs. Given below are some FAQs that can help you make the right choice when it comes to choosing a Yoga Alliance YTT program.

Read More:- RYT 500 Yoga Teacher Training Course-2021

Yoga Alliance FAQs

Let us now check out the three most common questions that yoga experts come across with regards to Yoga Alliance certification programs.

1. What Is The Minimum Requirement For Becoming An RYT?
To become an RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher), you have to complete the basic 200-hour YTT program. This course helps you understand the foundational concepts of yoga and help you get started as a certified yoga instructor. After completing this course, you can teach as a basic yoga teacher and help others understand yoga as a beginner.

2. How Would I Find A Yoga School Providing Me The 200 Hour YTT?
Finding a certified yoga school is pretty simple, all you need to do is visit the Yoga Alliance online directory and search for that particular yoga school. You can customize the search results as per the yoga style and program format.

3. Who Issues The Yoga Alliance International Certificates?
Yoga Alliance International certificates are issued by Yoga Alliance only. The certificate carries the signatures of Yoga Alliance functionaries and the head of the yoga school from where you did the training.

Conclusion

Do you want to become a certified yoga instructor? Enroll in a Yoga Alliance certification program to learn yoga from the best.