Guidelines
Yoga Alliance® standards are intended to strengthen the integrity of a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT®) or a Registered Yoga School (RYS®) in the yoga community and to enhance the public perception of yoga teachers as well-trained professionals. Schools may be recognized as RYSs and graduates as RYTs only when they train teachers using a definite, pre-defined curriculum and engage experienced instructors to conduct training directly with trainees.
Contact Hours Requirements
- Contact Hours: A contact hour is an in-person classroom hour in the physical presence of a faculty member. Contact hours in each category must be in a dedicated teacher training environment (into which others might occasionally be invited) rather than in classes intended for the general public. Of the required contact hours, a number are specified in the five educational categories. Remaining hours must be distributed among the five educational categories and can be taught by any faculty member.
- Non-Contact Hours: All outside resources should be thoughtfully chosen to support the training and be relevant to yoga and/or anatomy and physiology. Non-contact hours must be an assigned part of the curriculum and may include:
- Reading, Audio/Video, Internet that incorporate an assessment including reports, class discussions, presentations or tests
- Written Assignments on yoga-related topics; may be counted for all categories except Practicum
- Group Activities including directed discussion, techniques practice or teaching practice
- Evaluation of Yoga Classes outside of the program; each class must be evaluated via a written or oral exercise and may count for up to two hours of credit towards Techniques, Teaching Methodology or Practicum categories
Faculty Requirements
- Director: This person is the owner of your RYS curriculum and the main point of contact with Yoga Alliance. This is the only person authorized to make changes to the RYS record (name, curriculum, faculty, etc.). The Director may also be a Primary E-RYT.
- Primary E-RYT®s: Yoga Alliance standards require a minimum number of contact hours be taught by your Primary E-RYTs. These teachers must be E-RYTs; E-RYT 200s for RYS 200s and E-RYT 500s for RYS 500s. For a RYS 200 you may have a maximum of two Primary E-RYTs. For a RYS 500 you may have a maximum of five Primary E-RYTs. For RCYS (Children’s) and RPYS (Prenatal), the Primary E-RYTs must carry the corresponding specialty designation (RCYT or RPYT).
- Other Faculty: For teachers that are not E-RYTs, you will list their relevant certification(s). Other teachers are required to have at least 100 hours of relevant training in the topic area they are teaching. Yoga Alliance standards do not allow for contact hours with other teachers to qualify as contact hours required with the Primary E-RYT(s).