YA News

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YOGA ALLIANCE APPOINTS NEW PRESIDENT JOHN MATTHEWS

ARLINGTON, VA--The board of Yoga Alliance, the national education and support organization for yoga in the U.S., has hired a new president, John Matthews. John brings invaluable nonprofit and Yoga Alliance experience to his new position.

He has worked as a consultant to the board for the past six years while serving as vice president of the Federation of State Humanities Councils. “I am honored to be selected to serve Yoga Alliance,” John says, “It feels like coming home.”

For the past 20 years, John has worked as an organizational consultant, specializing in planning and program development and evaluation. Before joining the Federation in 2004, John served as director of the Delta Cultural Center in Arkansas and prior to that as a program officer at the Arkansas Humanities Council.

He and his wife, Jane, both yoga practitioners, reside in Arlington, Va.

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YOGA ALLIANCE PARTNERS WITH DC YOGA WEEK SET FOR MAY

ARLINGTON, VA--Yoga Alliance is pleased to once again partner with Washington, DC yoga studios for the fifth annual DC Yoga Week, which will be held May 15 through May 22.

The event offers free and $5 yoga classes to residents of the Washington metropolitan area. For one week each spring, those who are curious about yoga or those who have studied yoga for years have the chance to attend different yoga classes at participating DC studios that are providing free or discounted classes.

The highlight of DC Yoga Week is Yoga on the Mall (YOTM) on Saturday, May 15 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. It will be a free outdoor yoga practice near the Washington Monument on the grounds of the National Mall, led by teachers from participating DC Yoga Week studios. Yoga on the Mall (YOTM) is open to all levels of yoga students, from beginners to advanced, and to individuals, as well as families with children.

Welcome

Yoga Alliance® supports the study and teaching of yoga, a system of knowledge that includes disciplines and practices originating in ancient India that integrate the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human experience and lead to liberation from suffering.

Mission

Yoga Alliance is the national education and support organization for yoga in the United States.

We work in the public interest to ensure that there is a thorough understanding of the benefits of yoga, that the teachers of yoga value its history and traditions, and that the public can be confident of the quality and consistency of instruction.

Vision

Yoga Alliance® supports the study and teaching of yoga, a set of disciplines and practices originating in ancient India that integrate the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of human experience and lead to liberation from suffering.

Yoga is a proven system for improving physical, mental and spiritual well-being, and Yoga Alliance works to make it more available, believing that its effectiveness depends on the knowledge and skill of its teachers and on their ability to express the techniques and philosophy of yoga in alignment with traditional sources.

Activities

Yoga Alliance® is a non-profit, tax-exempt section 501(c)3 organization. We maintain a national Yoga Teachers' Registry to promote teachers with training that meets our standards. Teachers registered with us are authorized to use the initials "RYT® (Registered Yoga Teacher) after their name or the initials “E-RYT® (Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher) if they have significant teaching experience in addition to RYT training. We issue registry marks (logos) for enrolled teachers to use in resumes and business endeavors.

Yoga Alliance maintains a Registry of Yoga Schools that comply with our standards for yoga teacher training programs of at least 200 or 500 hours. Registered schools are authorized to use the initials RYS® (Registered Yoga School) after their names, and receive certificates of registration as well as registry marks. All graduates of an RYS are eligible to register as RYTs. The Registries are promoted to the general public, organizations that employ yoga teachers and organizations that review yoga teachers' credentials.

Please review our website for general information about yoga along with an explanation of our standards and details on how to apply for registration. You can also search for registered teachers and schools by location or yoga style.

Yoga Day USA^SM

Yoga Alliance^® is also the creator of Yoga Day USA^S , an annual nationwide celebration of yoga designed to make yoga accessible to everyone.  For more details, please go to www.yogadayusa.org.

*This designation means that income tax deductions may be taken for contributions made to Yoga Alliance^® by persons who itemize their deductions. Application, processing, and annual registration fees paid by applicants or existing members are NOT tax deductible.