About us

Yoga Alliance (YA) is the largest nonprofit association representing yoga teachers, schools and studios in the U.S. Through our work and the work of our sister organization, Yoga Alliance Registry, we exist to sustain and support the field of yoga. We do so by providing the public with a registry of teachers and schools whose training meets our standards, and by supporting yoga teachers, schools and studios in their work as yoga professionals. 

Our Work

Yoga Alliance is a 501(c)(6) professional and trade association that supports the yoga profession and business. We serve teachers, schools and studios through educational events, including online workshops and an annual conference. We also provide member benefits with the aim of helping yoga professionals find a little more sattva, or balance, in their lives, aiding their work in the yoga community.

Yoga Alliance Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works to ensure knowledgeable instruction and training programs can be found by yoga students. Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs) whose training and experience meet our minimum standards, along with Registered Yoga Schools (RYSs) whose curriculum meet our minimum standards, are listed on our online directory for one-year terms. Our Registry, which is a voluntary international credentialing system, is widely recognized as the premier form of recognition given to a yoga teacher or school. 

Over 37,000 yoga teachers and more than 2,500 yoga schools are registered with Yoga Alliance Registry. 

Our History 

Yoga Alliance was formed in 1999 by a merger of two volunteer organizations, Unity in Yoga and Ad Hoc Yoga Alliance. Unity in Yoga sponsored inclusive national and international yoga conferences from 1982 until 1995 with the aim of uniting the different styles and traditions of yoga and fostering a spirit of unity. Ad Hoc Yoga Alliance was formed in 1997 to create minimum standards for yoga teachers. Since our formation, we have emphasized mutual respect, sensitivity and support of different yoga styles and traditions.

In September 1999, Yoga Alliance established a national Yoga Teachers' Registry to recognize and promote teachers with training that meets our minimum standards. Teachers who meet these standards are eligible to register as Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs). In 2005, in conjunction with enhanced and revised standards for registration, Yoga Alliance began recognizing and registering teachers with significant teaching experience in addition to training from a RYS. These teachers can register as Experienced Registered Yoga Teachers (E-RYTs). Yoga Alliance also maintains a Registry of Yoga Schools to recognize yoga teacher training programs that meet our 200-hour and 500-hour standards. A school whose curriculum satisfies or exceeds our minimum training standards may apply to register as a Registered Yoga School (RYS). Once a school is registered, all graduates of a RYS are automatically eligible to register with us as RYTs.  In December 2010, Yoga Alliance began recognizing and registering schools and teachers with training in two specialties: Children’s Yoga and Prenatal Yoga.

Recognizing the need for member programs and services that go beyond the scope of a 501(c)(3), Yoga Alliance incorporated a separate 501(c)(6) organization to serve as an association for yoga teachers, schools and studios. In September 2011, Yoga Alliance announced that it would automatically make all of its registrants members of this new organization. Currently, the two organizations, Yoga Alliance and Yoga Alliance Registry, operate in partnership to support the yoga community. 

Some key milestones in our history:
  • 1987 (May) – Unity in Yoga was formed to provide continuing education through national and international yoga conferences.
  • 1997 – Ad Hoc Yoga Alliance was formed to create minimum standards for yoga teachers.
  • 1999 – Yoga Alliance was formed.
  • 1999 (September) – Yoga Alliance established a national Yoga Teachers' Registry to recognize and promote teachers with training that meets our minimum standards. Teachers who meet these standards are eligible to register as Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs).
  • 2005 – In conjunction with enhanced and revised standards for registration, Yoga Alliance began recognizing and registering teachers with significant teaching experience in addition to training from an RYS. These teachers can register as Experienced Registered Yoga Teachers (E-RYTs).
  • 2010 – Yoga Alliance launched two new specialty standards: Children’s Yoga and Prenatal Yoga, guiding both schools and teachers on standards for training in these areas.
  • 2011 (September) – Yoga Alliance incorporated a 501(c)(6) organization to serve as the professional association for yoga teachers, schools and studios. 
  • 2011 (October) – Yoga Alliance hosted its first annual conference in Indian Wells, CA themed Yoga in the West: Past, Present & Future, with the educational mission of shedding light on the origins of yoga.  Over 325 people attended.
  • 2012 (October) – Yoga Alliance hosted its second annual conference in Indian Wells, CA themed Transformation Through Yoga, with the educational mission of exploring how yoga yields both personal and societal transformation. Over 250 people attended.
  • 2013 (January) – Member benefits program launched to support the lifestyle and work of the yoga professional.
  • 2013 (January) – Online workshop program commenced with a series on yoga and the law.