Yoga Alliance brings the workshops to you! This year, we will host 8-12 online workshops so you can learn from the comfort of your very own home, studio or local tea shop. We will post recordings of these online workshops approximately one week after they have concluded, and will make them available to active RYTs from this page.
Log in, listen and learn!
Questions? Here are the most frequently asked questions we receive about online workshops:
- How much do these cost? All of these learning opportunities will be free for Registered Yoga Teachers and owners and managers of Registered Yoga Schools. You will be required to log into your YA account to register for the event. If you need to renew your registration, you may renew online. Some workshops will be available to the general public for a fee.
- Do these online workshops count for continuing education? Time spent taking these online workshops, either live or recorded, may be counted as non-contact hours of continuing education towards your Yoga Alliance registration.
- I can’t make it but would love to attend! Will you record these online workshops? Absolutely. We will record and post the online workshops on this page approximately one week after they have concluded.
- I did not receive the connection instructions for the online workshop! Once you register for an online workshop, you will receive a confirmation email immediately. Connection instructions will be emailed three days prior to the event.
Opening a Yoga Studio: A Discussion of Ethical and Legal Considerations
Join Yoga Alliance, Darren Main and Gary Kissiah on a discussion of ethical and legal considerations for opening a yoga studio. As a former yoga studio owner, Darren will share his thoughts on the common ethical questions new studio owners face, such as how to work with and alongside competing studios in your community. As a lawyer who has worked with yoga studios, Gary will walk us through the most important legal issues you need to know before you open your doors, including leasing, partnership arrangements, necessary registrations and permits.
About the presenters
Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. He has been a corporate partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a large international law firm, and a senior attorney with Microsoft. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law,
Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios (with 35 legal forms). Sign up for Gary's free newsletter from his website.
http://garykissiah.com/
Darren Main is a yoga and meditation instructor and author. His books include
Yoga and the Path of the Urban Mystic,
Spiritual Journeys along the Yellow Brick Road,
Inner Tranquility,
The Yogi Entrepreneur and
Hearts and Minds: Talking to Christians about Homosexuality. He facilitates workshops and gives talks on yoga and modern spirituality throughout the U.S. and abroad and is the host of the internationally syndicated podcast
Inquire Within. He currently resides in San Francisco, teaching and directing the teacher training program at Yoga Tree (RYS 200 & 500).
www.darrenmain.com
This online workshop has concluded. Active RYTs may access the materials from this event below:
> View the recording and presentation materials**
Internet Laws for Yoga
The Internet offers quick and easy resources for promoting yoga businesses, publishing content and selling products. At the same time, we need to protect our website content, avoid trademark infringement, and understand the liability considerations for selling yoga products online. In this online workshop, we will discuss the legal issues related to operating online. We will cover copyrights, trademarks, product liability, privacy policies, blogging, product endorsement and social media law. Plus, participants will receive a model privacy policy. We will also review the CAN-SPAM Act which regulates the way we use commercial email, including email newsletters. The workshop will conclude with 15 minutes of Q&A with Gary.*
About the presenter
Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. He has been a corporate partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a large international law firm, and a senior attorney with Microsoft. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law, Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios (with 35 legal forms). Sign up for Gary's free newsletter from his website.
http://garykissiah.com/
This online workshop has concluded. Active RYTs may access the materials from this event below:
> View the recording and presentation materials**
Learn about Yoga Liability
As a yoga teachers or studio owners, we are concerned about liability. Can someone sue me or my yoga studio for an injury, for inappropriate touching or for mental distress? Is my yoga studio liable for the actions of my teachers? Can I be sued for an injury caused by products that I sell in my boutique or on my website? Can I be sued if my brand or website name infringes someone’s trademark? What about liabilities on my lease or on the various agreements that I sign in my yoga business? How do I put the best defenses in place to protect me if I do get a demand letter or a lawsuit?
This online workshop will discuss the sources of legal liability to which we may be exposed in our yoga businesses. It will offer a three-limbed strategy to reduce our exposure to liability. We will discuss whether you need a legal entity to protect you from liability if you own a yoga studio or if you are a yoga teacher. We will also explore best practices to resolve a legal matter in a positive way rather than damaging your legal case.*
This online workshop has been designed to be equally useful for both yoga studios and yoga teachers. The basic principles that we will be exploring will be helpful in Canada as well.
About the presenter
Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. He has been a corporate partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a large international law firm, and a senior attorney with Microsoft. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law, Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios (with 35 legal forms). Sign up for Gary's free newsletter from his website.
http://garykissiah.com/
This online workshop has concluded. Active RYTs may access the materials from this event below:
> View the recording and presentation materials**
Employees or Independent Contractors? New Legal Risks and Liabilities
During this 90-minute online workshop intended for yoga studio owners, we will cover the many issues involving the characterization of yoga teachers and other yoga studio workers as either independent contractors or employees. We will examine the federal and state tests for determining whether your teachers are independent contractors or employees. We will discuss the use of agreements with teachers to properly document their status and best practices to support the classification of teachers as independent contractors (if that is your intention). Using an example agreement, we will review the necessary items to include in a studio-teacher agreement. We will also consider treating teachers as employees rather than independent contractors and what that may mean for your studio. In addition, we will explore what all of this means from the perspective of your teachers. Lastly, we will address your questions with 30 minutes dedicated to Q&A.*
Note: While the independent contractor laws will be specific to the U.S., the example agreement may be helpful to studios and teachers residing in Canada, as well.
About the presenter
Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. He has been a corporate partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a large international law firm, and a senior attorney with Microsoft. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law, Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios (with 35 legal forms). Sign up for Gary's free newsletter from his website.
http://garykissiah.com/
This online workshop has concluded. Active RYTs may access the materials from this event below:
> View the recording and presentation materials**
Yoga Law: What You Must Know!
During this 60-minute online learning experience, Gary Kissiah will broadly review the top ten legal issues affecting our yoga community today: independent contractor liability, studio and teacher agreements, protection from liability, key agreements, branding, use of corporate entities, ethics, when to hire lawyers, reducing legal fees, and regulation.*
About the presenter
Gary Kissiah has practiced corporate and business law for over 20 years. He has been a corporate partner with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, a large international law firm, and a senior attorney with Microsoft. Gary has a certificate of Yoga Philosophy from the California Institute of Integral Studies, is a RYT 200 and teaches yoga philosophy and law for teacher training programs in the Bay Area. Gary recently published a new book on law, Light on Law: A Guide To Legal Wellness for Yoga Teachers and Studios (with 35 legal forms). Sign up for Gary's free newsletter from his website.
http://garykissiah.com/
This online workshop has concluded. Active RYTs may access the materials from this event below:
> View the recording and presentation materials**
*The materials available on this website are for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing legal advice. You should contact your attorney to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Use of and access to this website or any of the email links contained within the site do not create an attorney-client relationship between Yoga Alliance and the user or browser.
**Please note that you must log into your YA account to access the free registration details and/or recordings of past online workshops. Online workshops are provided free of charge to active RYTs and RYSs only. If you are a RYS without an active RYT account, or you need help accessing your account, please contact info(at)yogaalliance.org for information on how to register for these events. If you need to renew your registration, you may renew online. If you are a non-member, you may register for a fee using the appropriate links above.