Yoga Alliance

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 Foundation 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 Directory\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.

Our mission is to promote and support the integrity and diversity of the teaching of yoga. We do this through:

• Celebrating the diversity of yoga styles, traditions and lineages;
• Advocating for self-regulation in the yoga industry and universal access to safe yoga practices;
• Upholding the worldwide growth of yoga through education and community;
• Educating the public on the value and credibility of voluntary registration with Yoga Alliance, our related 501(c)(3) non-membership public charity;
• Encouraging safe yoga instruction by promoting adoption of Yoga Alliance’s quantitative Standards;
• Inspiring members to foster an informal yoga community by providing fair and full feedback to Registered Yoga Schools, which fosters accountability and continual improvement;
• Advocating to protect the yoga community from unfair or unnecessarily burdensome patents, taxation or government regulation;
• Guiding yoga teachers and schools in achieving success with conscious and effective business practices; and
• Serving the member community by supporting scholarship programs, providing benefits, and developing strategic alliances.

Currently, we have over 99,000 Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®s) and more than 6,000 Registered Yoga Schools (RYS®s).