The New Yoga Alliance Standards: What You Need To Know

First of all, don’t panic.

Read that one again. Don’t panic.

Yoga Alliance has been on track to create new certification standards and has released their update. Here is what you need to know to stay on track.

Your Timeline

New Yoga Alliance applicants:

• New 200 Applicants: You will have to apply using new standards starting in February 2020.
• New 300/500 Applicants: You will have to apply using the new standards by February 2021. (As you will have to resubmit your application with the new standards by Feb 2020 anyway, I suggest that all new 300 and 500 applicants simply go ahead and use the new standards.)

Current Yoga Alliance members:

• You will have to resubmit your application. Yep. (I know. I’m feel ya.)
• Everyone must be upgraded to the new standards by February 2022. This means that when you hit your first renewal date after Feb 2021, you will have to resubmit your curriculum to meet the new standards. If you are an eager beaver, you can apply on your next renewal date and get ahead of the crowd.

Everyone:

• February 2020: “Yoga Alliance will ask all credential holders to sign onto a strengthened, contemporary ethical commitment upon registration or renewal beginning February 2020.” This new agreement includes three parts: Scope of Practice, a Code of Conduct, and a responsibility to equity in yoga. Yoga Alliance is also creating an online course to help people understand this commitment, which you will be able to take for free.

Major Changes

The major changes fall into three categories:

• New requirements for trainers
• More room for online learning
• Slight changes in curriculum categories
• Enhanced (more rigorous) application process

We’ll look at each change individually.

New Trainer Requirements

This is the doozy. Until the new requirements, 200 hour trainers could be E-RYT 200. But under the new standards, all lead trainers must be E-RYT 500.

Beginning in February 2022, all Lead Trainers of any RYS 200 must hold the E-RYT 500 credential and teach at least 150 of the minimally-required 200 hours of the foundational teacher training program.

Enhanced Lead Trainer Requirements, Yoga Alliance

What this means for you:

• If you are currently an E-RYT 200, then you need to become E-RYT 500. You must:
  • Earn your 500 HR cert by February 2021,
  • Teach an additional 500 hours of classes as a RYT-500 (for a total of 2,000 hours of logged teaching hours),
  • Apply and get your E-RYT 500 by February 2022.
• Also, the lead trainer(s) needs to teach 150 hours of the 200 hour curriculum, which means no more parsing out your training hours to non-lead trainers and specialists. It’s all you, baby.

Online Learning

Under the new standards, 40 hours of curriculum may be delivered online by non-lead trainers.

For online learning, you may have:

• Anatomy: up to 20 hours online (out of 30 total hours; you must still have 10 hours in person)
• Philosophy: up to 20 hours (out of 30 total hours; you must still have 10 hours in person)

Non-Contact Hours

Remember how we used to have 20 non-contact hours in there for homework and outside work? No longer. There are no more “non-contact hours.” You may have 40 hours online learning, and 160 in person in the classroom. (And remember, your lead trainers will need to teach 150 of those in person hours). So kiss goodbye to those non-contact hours.

Curriculum Changes

This adjustment doesn’t seem like too much of a big deal. You’re basically reshuffling what you’ve already done into slightly more streamlined categories. Rather than having Five Educational Categories, YA will now have four:

• Techniques, Training and Practice – requires 75 classroom hours
• Anatomy and Physiology – requires 30 hours (20 can be online)
• Yoga Humanities (philosophy, ethics) – requires 30 hours (20 can be online)
• Professional Essentials (formerly teaching methodology, practicum, business, and electives) – requires 65 classroom hours

Enhanced (Harder) Application Process

As everyone probably knows, applying for YA has been a bit of a joke. You could apply, and then create your training afterwards. However, now schools have their training together before they apply. In other words, you have to submit your completed manual and all materials (quizzes, tests, etc) in advance.

So, no more flying by the seat of your pants, yogis.

To apply, you will submit:

• RYS and Lead Trainer(s) letters of intent
• Syllabus, curriculum, hours allocation
• Schedule
• Manual(s) and training materials
• Assessment methods (knowledge, skills, experience)
• Trainer: trainee ratio
• Trainee prerequisites
• Copies of policies

I’ll be submitting my new application as soon as possible to run this gauntlet for you, and will report back on any challenges.

As always, I’m here to help. So if you’re freaking out about your submission, then before you grab that glass of wine, grab your phone and give me a shout for a chat.