The decision on whether or not to join Yoga Alliance is something I always leave up to the individual. My goal is to offer them information on the purpose of Yoga Alliance as well as the pros and cons of joining, and then let them choose whether or not they decide to register. My previous blog post gives a general overview of Yoga Alliance. This post focuses on some pros and cons of registering.

Pros:

Credibility: Yoga Alliance is the largest directory of yoga schools and teachers. In an unregulated industry, Yoga Alliance attempts to provide some oversight and guidelines to ensure a minimum level of knowledge by yoga instructors. Having a Yoga Alliance trademark by your name indicates that you have completed the minimum number of hours of yoga training by a school that meets their guidelines.

Continuing education: Yoga Alliance offers free continuing education to its members. There was a period where I honestly wasn’t sure that the free continuing ed was worth it, but I really noticed during CoVid that the number of weekly virtual workshops multiplied. I receive emails weekly with numerous options for workshops, and I can click to sign up for the link to attend the workshop right through the emails. It is an easy way to continue to learn and educate yourself on a wide variety of topics related to yoga.

Discounts: Yoga Alliance has partnerships with quite a few companies and organizations for its members, and it is easy to see how to access these discounts on their website. Some of my favorites are Glo, Manduka, MindBody, Yoloha, and Jade.

Directory: If you register with Yoga Alliance, you are added to their directory. It is a comprehensive list of registered yoga teachers, and you can include your bio, specialties, workshops, and offerings. The directory can be a one-stop place to find local teachers, classes, and teacher trainings.

Cons:

Cost: Registration after completing a 200 Hour Training includes a $50 application fee, as well as a $65 yearly fee. Each year thereafter, annual/ renewal dues are $65. For someone who just shelled out a couple thousand (or more) dollars for a training, this can be a little steep. There are also additional fees each time you up-level, if you choose to be a Continuing Education Provider, or if you choose to register a Yoga School. For some people, the cost just isn’t worth it, especially if you are teaching at a studio where it is not required.

Reliability: While Yoga Alliance has recently updated their application standards for school (a necessary and welcome change, though tedious to complete if you already had an accredited school!), they essentially rely on the honesty of the schools to maintain their own trainings at the level at which they applied. Yoga Alliance also relies on the honesty of teachers to keep track of their own hours and continuing education for up-leveling. They have added an accountability option on their site, for members to report grievances or unethical situations- but this still relies on member reporting. While we like to think that everyone in the yoga community is honest and practicing ahimsa, it is impossible to guarantee that it is true.

Subjectivity- Because yoga can mean something different for each individual, and has many paths, it is extremely complicated for one organization to determine that a teacher training program meets the criteria of “yoga”- while saying that another program does not. For example, there is an anatomy component required for teacher training programs to become accredited… but practitioners of karma yoga (or the yoga of service) may not agree.

In summary, whether you choose to register is totally up to you, and there is no right or wrong! But it is important to think it through and make the choice that suits you best. And… it is nice to have the option! I never thought after my first training that I would one day be leading teacher trainings myself. When the opportunity at my home studio was presented to create and lead a training, I was thankful to be able to be able to get it accredited through YA, as I felt that it added a little bit of legitimacy to the program. I especially am grateful to have it approved when looking for opportunities to offer my trainings in various locations and abroad. But again- that is just me! And it may not be the case for everyone!