Ever see yoga teachers with RYT after their name, and wonder what the letters stood for? RYT means Registered Yoga Teacher. These letters are credentials awarded by Yoga Alliance for students who register with their directory up completing an approved Yoga Teacher Training.  A yoga teacher can also be a certified yoga teacher, without registering for Yoga Alliance, meaning that they completed a training but chose not to register in the directory. 

There are various designations/ levels of certification within Yoga Alliance for both individual teachers and schools, and I am going to break them down for you here. 

TEACHER DESIGNATIONS:

RYT-200

A RYT-200 is a person who has successfully completed a Yoga Alliance approved 200 Hour Foundational Yoga Teacher Training. This training is a foundational training for YA, and is usually the initial training a person takes to become certified to teach yoga. Students can do this in a weekend format over a period of time, or they can take an intensive training, where they complete the hours all at one time. 

ERYT-200

ERYT-200 (Or Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher- 200) means that a student has taken and completed a 200 Hour Training, and also taught 1000 hours since completing that training. 

RYT-500

This designation means that a teacher has completed both a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training as well as a 300 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training, for a combination of 500 Hours of learning.  Yoga teachers can also earn this credential by completing a 500 Hour Training- all 500 Hours with one program at one time. 

ERYT-200. RYT 300

This is a combination of two credentials. Teachers with this designation have completed 500 Hours of training, and have taught over 1000 hours.

ERYT-500

This is currently the highest designation a teacher can hold within Yoga Alliance. It indicates that the teacher has completed 500 Hours of training, as well as 2000 Hours of teaching. At least 1000 of those teaching hours must be completed after all 500 Hours of training are finished. 

In addition to these credentials, there are several specialty credentials you can have.

YACAP

This stands for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. Any ERYT teacher is able to add this designation, and can then promote their workshops and continuing education courses through the Alliance. 

RCYT

Registered Childrens Yoga Teachers have completed a 95 Hour Childrens Yoga Program upon completion of their 200 Hour Training. 

RPYT

Registered Prenatal Yoga Teachers have completed an 85 Hour prenatal yoga program after completing a 200 Hour training. 

SCHOOL DESIGNATIONS:

RYS200

This indicates that a Registered Yoga School is an accredited for a 200 Hour foundational yoga training program, and can certify 200 Hour Yoga Teachers, allowing them to register with Yoga Alliance.

RYS300

This indicates that a Registered Yoga School is an accredited advanced teacher training. These 300 Hour programs can be completed by yoga teachers who already completed a 200 hour training.

RYS500

Schools that hold a Registered Yoga School 500 designation offer programs that combine 200 & 300 hour trainings into one in-depth program.

Keep in mind that you can take trainings and teach thousands of hours, but still decide not to register with Yoga Alliance- so just because someone doesn’t have those letters after their name, doesn’t mean they aren’t a qualified Yoga Teacher!