If you are an experienced Yoga Teacher considering offering Yoga Teacher Training, take note: Yoga Alliance’s School application process changed on Feb. 27, 2020 to refect the new Yoga Alliance Standards. .
This is the first of a 4 part series on the new Yoga Alliance (YA) standards, starting with what I consider the biggest, most profound changes to the 200 Hour Yoga School Standards: the Lead Trainer requirements.
This impacts Schools in a surprising way because those who have their Registered Yoga School (RYS) designation before Feb. 27/20 will be able to offer Yoga Teacher Training with an E-RYT 200 Lead Trainer till 2022.
Those who become an RYS after Feb. 27 will need an E-RYT 500 as a Lead Trainer.
That’s because Yoga Alliance gives their current RYS’s until February 2022 to upgrade to the E-RYT 500 designation.
Today we’ll dive into the Lead Trainer requirements then continue the series examining other changes coming down the pipeline.
4 Part Series
Yoga Alliance New Standards
- Enhanced Lead Trainer Requirements: this page explains what they are and when you will need to have them by if you are a Lead Trainer or thinking of becoming a Lead Trainer of a Yoga Teacher Training.
- New Application Process, Educational Categories and Core Competencies: All Registered Yoga Schools will require a new syllabus. Let’s look at the changes,
- What counts as Online Training? YA will allow up to 40 Hours of online training. But what counts as online training? Find out here.
- Future Changes for YA Schools: What changes to expect for 300 Hour RYS’s, Children’s Yoga, and Prenatal Yoga.
Part 1: Enhanced Lead Trainer Requirements
The standards for lead trainers of a Yoga Teacher Training are changing significantly, from E-RYT 200 to E-RYT 500.
Until Feb. 23, 2020, to lead a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training you need to be an E-RYT 200, meaning you have:
- a minimum 200 hour training from a YA-RYS,
- at least 2 years since graduating from the RYS,
- 1000 hours of yoga teaching experience since graduating from the RYS
Current vs. Enhanced Lead Trainer Requirements
On Feb. 24, 2020, those requirements to lead a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training change to E-RYT 500, meaning you have:
- a minimum of 500 hours of training from YA registered schools,
- at least 4 years since graduating from the RYS,
- 2000 hours of yoga teaching experience, with a minimum of 500 hours since graduating from the 300 HR or 500 HR RYS.
That’s more than double the training and experience!
What Else Changes for Lead Trainers?
Another change is the number of hours the lead trainer must teach. Currently, the Lead Trainers must teach 65 hours of the 200 Hour training.
Schools registering under the NEW standards require 150 hours taught by Lead Trainers (with the E-RYT 500 designation). RYS’s can have up to five lead trainers in their school. 50 hours can be taught by other specialists in the educational category.
However, all 200 hours of training must be contact hours. this changes from 180 contact hours under the current standards.
How to Get a 200 Hour Yoga School?
At Ambassador Yoga, our goal is to support experienced yoga teachers to offer YA Registered Yoga Teacher Training, so the YA changes are big news to us.
If you have the E-RYT 500 designation with Yoga Alliance you will be able to open a 200 Hour Registered Yoga School. You can write your own yoga school syllabus and manuals or you can get our support and license our 200 Hour program. We will give you everything you need to register with Yoga Alliance too.
We also have news if you are an experienced Yoga Teacher but are not eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as a Lead Trainer. Ambassador Yoga will begin to accept experienced Yoga Teachers who want to become Lead Trainers, however, their yoga teacher training will not be eligible to register for Yoga Alliance.
This means you can register with other organizations where you qualify, like Canadian Yogic Alliance or the International Yoga Federation, or remain an unregistered school like many schools. You will be required to inform your students of your status on your website and intake forms.
When the Changes Come Into Effect
On Thursday, Feb. 27, 2020, Yoga Alliance will switch to the new standards and application system. The affiliate program will be discontinued at Yoga Alliance and new schools must manually submit their own syllabus for approval.
New Lead Trainers we work with to use the Ambassador Manuals and Lesson Plans will also receive a Syllabus and all the information needed to register a yoga school.
Then you will go through the application with Yoga Alliance, with the option to add us as your syllabus manager.
Do the Yoga Alliance Changes Affect You?
What has been your take on the new Yoga Alliance Standards? Have they affected you? Are you considering leaving Yoga Alliance? Have you already left?
We have seen so many E-RYT 200’s lead amazing Yoga Teacher Training programs that we are now opening up the Ambassador Yoga program to experienced Yoga Teachers not registered with Yoga Alliance.
We’d love your thoughtful feedback if you have any to share.
Stay tuned for the next part of our Yoga Alliance New Standards Series:
New Educational Categories and Core Competencies