Yoga Teacher Training Forum

Hi There Tek,

What your Guru said is basically true. The bad side of Yoga registries is many of them seek to divide and separate. To divide is the opposite of unity. Religion has made the same mistake. It's a sad state of affairs when this happens in Yoga.

Yoga teachers should be intelligent enough to avoid being swept up in a current of us against them, but this has not been the case. Many teachers believe they belong to the best registry and the rest be damned. Another popular sentiment is "I am superior because I am a member of _____________." This sort of talk will divide us further. This is why most teachers still remain independent. Becoming a certified teacher of Yoga is one thing, but joining a team is another.

An organization for yoga teachers should embrace everyone. And not just the elite few who belong to that group.

Peace,

Vanessa

Namaste,

There is an inherent need for us to belong to a larger group. It is like the attraction of a moth to a light. This is a double edged sword. The group should help each teacher, but sometimes the group is a web that preys on teachers. Think for yourself. Be proud to be independent. This is the way of the traditional yogi. The guru dsn't have to worry about loneliness.

Should the alliance tell us how to breath and meditate? Do you know what is good for you and your yoga students? If you don't know, you might consider teaching something else. A shepherd who leads lambs toward the wolves is worthless. Look into the registry you think is going to help you. How will they help you? What kind of support can you count on? Will they teach you? What can they teach you? What can they do for your students? Is their purpose to raise millions? Why do they need such a large war chest?

My suspicion isn't without cause. There is legal bullying going on. This is a predictable reaction to gaining power. They are drunk with new power and there is nothing yogic within any of them. They are educated and consider us as fools. Mark my words, open your eyes and you will see their true colors. Yoga is not about joining power groups who seek to enslave teachers. This is the first step to enslave yoga.

Peace

Sarah

The reason why Yoga Alliance exsits is to raise the bar of Yoga teacher training and to make teaching Yoga a professional trade. Student safety is important to everyone. Yoga Alliance (YA) recognizes independent study with limitations.

1. 20 hours of independent study, correspondence courses, and online courses can be credited toward your RYT 200.

2. For established RYTs, YA will recognize correspondence courses and online courses as non-contact CEUs.

While there is some misinformation about YA on the Internet, the original source is not YA. After the required number of contact hours, your teacher (who must be an E-RYT equivalent) submits the necessary YA forms.

It is understood why there is a need for non-contact hours to be recognized.

Policies take a while to change and best way to make YA change its guidelines is by contacting them. If enough people do, Yoga Alliance will have more forward thinking policies.

Hi Parell,

Thank you for the history lesson. In some countries there is a bit of protectionism about everything. There are business permits and taxes to be paid and so on. Nevertheless, certification alone is enough in most every country I visited.

Namaste,

Vanessa

Will someone explain to me how an online yoga registry can have a strict contact hour policy? The Yoga Alliance doesn't even know you, but they are good at PR and legal stuff.

Namaskar Priyah,

I am only an intern working toward my level 1 Aura yoga teacher diploma. I agree with some of the points that teachers don't have to become registered. But I don't agree that Yoga Alliance is trying to rule Yoga. It is very North American to resist government intervention. I honor and respect this way of life. Canada and the US are much different from many other countries. Related to this - Yoga Alliance was started for good reasons and they have a new president in R. Mark Davis.

It seems that certification is a logical first step. I see many schools who want an arm and a leg for Registered Yoga Teacher credentials and everything (books, materials, and mentoring) is extra. Some require 100 hours of you teaching for free, while you mentor watches you. This is a great system for yoga schools to have free teachers all the time.

After I am teaching as an independent yoga teacher, I can see teaching opportunities. In theory - It will take me only 10 -one hour- private sessions of one-to-one teaching yoga to students for me to break even and pay off my correspondence course. So, far as an intern, I have made $240 in teaching four lessons to people who asked me to teach them.

This looks very promising in a tough econnomy. In future, I will visit Paulji for contact hours toward my RYT. My experience: Certification first - Registration maybe later.

Om Shanti,

Patel

Namaskar

Well finally logic dictates on this thread. There is no reason to worry about conspiracy theories. Very few places will refuse a certified yoga teacher with diploma in hand. Later on, you can be registered, if you so decide. And the word is new president R. Mark Davis is a good man.

Om Shanti,

A.S.Kumar