Do You Need Continuing Education to Remain Licensed in Teaching
Continuing Education Requirements
Last Updated: August 30, 2021
Yoga Alliance believes continued learning and growth is paramount to the maintenance of high standards in yoga instruction. For this reason, all Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs) must meet the following Continuing Education (CE) requirements in order to maintain their Yoga Alliance credential(s).
At the onset of COVID-19 and its subsequent need for social distancing, Yoga Alliance established an online teaching exemption allowing online workshops, whether pre-recorded or live, to count toward contact hours for a limited timeframe. This timeline has since been extended through December 31, 2023. Additionally, time spent teaching yoga online can count toward the Continuing Education (CE) teaching hours requirement for all RYTs.
RYT CE Requirements
RYTs and E-RYTs must complete 75 hours of CE within three years from the date of their initial registration. This total number of hours must include:
- 45 hours teaching yoga; and
- 30 hours of yoga training that is directly related to one of our Educational Categories, of which:
- At least 10 training hours must be contact hours.*
- No more than 20 training hours may be non-contact hours.
All teaching and training hours can be documented within Yoga Alliance membership accounts and displayed on members' directory profiles.
Additional Details
- Teaching or training hours completed prior to Yoga Alliance registration do not count as CE.
- Additional hours accumulated beyond 30 hours within a three-year period may not rollover into the next three-year period.
- Yoga Alliance recognizes CE hours as time spent learning something new through research, study, or experiential learning, rather than synthesizing or processing prior knowledge.
How do I enter my Continuing Education hours? Show
There are two scenarios in which you need to enter CE hours manually. They are: if your provider does not hold the YACEP designation—or—if you are taking advantage of our Online Teaching Exemption, which allows online workshops and trainings occurring between now and December 31, 2021 to count as contact hours. To log these hours, please follow the directions below.
- Go to yogaalliance.org and log into your account.
- Select "Teacher Dashboard" in the top right corner of the webpage.
- On the left, you will see the red "Teacher" menu. Select "My Training Hours."
- Scroll down to the "Add Training Hours" section. Select the second option that says, "In person with someone who is not a YACEP OR not in person."
- Select "Some Contact Hours" for the type of CE training hours you are submitting.
- Select "Yes" under "Does your provider meet the qualifications above?"
- Enter your instructor's name and checkmark the box underneath to agree that your Continuing Education Provider has met the above requirements.
- Follow the prompts to submit your training hours without a certificate. Make sure to select "Save" when you are done entering the hours. All fields marked with an asterisk must be completed in order for the entry to save.
How do I enter my hours if I can't find my YACEP provider? Show
If you are unable to locate your YACEP provider, you can enter your hours manually. To do so, please follow the directions below.
- Go to yogaalliance.org and log into your account.
- Select "Teacher Dashboard" in the top right corner of the webpage.
- On the left, you will see the red "Teacher" menu. Select "My Training Hours."
- Scroll down to the "Add Training Hours" section. Select the second option that says, "In person with someone who is not a YACEP OR not in person."
- Select "Some Contact Hours" for the type of CE training hours you are submitting.
- Select "Yes" under "Does your provider meet the qualifications above?"
- Enter your instructor's name and checkmark the box underneath to agree that your Continuing Education Provider has met the above requirements.
- Follow the prompts to submit your training hours without a certificate. Make sure to select "Save" when you are done entering the hours. All fields marked with an asterisk must be completed in order for the entry to save.
How do I log my Continuing Education hours if I can't find the yoga studio or school with which I took my CE course? Show
Only individuals can be qualified as CE providers. However, it is possible for a school with an RYS credential to have an instructor that offers CE courses without the YACEP designation. In this instance, this individual should meet one of the following criteria:
- This individual is currently registered as an E-RYT 200 or E-RYT 500
- This individual is a professional with significant experience and education* in a subject related to at least one Educational Category
In the instance that you are logging a course offered by an E-RYT or a non-registered individual who meets the second criteria above, you must manually enter the hours. To do so, please visit the Training Hours page on your account dashboard and select the second option that says, "In person with someone who is NOT a YACEP."
*Significant experience means a minimum of 500 hours of teaching in the subject, and/or the equivalent of two years of relevant experience in that subject. Significant education means having a relevant degree, certification, or equivalent.
How do I register for an upcoming Continuing Education workshop? Show
To register for upcoming events, including CE workshops, please visit the Yoga Alliance Events webpage. Once you have registered for the event of your choice, you will receive an email invitation with a designated Zoom link giving you access to the workshop.
Yoga Alliance regularly sends out membership emails detailing upcoming workshops. To ensure you receive these notifications, please review the communication settings in your Yoga Alliance account.
Do pre-recorded workshop videos count as contact or non-contact hours? Show
Any online workshops—whether pre-recorded or live—that are viewed in their entirety between now and December 31, 2021 can count towards contact hours under the Yoga Alliance virtual learning Online Teaching Exemption. Outside of this temporary provision timeline, workshop videos only count as non-contact hours.
Do the community sanghas that Yoga Alliance is facilitating count as Continuing Education? Show
No, our virtual community sanghas do not count as CE. These online gatherings are meant to serve as an opportunity for the yoga community to connect and hold space for one another during the challenges of COVID-19.
Yoga Alliance videos found within our Workshop Archive and those that specify "CE Workshop" count towards CE. Any other Yoga Alliance video content does not qualify.
How long is the Online Teaching Exemption applicable? Show
Due to the ongoing nature of COVID-19, we implemented the Online Teaching Exemption allowing school members to offer in-person contact hours via virtual format, and teacher members to log approved online trainings along with online teaching hours toward their CE requirements through the end of 2021. After this date, all schools must fill out the 2022-2023 Online Teaching Application, including a new set of requirements, in order to teach their approved trainings online from Jan 1, 2022 until Dec 31, 2023. All teachers may continue to teach and receive CE credit online.
In addition to courses offered by YACEPs in the directory, what else counts as Continuing Education? Show
A course does not need to be listed on our CE directory in order for it to count towards CE requirements.
If you find a course using another source, such as Google, that course may count as long as 1) the instructor meets one of the criteria listed below, and 2) the course covers one of our Educational Categories.
An individual is qualified to offer CE if they are:
- A currently registered YACEP
- A currently registered E-RYT 200 or E-RYT 500
- A professional with significant experience and education* in a subject related to at least one Educational Category.
For your reference, you may view the Continuing Education brochure here. This includes CE requirements as well as what types of courses are not included. (As examples, topics that do not fall into our Educational Categories and do not relate directly to yoga include nutrition, juicing, organic farming/permaculture, reiki, Thai massage, CPR, Aromatherapy, "Yoga Therapy," Shamanism, and Chinese medicine.)
*Significant experience means a minimum of 500 hours of teaching in the subject, and/or the equivalent of two years of relevant experience in that subject. Significant education means having a relevant degree, certification, or equivalent.
Does self-study and reading count towards Continuing Education? If so, how do I report these hours? Show
Yes. Self-study and reading count towards non-contact hours. The number of non-contact hours acquired in this way will be the total number of hours you spent reading a book or online source. When manually entering this information, you are required to enter a start and end date, a brief description of the activity (what you learned), and the total number of non-contact hours (categorized by Educational Category) for this activity. You do not need to send us a paper; Rather, we ask that you fill out a brief description of your learnings when logging the course into your account.
To log any non-contact hours:
- Go to yogaalliance.org and log into your account.
- Select "Teacher Dashboard" in the top right corner.
- On the red "Teacher" menu on the left, select "My Training Hours."
- Scroll down to the "Add Training Hours" section. Select the second option that says, "In person with someone who is not a YACEP OR not in person."
- Select "Only Non-contact Hours" for the type of CE training hours you are submitting.
- Enter your start and end dates, a brief description of the activity, and the number of non-contact hours by educational category.
- Make sure to select "Save" when you are done entering the hours. All fields with an asterisk must be completed in order for the entry to save.
Where can I find the video archive of recent Continuing Education workshops? Show
To access recent CE workshops relating to COVID-19, please visit our archive listing on the bottom of yourya.org's home page. There, you will find prerecorded CE events to view at your convenience.*
Additional CE workshops on a wide range of subjects/topics can be found on our Workshop Archive.
*The time it takes to process and post video recordings may vary.
My Continuing Education workshop was cancelled due to COVID-19 and my Continuing Education (CE) cycle is ending soon. What are my options? Show
You have two options:
- Request an extension for your CE cycle. To do so, please email us at info@yogaalliance.org with the specifics regarding your extension request and the date you feel confident will allow you to fulfill your contact hours. Once reviewed, we will then make an internal note of this extension date on your account.
- Take advantage of our 2022-2023 Online Teaching Application through the end of 2023! Any online workshops you take between now and end of 2023 may count towards contact hours. Our Workshop Archive and past recent CE workshops will be good resources for you.
Can you help me find an online Continuing Education program or YACEP who is offering online CE courses? Show
To find a YACEP who is offering online courses, please use the CE directory on our website. Filter your results by selecting "Only virtual/remote" on the left side of your screen.
I'm taking advantage of the Online Teaching Exemption and completing a 300-hour training online. Can I report these hours as Continuing Education and upgrade as well? Show
You may use the 300-hour training towards an upgrade or for CE, but not for both.
If you are using the 300-hour training to upgrade to an RYT 500 or E-RYT 500 credential, you need to go through the upgrade process by selecting the "Upgrade Options" tab on the Teacher dashboard main page and submitting your certificate.
If you are using a 300-hour training for CE, you can manually enter these hours in the Training Hours section and select the second option that says, "In person with someone who is NOT a YACEP."
May I create a YACEP online course and include contact hours? Show
Yes, YACEP online courses may include contact hours between now and December 31, 2021 under the Online Teaching Exemption.
To add your upcoming course, please visit your YACEP dashboard. In order to select contact hours, you must specify your course location. Do NOT choose "Virtual," as this will only allow for non-contact hours.
Do my teaching hours still count even though I'm teaching online (including meditation and yin)? Show
Yes. Online teaching hours, including meditation and yin, temporarily count between now and December 31, 2023. The number of hours will be based on the actual number of hours you spent teaching rather than the number of views you have received.
Please note: In order to uphold the integrity of Yoga Alliance credentials, we regularly assess our policies and procedures and may incorporate additional changes to existing requirements. Significant updates regarding standards will be announced via email. Please check your Communication Preferences to ensure you are subscribed to our newsletters.
I'm a YACEP and will be offering online courses. Can I log the research and time I take to design my course as Continuing Education hours? Show
Yes. Authoring content for public dissemination (e.g., in newsletters, CDs, DVDs, newspapers, magazines, online, etc.) and creating class materials for distribution to students can count towards your non-contact hours for CE.
How do I turn on email alerts to ensure all Yoga Alliance communications are coming through? Show
Members have the options to opt-in or opt-out of various kinds of communications and emails by following these steps:
- Go to yogaalliance.org and log into your account.
- Go to your Dashboard.
- Select "Communication Settings" from the red box on the left.
- Select the specific emails you would like to receive. To receive all emails, simply check "Select All."
Use this flowchart to determine if trainings hours you did are eligible for Continuing Education.
Did You Know? Some of our Online Workshops can count toward your CE non-contact hours. Sign up for an upcoming workshop or watch one of the past recordings in our Video Resource Library.
Find online teaching professional resources here.
Source: https://www.yogaalliance.org/Credentialing/ContinuingEducation