If you are a teacher - have you registered for designation as a member of the Yoga Alliance? Do you feel it is important to do? Do you have any concerns about the Alliance? If you are a student - what emphasis do you place on whether or not a teacher is registered with the Yoga Alliance?
I have completed teachers training through The Temple of Kriya Yoga, which is recognized by the Yoga Alliance as certifiable. I have not registered with the Yoga Alliance because I feel it is too expensive for simply maintaining my name on a list with them. I have spent much time and money already to become certified, and even though it is nice to have guidelines for certification from one body, I believe they give too little for the price. I understand the costs associated with their efforts, however, they might better serve the greater yoga teachers population by lowering the registration cost to under $50. per year. We do not typically make a great deal of money teaching yoga, and after insurance, overhead, etc. their fees seem exorbitant to me.
When I set out to become a trained yoga instructor, I went to great pains to find a program that was registered with Yoga Alliance. I do believe that regulations in the profession are inevitable and that it’s better that we be the regulating body than something else.
However, I was extremely disappointed in my training program. To keep a long story short, they did not follow the Yoga Alliance guidelines that are plainly listed on the Yoga Alliance site. I have complained to Yoga Alliance, as has another student. I have yet to hear from them, and I don’t feel very confident that I will (unless I call them myself). I doubt this is the only training program that is under the YA banner that does not follow it’s rules. Is that YA’s fault? I don’t know. What I do know is that they should do a better job monitoring the people who use the name.
I was also very disheartened by the Continuing Education standards they proposed. It is possible, under their proposal, to get credit for books read or videos watched. I love to read and view videos, but I shouldn’t get CECs for it.
Just my two cents.
Deb
I finished my teacher training through At One Yoga in Scottsdale, Arizona last summer and have not registered with YA for two reasons: one, because I agree completely with the above sentiment; and two, because shortly after the training was done I began receiving offers to teach without the YA registration. I now teach in a couple of places (a studio and at a spa) and the connections I have made should seemingly help me find additional opportunities to teach if I want them.
Orion
I chose not to join them because I have found that they dont follow up on reports of misconduct and they are overpriced in my opinion. I have not had any trouble getting jobs and the whole Yoga community does not seem to respect the name of their business very much. Though their intent may have been good in the beginning it now really seems like just another way for money to be made in the Yoga field. Sell memberships!
I was certified through the Yoga Institute in Houston, Texas. The program was not YA certified because the teacher did not believe in the Alliance itself (the costs associated, the Alliance members knowledge of Yoga, the regulations that were not followed up on, etc). I have since relocated to Santa Monica, CA and I am desperately looking to teach yoga somewhere, but every place that I try to teach either wants a YA certified teacher or you actually have to go through that particular studios teacher training program before you can teach. As all of you are aware, these classes begin at $2000 and up… I need to work, not spend more money on taking another program
Does anyone have any advice?
This may make me quite unpopular, (not a great start on my first day here), but I have serious issues w/ YA. I see them as nothing more than a money grab. I agree that regulation is necessary and inevitable, but I do not agree that a handful of instructors can appoint themselves the arbriter of all things yoga in the U.S. Where was the vote on this? I know that many, many well respected instructors are members, but to me the idea of YA as a private body goes against the very tenets of yoga. It’s nothing more than a high school clique. The kids who already had the most money, or were the prettiest, best athletes, etc… have banded together to decide who is “in” and who is “out”.
I guess I should have started this response by saying that I have no personal issues w/ YA. In fact, I have never dealt with them at all. I just find the organization and it’s arrogance offensive to the very ideals they are supposed to uphold.
If u dont then u are not a true teacher the realm of internal enlighmenant is found within the alllience of souls that come from the magic realm of meditation and i will not allow any1 to tell me that the allience is a buch of bull i love the allience and i believe that it is the only way to get to heaven!
Thank You
Fellow Flexmasters
This is one of my students helping another in class