Top 3 Yoga Instructor Certification and Training Worldwide

An ultimate guide on how to get certified to teach yoga and turn your fitness passion into a successful career

If you’re reading this article, we can safely assume you already have at least some training in yoga and now you’re aspiring to get a certificate to be qualified to teach yoga. Most yoga studios and individual clients prefer instructors with legit training certificates. So, yoga instructor certification is crucial to be successful in this field, although there is no legal requirement for obtaining a certificate or license to become a yoga instructor.

Here are 3 popular certificate authorities from which you can acquire valuable yoga teachers’ certificates.

Note: You don’t need a license to become a yoga instructor. But to open any type of health and fitness studio, including a yoga studio, you need some mandatory licenses required by your state.

1. Yoga Alliance (YA) Group

Yogaalliance.org is one of the top yoga instructor certification and training providers in the world. It has certifications for yoga schools, known as Registered Yoga School (RYS), and for teachers, known as Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).

Here are 6 types of yoga teacher certifications.

1) RTY 200

200-hour yoga teacher training completed from any institute registered with Yoga Alliance. Here’s a list of registered RYS institutes. No training experience is required at this stage.

2) RTY 500

It requires 500-hour yoga teacher training and a minimum of 100 hours of teaching experience.

3) E-RTY 200

At least 1,000 hours of yoga teaching and two years of training experience after completing RTY 200. Here “E” means Experienced.

4) E-RYT 500

Minimum 2,000 hours of teaching experience with a yoga school registered with an alliance group. + RTY 500.

5) Registered Children’s Yoga Teacher (RCYT)

RTY 200+ 95-hour children’s yoga teacher training from a Registered Children’s Yoga School (RCYS) + 30 hours of children’s yoga teaching experience after completing training with RCYS

6) Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher (RPYT)

RTY 200 +an 85-hour prenatal yoga training + 30 hours of prenatal yoga teaching experience after completing training with RCYS.

Registration with Alliance Group

After completing any of the above-mentioned training, you need to register with and become a member of Yogaalliance.org. Cost: $115

Fulfill membership continuation requirements

Pay annual membership fees of $65 each year. Also, fulfill Continuing Education Requirements to continue the membership.

2. The Association of Yoga Professionals (AYP)

AYP is a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization providing yoga certificates to hath yoga trainers at a global level. To get a Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT) certificate, you need to follow the below requirements.

1) Training: Complete yoga teacher training. It is recommended that you take this training from an AYP member (individual or studio), but that’s not mandatory.

2) Experience: Have at least two years of yoga teaching experience, with taking a minimum of one class per week.

3) Application: Submit the AYP application. Here, you need to provide proof of your training and experience, including a certificate of your training completion, and the name and contact details of your instructors.

4) Fees: Pay a $40 annual membership fee and a one-time $35 administrative fee.

5) Test: Appear on and pass The CYT Level 1 Certification Exam.

6) Additional requirements: Take and pass the “Karma of Ethics” course. Cost: $45.

7) Maintain CYT status: Must complete 20 hours of Continuing Education program and pay $40 of the annual membership fee.

3. World Yoga Federation

World Yoga Federation is established by Swami Vidyanand. The certificate comes from India and is valid around the globe. World Yoga Federation has a registered trademark in the USA, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries.

Here are the certificate details, eligibility, and authorization that come with each certification.

Certificate name	Requirements	Eligible to conduct workshops and classes	Eligible to train and certify 100-hour level trainers.	Eligible to train and certify 200-hour level trainers.	Eligible to train and certify 500-hour level trainers.
100 Hour Certified Teacher	100 hours of training	No	No	No	No
200 Hour Certified Teacher	200 hours of training	Yes	No	No	No
500 Hour Certified Teacher	500 hours of training	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Experienced 500 Hour Certified Teacher	500 hours of training + significant experience in teaching yoga	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Grand Master	Leaders of yoga organizations or someone having a significant contribution to the yoga community	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

The cost is not mentioned and you need to contact them personally to know more about certification and membership costs. There is a one-time cost that makes you eligible for a lifetime membership and there aren’t any yearly renewal charges.

What is Yottled? Yottled is a yoga class booking, membership selling, and payment integration software. It’s 100% free for all yoga instructors and studios.

Conclusion

When hiring a yoga teacher, most yoga studios expect some certificates from the applicants. If you want to be an independent yoga instructor, you still need a valid yoga instructor certification for marketing purposes. Hence, yoga certification becomes a deal-maker or deal-breaker point if you want to become a yoga teacher The top 3 yoga teacher training course providers are Yoga Alliance (YA), The Association of Yoga Professionals (AYP), and the World Yoga Federation. They have various levels of certification based on your training and experience.