About Yoga Alliance International
Yoga Alliance International (YAI) is a Canadian-based yoga credentialing and registry organization created to provide accessible, affordable recognition for yoga teachers and schools. Our goal is simple: to offer a clear and inclusive pathway for teachers to register their credentials and be recognized within the global yoga community.
Yoga Alliance International was established in response to the growing need for a modern registry that reflects the diversity of yoga education today. Many yoga teachers complete training through a wide range of schools, traditions, and learning formats — including in-person, hybrid, and online programs. YAI recognizes that yoga education is not limited to one system, lineage, or organization.
Rather than restricting recognition to a small group of approved schools, Yoga Alliance International provides an open registry that allows qualified teachers and schools to register their training and credentials regardless of where they completed their education. This approach supports a more inclusive and flexible yoga community while maintaining clear professional standards.
Our organization is designed to make yoga credentialing straightforward, transparent, and accessible for teachers around the world.
Our Mission
The mission of Yoga Alliance International is to support the growth and professionalism of yoga teaching by providing a simple, accessible registry for yoga teachers and schools.
We believe that yoga teachers should have the opportunity to register their training and professional credentials without unnecessary barriers or excessive costs. Many large registries operate through complex approval systems that can limit access or create financial obstacles for teachers and schools.
Yoga Alliance International aims to provide an alternative approach. Our registry focuses on accessibility, transparency, and fairness while recognizing the wide range of legitimate yoga training programs available today.
By maintaining clear designations such as Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and Registered Yoga School (RYS), we help teachers demonstrate their training background while giving students and yoga communities a way to identify instructors who have completed formal education in yoga teaching.
A Modern Approach to Yoga Credentialing
The global yoga community has expanded rapidly over the past two decades. Today, yoga teachers train through a variety of programs and traditions across many countries and educational systems.
Yoga Alliance International recognizes this evolving landscape. Instead of restricting registration to specific institutions, we accept training from many schools and organizations worldwide. Teachers may apply for registration by providing documentation of their completed training programs and relevant qualifications.
This inclusive model reflects the reality of modern yoga education, where teachers may study through multiple sources, traditions, and formats throughout their careers.
Our goal is not to control yoga education but to provide a professional registry where teachers and schools can list their credentials and maintain recognition within an international directory.
Supporting the Global Yoga Community
Yoga Alliance International supports yoga teachers and schools by providing a platform where credentials can be registered, recognized, and maintained over time.
Registered members benefit from:
• International recognition of their yoga training
• Listing in the Yoga Alliance International registry
• Digital certification verifying their designation
• Affordable membership fees compared with many other registries
• A simple application and renewal process
Our system is designed to reduce administrative barriers and make professional recognition accessible to teachers at all stages of their careers.
An Accessible Alternative
Large registries such as Yoga Alliance in the United States and Canadian Yoga Alliance have played an important role in establishing recognition systems for yoga teachers. However, many teachers and schools have expressed concerns about increasing costs, restrictive registration systems, and limited recognition of diverse training pathways.
Yoga Alliance International was created to provide an alternative option for teachers who want global recognition without unnecessary complexity or high membership fees.
By focusing on accessibility, inclusivity, and clear credential designations, YAI aims to support a broader and more diverse yoga community.
Looking Forward
Yoga Alliance International continues to grow as more teachers and schools seek a registry that reflects the evolving nature of yoga education.
Our goal is to maintain a professional, transparent, and accessible registry that supports the long-term development of yoga teaching worldwide.
We believe yoga education should remain open, diverse, and inclusive — and that teachers deserve a straightforward way to register their credentials and share their training with the global yoga community.