Yoga Alliance (RYT)
500 Hour Standards

Curriculum must incorporate training hours in the following educational categories.

Yoga Alliance RYT 500 HOURS	Yoga Alliance TOTAL HOURS	CONTACT HOURS	NON - CONTACT HOURS	Yoga Awareness YAT 500 HOURS
(1) Techniques Training/Practice	150 hours	100 hours with primary E-RYTs	50 hours	167 hours
DESCRIPTION: Includes asanas, pranayamas, kriyas, chanting, mantra, meditation  and other traditional yoga techniques. These hours must be a mix between: 1) analytical training in how to teach and practice the techniques and 2) guided practice of the techniques themselves. Both areas must receive substantial emphasis.  Note: Contact Hours in this category must be in a dedicated yoga teacher training environment (into which others might occasionally be invited) rather than in classes intended for the general public.
(2) Teaching Methodology	30 hours	20 hours with primary E-RYTs	10 hours	137 hours
DESCRIPTION: Includes principles of demonstration, observation, assisting and correcting, instruction, teaching styles, qualities of a teacher, the student's process of learning and business aspects of teaching yoga.  Although your curriculum may include more than five hours on business aspects of teaching yoga, a maximum of five such hours can be counted.
(3) Anatomy and Physiology	35 hours	20 hours	15 hours	52 hours
DESCRIPTION: Includes both human physical anatomy and physiology (bodily systems, organs, etc.) and energy anatomy and physiology (chakras, nadis, etc.). Includes both the study of the subject and application of its principles to yoga practice (benefits, contraindications, healthy movement patterns, etc).  A minimum of 15 hours must be spent applying anatomy and physiology principles to yoga.
(4) Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics for Yoga Teachers	60 hours	45 hours	15 hours	63 hours
DESCRIPTION: Includes the study of yoga philosophies, yoga lifestyle and ethics for yoga teachers. A minimum of two contact hours must be spent on ethics for yoga teachers. Note: A minimum of 2 contact hours must be spent on ethics for yoga teachers.
(5) Practicum	40 hours	20 hours (10 hours with primary E-RYTs)	20 hours	61.5 hours
DESCRIPTION: Includes practice teaching, receiving feedback, observing others teaching and hearing and giving feedback. Also includes assisting students while someone else is teaching. A minimum of 10 contact hours must be spent actively teaching (not assisting or observing others teach). Note: A minimum of 10 contact hours must be spent actively teaching (not assisting or observing).
(6) Contact and Electives	185 hours			148 hours
DESCRIPTION: Contact hours and Elective hours to be distributed among educational categories according to the school’s chosen emphasis (may be contact or non-contact hours).
TOTAL HOURS	500 hours			628.5 hours
Total Contact Hours Needed: 450 hours (200 hours w/ Lead Trainer).