In 2021, IAYT held SYTAR online as a way to bring our international community together during the COVID-19 pandemic. We then focused on bringing folks back together in person as soon as it was feasible, and for the past 4 years we have enjoyed all that we’ve shaped together.

At the same time, we’re incredibly excited to be bringing back a virtual conference! Offering SYTAR live online again has been a topic of conversation across the organization over the past few years. So much has shifted globally. We recognize the economic realities impacting our membership—realities that make it more challenging for all of us to afford travel. We also see the difficulties of securing visas and stepping away from work (especially when so many yoga professionals are self-employed), as well as general uncertainty during a time of polycrisis. Political headwinds in the United States, where most of our team is based, add another layer—and our surveys show that the current climate presents an obstacle for travel to SYTAR.

Adding to these concerns are questions our team has been thoughtfully discussing: How can we increase accessibility to SYTAR for international members, persons living with disabilities, and marginalized communities?

Conference expenses have continued to rise in recent years as well. Venues are charging more for their services, and we’ve seen an increase in food and beverage, audiovisual, hotel room, and other costs. We’ve maintained our pledge to keep registration expenses low while continually increasing the value of the conference for attendees—for instance, including the full research track and On Demand recording package with in-person registration, and charging members a banquet ticket fee to help offset a (small!) portion of the dinner costs we incur. We are also committed to increasing our scholarship support for SYTAR, including travel grants, registration fees, and so on.

IAYT’s conference model must take into consideration economic realities, improved accessibility, and inclusion of our international attendees. While SYTAR will be virtual in 2027, we plan to offer in-person experiences again, too. We’re exploring what those conferences will look like and leaning in to innovative, creative solutions for sustainable in-person events.

This shift represents an ongoing evolution, and we welcome your thoughts and suggestions! Please keep an eye on our newsletters and social-media channels, as we’ll announce the dates for SYTAR 2027 in the next few months. We'll share the location for the next in-person conference soon, too!

In honor of National Volunteer Month in the United States, we wanted to take a moment to celebrate the dedicated individuals who help shape and strengthen IAYT's work all over the world. From guiding key initiatives to supporting programs and community events, we feel these volunteers' contributions across the organization. Thank you for all you do!

Meet some of our current volunteers on  the Accreditation, Certification, DEIA, and Member Schools  Committees!

How you can get involved

As an emerging profession in the West, yoga therapy needs as many champions spreading the word as possible.

First, please consider joining IAYT if you’re not already a member. The ongoing support of our community is essential to the further development of a cohesive profession that can offer yoga’s transformational potential safely and effectively while honoring the practice’s deep roots.

Share about yoga therapy with your networks widely and often, including with the member tools we provide. If a client or someone else you know experienced a life-changing benefit from the practices, consider connecting them with us via a contact form so we can share their story and help others access these same transformational effects.

Watch our newsletter and social-media channels for periodic calls to join our standing committees, whose efforts amplify the work of our small team. We also sometimes need help with specific initiatives, such as the launch of the IAYT Certification Exam or policy reviews. 

Other ways to get involved include authoring blog posts for IAYT's public website yogatherapy.health (see the form on the contact page of that site) and writing for Yoga Therapy Today (read the magazine’s submission guidelines).

We are grateful for all contributions, regardless of how you choose to engage!

Meet up at SYTAR!

IAYT's 2026 Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR) will include a new "Volunteering with IAYT" special-interest meeting. There, you'll find space to connect with current volunteers, hear what serving is like, and explore how your unique talents can contribute. We hope you'll enjoy this chance to both celebrate those who serve and discover your own place in this growing professional community.

At its 22nd annual meeting on February 21, 2026, the IAYT board of directors elected Janet Caldwell, MS, C-IAYT, as its new president. Janet comes to this appointment as an IAYT-certified yoga therapist (since 2020) and a Prosci-certified change management practitioner and consultant.

Serving as a volunteer with IAYT since 2021, Janet has contributed as a member of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, and then as a member of the board in 2022. Most recently, she served as treasurer and is currently serving a second 3-year term on the board. Janet, Robin Rothenberg, C-IAYT, and Dominique Ferrera Hawkins, JD, ALM IOP, RYT-500, CPC (then the organization’s associate director) were part of the board’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) nominating committee and instrumental in launching this new standing committee. 

“Janet was one of the first board members I collaborated with when I first joined IAYT. She is wonderful to work with—and passionate about IAYT’s vision, mission, and the yoga therapy community,” shared Executive Director Dominique Ferrera Hawkins. “In this past year, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Janet on the board’s budget and fund development subcommittee and other initiatives. I appreciate her thoughtful, pragmatic, and inclusive approach in discussions. I have been grateful for Janet’s guidance and look forward to continuing to work with her as the board’s new president.”

Having studied with Chase Bossart, MA, C-IAYT, Dolphi Wertenbaker, MD, Amy Wheeler, PhD, C-IAYT, Padmini Narendren, and Gurjeet Birdee, MD, Janet works with private yoga therapy clients and offers yoga therapy retreats for self-healing. She has experience providing yoga therapy in the healthcare industry, offering small-group yoga therapy sessions for hospital employees experiencing stress and burnout and providing yoga therapy for health-related research programs at Osher Center for Integrative Health in Nashville, Tenn.

It is my great pleasure to pass the baton of presidency to my esteemed colleague Janet Caldwell. Janet and I have worked side by side, heart to heart for many years now, and I know her to be wise, measured, conscious—always looking for ways to build inclusivity and understanding. I implicitly trust her leadership capacity and look forward to supporting her, the rest of the board, and Dominique as we navigate this next era of IAYT’s evolution.

— Robin Rothenberg, Outgoing Board President

"Serving as IAYT board president is not only an honor but a calling, one that I accept after much counsel and reflection," shared Janet. "I see a world where everyone is aware of and can access the self-empowerment that yoga therapy offers. IAYT plays an integral role in creating this world because of the credibility it brings to the profession of yoga therapy. I'm looking forward to working with the executive committee, the board of directors, and the executive director. Thank you to the board, to Robin for her courageous and steadfast leadership this past year, and to the past board presidents for paving the way."

This appointment marks the first time in IAYT's history when both the executive director and the board president represent people of the global majority (PGM).*

In addition to electing Janet as president, the board elected Drew Sheinen, MS, C-IAYT, as vice president, Jay Gupta RPh, C-IAYT, as treasurer, and Ginger (Kamalesh) Hooven, MA, C-IAYT, as secretary. IAYT board officers serve 1-year terms and are elected at the annual meetings.

Please join us in congratulating Janet, Drew, Jay and Ginger.

Learn more about the board’s governance model below, and read their bylaws here.

In service,

The IAYT Board of Directors

About IAYT’s Policy Governance Model

Policy governance provides a clear differentiation between governance and management responsibilities in organizations and is designed to empower boards to fulfill their obligation of accountability for the organizations they govern. This model, which IAYT adopted in 2012, supports the board’s focus on important issues, clear delegation, and effective relationships with the organization’s management team.

According to the Carver organization, “Policy Governance separates issues of organizational purpose (ENDS) from other organizational issues (MEANS), placing primary importance on those Ends. Policy Governance boards demand accomplishment of purpose, and only limit the staff’s available means to those which do not violate the board’s pre-stated standards of prudence and ethics.”

*PGM refers to the more than 80% of the world’s population who are Black, Indigenous, and/or of color and encompasses the term BIPOC.

Dearest Members, Colleagues, and Friends,

As we near the close of 2025, I hope you find time to pause in the rush and swirl of holiday festivities, gatherings with family and friends, and packed to-do lists. Today, I invite you to take a moment to reflect with me on a few highlights from IAYT’s year.

And what a whirlwind it’s been! In a time that has tried our collective patience—and often seemed designed to extinguish hope—I have witnessed our yoga therapy community hold steadfast and demonstrate remarkable resilience. We’ve seen uncertainty and transitions, as well as opportunities and bright spots, within our organization and around the globe. Just as I imagine many of you have, I sometimes felt the pull of these conflicting energies strongly. As we move through a period that platforms disinformation, quick fixes, and practices rooted in neither evidence nor tradition, I am reminded how much the world needs yoga therapists embodying yoga therapy principles.

We cannot deny the profound suffering in the world, or the daily reminders of the great need for access to whole-person health. Our small but mighty community of C-IAYTs has no shortage of opportunity to support well-being. Over the past year, I have had the privilege of connecting with many of you and hearing your diverse stories of impact. Whether by supporting clients on the cancer continuum, those who have experienced trauma, or individuals coping with stress and anxiety, your work has opened pathways toward healing.

Through these conversations, I’ve understood just how important it is to expand the reach of yoga therapy. We need partnerships and advocates in integrative health, we need career opportunities that sustain C-IAYTs while they support others, and we need more outreach to educate the public on the role of yoga therapists.

Conferences, Outreach, and Connection

This past year, I attended the International Institute of Yoga Therapy symposium and the annual conference of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). Both events were opportunities to connect others in the integrative health landscape with yoga therapy. In 2026, I will offer a session at the International Congress of the Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine & Health with colleagues Sat Bir Singh Khalsa (editor in chief of our International Journal of Yoga Therapy and director of the research programming for our annual conference), Akshay Anand (who has served on IAYT’s Scientific Program Committee and directs India’s Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research conference), and Alison Whitehead (C-IAYT and National Integrative Health Program Lead in the U.S. Veterans Health Administration’s Office of Patient Centered Care and Cultural Transformation). I am thrilled to have the opportunity to co-present and network with integrative health leaders to promote our profession.

IAYT has continued other planning with long-time partners, too, including NAMA and the Society for Integrative Oncology. In the works are agreements with organizations such as the Indian Yoga Association and aligned institutions in Australia. IAYT also continues to advance yoga and yoga therapy through both stakeholder relationships and research, for example, with the COMPARE PCORI grant-funded study now entering its fourth year, and in advocacy networks such as the Integrative Health Policy Consortium and Pain Collaborative to Advance Equitable Value-Based Solutions.

To explore alignment in support of the broader yoga community and promote the continuum of therapeutic yoga, I have also spent time connecting with other yoga organizations including Yoga Alliance, the American Yoga Council, and the Black Yoga Teachers Alliance. In just the past few weeks, the IAYT team has been at work on several additional exciting partnerships in the integrative health space to further expand our reach. Stay tuned for details as we continue to foster these important relationships and forge additional connections to create new opportunities for C-IAYTs in 2026 and beyond.

In 2025, IAYT’s cornerstone events, the Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR) and Global Yoga Therapy Day (GYTD), brought our outreach and commitment to new levels. Forty percent of SYTAR 2025 attendees were joining us for the first time, and more than 90% of individuals who took our postconference survey said they’d return. During GYTD—held free online each August 14—we celebrated the work of yoga therapists from around the world and educated the public, including healthcare providers, on the role of yoga therapists. As a testament to our targeted outreach, we doubled our attendance from 1,100 in 2024 to more than 2,200 in 2025. For both events, exciting developments are in the works to support access and education on a much larger scale.

Although it takes time, building awareness with the public on how yoga therapy can help will result in more individuals seeking support from IAYT-certified yoga therapists. In addition to producing events such as GYTD, we recently completed important frontend rebranding and backend updates on our public-facing yogatherapy.health. The reach of this website and its social-media channels has steadily expanded over the past few years, and today we’ve built a library of more than 330 informative blog posts—which we also encourage individual members to share to aid in their own outreach efforts.

Renewed Commitment to Inclusivity and Transparency

At a time when many organizations have rolled back their commitments to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility, IAYT has continued to champion these core principles. And I am so incredibly proud of our work, which truly benefits everyone! The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee held two member town halls on topics important to our field: “Cultural Appropriation vs. Appreciation” and “Yoga Therapy’s Role in Immigrant and Refugee Resilience and Well-Being.” (We’ll share the links for IAYT members soon.) At SYTAR, we held our first Juneteenth celebration with a panel and sound bath during the welcome and opening on June 19. Keep a look out for more educational offerings next year!

I could share so much more in this message, and our team will offer many additional 2025 highlights during our annual year-in-review webinar. Join us on January 28, 2026, at 12 PM ET, when we’ll dive deeper into all we’ve accomplished with your support. At that meeting, we will also share some new ways we will begin to report information to facilitate transparent and accountable communication with our membership and other stakeholders.

As 2025 draws to close, I want to thank each and every one of you for walking alongside IAYT. Thank you for your patience as I transitioned into the interim executive director role, then the executive director role, and got my bearings. As I listened, learned, and reflected, I leaned on members, staff, and committee and board members, with the focused goal of finding inclusive ways to collaborate and bridge differences.

I feel incredibly hopeful about 2026 and what’s to come for the yoga therapy profession, and I hope you do, too. In the face of continued uncertainty, let us find solace in not having all of the answers. Embodying yoga’s spirit of unity in all we do, may we also approach one another with curiosity, gentleness, and kindness.

Wishing you a season of joy, rest, and renewal,
Dominique Ferrera Hawkins
IAYT Executive Director

Dear IAYT Community,

We acknowledge that the past year has been a long and uncertain one as the organization’s Foundations Initiative for Qualified Health Professionals remained paused. Today, we are sharing the decision to sunset existing requirements for this 300-hour initiative. The initiative’s focus on qualified health professionals, including the IAYT-Q designation and the dual-credential requirement for program directors, will be phased out.

Please understand that IAYT still has responsibilities to the three programs that were accredited under the initiative, as well as to their currently enrolled students and graduates. Sensitively addressing these needs, which will be done together with the programs, will be part of our work in the coming year. For additional details, please see “What will happen to the existing IAYT-accredited 300-hour Foundations Programs for QHPs?” in the FAQs that follow this announcement, which was also sent by email today.

We are grateful for your continued patience as we determined how best to move forward in consideration of the feedback we received from our membership, teams, and other stakeholders. We recognize that an update on next steps took much longer than we anticipated, and we apologize for the impact this has had on our community.

An Inclusive Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga Path

Going forward, IAYT will offer a 300-hour Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga pathway open to all qualified yoga teachers. This initiative will be developed in 2026 in partnership with a representational task force and with membership input.

Although this new 300-hour accredited pathway will establish a coherent career progression for becoming a certified yoga therapist, it is not a shortcut to certification as a C-IAYT. The idea of creating tiered educational pathways aligns with the evolution of many other integrative health fields (e.g., ayurveda, art therapy, occupational therapy). This direction also supports viable career paths for our members, sustainability for accredited programs, and the organization as a whole.

This initiative further aligns with IAYT’s strategic planning and with feedback we received from our accredited programs and member schools, many of whom have expressed a desire for IAYT to offer various accreditation options, including for 200-hour, 300-hour, and specialty programs. Approximately 85% of our existing 800-hour accredited programs already have foundational 300-hour offerings in place. An IAYT accreditation will support these programs’ growth by attracting students of all backgrounds, including but not limited to healthcare providers, who are curious about exploring a career in yoga therapy and who want the assurance of quality, oversight, and rigor that mark IAYT programming.

Moving Forward Together

We are committed to stewarding the therapeutic yoga space with integrity, care, and a higher level of transparency going forward so that our membership feels fully included in the profession’s evolutionary process.

Questions about the Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga initiative remain to be determined, in part by the new task force and other member input. Although we do not have all of the answers today, we’ve shared some additional context for this decision below. In January, we will share details about how members can get involved in the task force. (If you have feedback to offer in the meantime, please log in to your IAYT account and use this form.) Please also stay current with our updates via IAYT’s social-media accounts and newsletter.

We know this past year has been a challenging time for our community. We further recognize the burden that both the initiative and the pause placed on programs, schools, students, and practitioners in our community. Thank you for staying engaged, asking hard questions, and contributing to the future of our profession. We are committed to learning from this experience, and we know that only through thoughtful work together can we advance the profession of yoga therapy.

With gratitude on behalf of IAYT,

Dominique Ferrera Hawkins
IAYT Executive Director

Robin Rothenberg
IAYT Board President

FAQs

For more on the history and context behind the decision to sunset requirements for IAYT’s 300-Hour Foundations Initiative for Qualified Health Professionals (QHP), please review the additional details below.

Why is this decision only happening now?

The past year has been a time for regrouping and realigning at IAYT. In February 2025, our volunteer board grew from 5 to 11 directors. After new board members were brought up to speed about the steps that went into the development of the Foundations for QHPs initiative and the circumstances that led to the pause, the board considered broader strategic considerations, their role as a policy-governance body, and the community-wide effects of the program requirements and pause.

Beginning in spring 2025, the board met regularly, usually bimonthly, to navigate several important priorities, including appointing the new executive director, discussing feedback surrounding the Foundations initiative, and reviewing other operational and strategic concerns. Like any newly formed team, the board needed time and space to build cohesiveness as a group. This year has been an opportunity to learn and grow together in support of the IAYT community and our organization’s mission and vision.

Although the end-of-year timing of this announcement may not be ideal, we wanted to provide an update as soon as we were able to do so.

What will happen to the existing IAYT-accredited 300-hour Foundations Programs for QHPs?

IAYT has a legal and ethical responsibility to the three programs that were accredited under the Foundations Initiative for QHPs before the 2024 pause. These already-accredited programs will continue. During their reaccreditation cycle, they will have an opportunity to seek reaccreditation of their programs under the new, broader 300-hour pathway. At that time, like any program seeking reaccreditation, they would need to meet the standards and educational competency requirements in place, regardless of their areas of focus.

Similarly, we have a responsibility to current students and graduates of these programs, who were promised the ability to apply for the IAYT-Q designation upon graduation. Just five graduates are currently registered for the IAYT-Q. It would not be fair or ethical to deny these graduates from using, or currently enrolled students from applying for, the IAYT-Q designation.

Prospective and not-yet-enrolled students should be made aware that the designation is now sunsetted and a new recognition will be created with community input. Current and future program graduates would likely be eligible to transition to this yet-to-be developed recognition. We will work with the three currently accredited programs to support this transition. The topic of possible recognition for graduates will also be explored with the task force.

We acknowledge that some in our community will be upset to hear that we have these obligations. Please understand that upholding IAYT’s legal and ethical commitments is a fiduciary responsibility that our organization’s leadership takes very seriously.

How does the decision to offer the new, broader 300-hour Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga educational pathway align with IAYT’s strategic plan, mission, and vision?

IAYT has the opportunity to lead in setting the standards and competencies for therapeutic yoga education as part of our mission and vision. In fact, prior to developing the previous Foundations Initiative for QHPs, IAYT was exploring the possibility of offering several other accreditation pathways and recognitions. At the 2023 Meeting of Schools, our program directors shared a desire to have IAYT offer accreditation pathways for 200-hour, 300-hour, and even specialized programs beyond their 800-hour programs. The overwhelming majority of our existing accredited programs already have foundational 300-hour courses, which offer an exit point to students who do not wish to continue with the remaining yoga therapy curriculum. Presently, students who exit at this stage only have the option of seeking recognition for their studies outside of IAYT.

The career progression pathway, otherwise known as the “continuum of the therapeutic yoga profession” is a concept we have shared previously with our community. Creating additional educational pathways will provide aspiring yoga therapists with the rigorous foundational education needed to prepare them to become yoga therapists should they choose to continue along this path.

Sample career pathways on a therapeutic continuum

As was the intention with the previous Foundations Initiative for QHPs, those who complete only a 300-hour program will not be eligible to use the C-IAYT credential. The new, broader foundational program does NOT offer a shortcut to certification as a C-IAYT; rather it promotes the continuation of study to become a certified yoga therapist.

Why did IAYT create the Foundations Initiative for QHPs? And are there similar programs targeting healthcare professionals?

Although we recognized the need to educate QHPs on therapeutic yoga tools and on the role of IAYT-certified yoga therapists in integrative care, as well as the need to set educational standards around these areas, we understand that many in our membership did not support a program with this approach. (Read our August 2024 blog post.)

Regardless of IAYT’s decision to no longer offer accreditation for programs available only to QHPs, similar programs are still offered by others in the yoga and yoga therapy community. Over the past year, additional programs offering therapeutic yoga education for healthcare professionals have emerged and continue to exist independent of IAYT. In this context, IAYT’s role continues to be the stewardship of clear standards and accredited pathways within its own scope, helping to ensure consistency and professional integrity for yoga therapists and the field as a whole.

What will the new task force look like, and what will its focus be?

There remain many open questions, including a launch timeline, and we look forward to exploring these with the task force and our membership. The task force’s primary charge will be to align on the structure of a broader 300-hour Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga program open to all qualified practitioners, along with new recognition for completing this education.

This realignment to a broader pathway allows us to shape a more inclusive program and recognition using the foundational work completed over the past 8 years by the board, committees, staff, and community stakeholders. We anticipate that a new pathway can be provided within a reasonable timeframe via this streamlined process. Although the task force will consider how this new pathway fits into planning for other potential accreditation pathways (e.g., 200-hour or specialty), its focus will be on this 300-hour initiative.

The IAYT board of directors has provided the executive director and leadership team with general guidance on the formation of this task force, which includes the following parameters:

• The task force should be shaped inclusively, with participants from committees, staff, membership, and the board.
• The task force will review membership feedback and considerations regarding the previous Foundations Initiative for QHPs to determine key issues and make recommendations on how to address them.
• The task force will be able to use representational working groups to help carry out its work.
• The task force can seek additional community feedback as needed.
• The executive director will provide monthly progress reports to the board president. Once launched, the task force will provide bimonthly reports to the board.
• The task force will present key findings and recommendations to the board for final review.

To ensure an inclusive, representational group to serve on the task force, we will share an application and details on how to apply to join in January 2026.

In January 2024, IAYT launched the 300-hour foundations of therapeutic yoga principles initiative, a program that raised significant concerns among our membership. Observing its fiduciary responsibility, the board initiated a pause of the program in October 2024 so that IAYT could re-evaluate the program’s impact on our community. 

This year has allowed IAYT to appoint a new president and onboard new members of its board; meet with membership, program directors, and committee members; receive feedback from staff; appoint a new executive director; and begin shaping guidance on how best to move forward, especially in light of several developments in the therapeutic yoga landscape.

While this pause remains in effect, IAYT is focused on how best to align the foundations initiative in support of our members, schools, and the organization’s mission, vision, and sustainability.

Next Steps

The board will share our revised guidance with the committees in the next month. Once the committees have weighed in, we will share the updated proposal for the initiative with membership for feedback. The board’s guidance will ask IAYT to take into account the major concerns raised by membership last fall, which included

• The dual credential requirement for program directors
• The IAYT-Q designation
• Advancement of vocational opportunities for C-IAYTs

The board is committed to supporting IAYT’s membership, and we appreciate your patience as we work through these multi-layered issues. We value all that the staff and committees do to ensure IAYT’s smooth operations and stability. Providing guidance on how to move forward remains our top priority.

We will keep you updated as these developments take place and we work to resolve these concerns with vision and wisdom.

Robin Rothenberg,
IAYT Board President on Behalf of the Board of Directors

Thanks for your interest in working with IAYT. Applications for this role are now closed.

Application Deadline: October 21, 2025 (apply early—applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis)

Estimated Time/Week: 25–30 hours 

Rate: $28/hour

Type: Fully remote, 1099 contractor during 3-month probationary period with opportunity to transition to W2 employee

IAYT is a remote-first organization with a geographically dispersed team; due to operational needs, candidates in Arkansas, Florida, or Maryland are preferred

____________________

IAYT is seeking an experienced operations and finance administrator (OFA) to support the organization’s mission of advancing yoga therapy as a recognized health profession.

This key team member is responsible for the day-to-day operations and financial management of IAYT’s systems, processes, and administration, ensuring they run smoothly and efficiently. The OFA works closely with the executive director and leadership team and will be joining a small, highly collaborative group of strategic-thinking doers who make the most of available resources. 

Key Responsibilities

IAYT’s OFA works with an outside accountant to prepare monthly financial statements, develops the annual budget for approval from the board of directors, and drafts quarterly finance reports. This individual also tracks operating expenses and income to ensure organizational financial health; supports the planning and implementation of conferences and events; manages payroll, benefits, and publication mailings; and maintains IAYT’s storage unit and PO box. This role also provides ongoing support for the organization’s members and vendors and serves as one point of contact for the public.

The OFA is also an essential interface with IAYT’s 5,000+ members, 3,800 certified yoga therapists (C-IAYTs), 70 accredited programs, and 130 member schools. 

In the world envisioned by IAYT, yoga is routinely considered in a range of settings as a therapeutic option for physical health, emotional well-being, mental balance, and spiritual consciousness. If this vision excites you, too, we hope you’ll consider joining our dedicated team!

Essential Qualifications

• Bachelors degree or equivalent on-the-job or specialized training or study in financial management, nonprofit operations, business, and/or administration relevant to the operation of a nonprofit membership organization
• Basic bookkeeping skills; familiarity with Quickbooks
• 2 years of experience in financial management, accounting, bookkeeping, operations, or related area
• Prior experience in creating and managing a budget and compiling financial reports
• Experience supporting events and/or conferences
• Customer service experience
• Commitment to IAYT’s values of respect, inclusion, balance, sustainability, and leadership
• Excellent organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• High attention to detail, analytical and strategic thinking, and the ability to identify areas for process improvement
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to build relationships and communicate with cultural competence to a global membership and stakeholder base
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team in a collaborative environment 
• Commitment to practicing IAYT’s DEIA Competencies
• Ability to travel and flexibility to work occasional weekends or evenings as necessary  
• Tech savvy 

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelors in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or Nonprofit Administration
• A strong understanding of the yoga community 
• Experience in people operations
• Prior experience managing an audit
• Previous experience providing support to members of a professional association
• Expertise in preparing multi-year budgets; experience with projections and forecasting
• People operations/human resources compliance experience 
• Some experience and knowledge of membership database management; experience with YourMembership a plus!
• Entrepreneurial orientation: experience with a similarly sized organization, preferably a nonprofit
• Familiarity with Asana, Zoom, Google Office Suite, and YourMembership or other management platforms
• Yoga practitioner, yoga professional, and/or C-IAYT

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility are core values of IAYT. We believe that the organization and the profession’s environment are enhanced when diverse groups of people with diverse ideas come together to learn. We recognize that the best candidate for this role may come from a nontraditional background and encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every requirement listed. Applicants whose work or lived experience incorporates a global perspective and a demonstrated commitment to issues of diversity are particularly encouraged to apply.

Benefits for W2 employees include 

• Generous nontaxable home-office expense allocation
• 401(k) with matching contribution after 1 year of employment
• Travel and accommodations covered for SYTAR, IAYT’s annual conference
• Remote work with flexible schedule and paid time off

____________________

Please review the complete position description, then fill out our application form. You will also need to submit a résumé as well as a cover letter that outlines your relevant skills and experience, explains why you are interested in this particular position, and describes your connection with or knowledge of yoga and yoga therapy.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with initial interviews anticipated to begin in mid-October. Candidates whose expertise most closely matches our needs may be asked to complete a brief skills assessment. Final candidates will be invited to take part in an interview with members of our leadership team. Our final step before making an offer will include reference checks. We anticipate a start date of December 1.

IAYT’s next Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR) will be held June 11–13 at the Hilton Orange County/Costa Mesa in California. SYTAR 2026 includes the full Symposium on Yoga Research!

Yoga Therapy Submissions

IAYT is seeking dynamic presenters to offer high-quality professional development and outstanding personal practice experiences at our annual SYTAR conference, which brings together yoga therapists, yoga therapy students, and integrative health professionals like no other event.

• AFTERNOON SESSIONS, which include an experiential component, are a chance to actively engage with attendees and dive deep into a range of topics of interest to the yoga therapy community.
  
  
• MORNING PRACTICES are primarily intended to offer attendees a personal practice while perhaps learning something new to inspire further study and work with clients.

Please read the submission requirements carefully and submit your single best proposal for an afternoon session or morning practice via the links above. (We can only accept one submission per category, per person.) 

🗓️ Yoga therapy submissions for SYTAR must be received by October 10, 2025.

Research Abstract Submissions

Researchers, students, and interested yoga therapists can also share the latest advances in evidence-informed yoga at SYTAR 2026 through our research track. The Scientific Program Committee invites research submissions in the form of a one-page abstract (2,500 characters, including spaces) for a poster presentation.

• RESEARCH POSTER ABSTRACTS

🗓️ The call for research abstracts opens on November 3, 2025. These submissions must be received by January 31, 2026.

Learn more about SYTAR research posters at the link above.

Research abstract proposals may be submitted in addition to morning practice/afternoon session proposals.

We can’t wait to see you at SYTAR 2026!

Now well into their implementation phase, the COMPARE team reports strong enrollment and positive participant feedback. Notably, the study has reached its targeted benchmark for racial diversity, with approximately 33% of participants identifying as people of color. Recruitment continues, with outreach particularly targeting Hispanic men, a specific group not currently well-represented in the study. This recruitment process is supported by image-based social media advertising and targeted messaging.

Accessibility, Engagement, and Evolving Definitions

Participants thus far report satisfaction with the online delivery format, citing immediate availability of sessions as especially beneficial for those seeking timely care—often in contrast to long waitlists for traditional therapies.

In July 2025, the study received a new title to more clearly reflect the study’s content and aims, and to align with PCORI’s guidelines for grant-seeking: “COMPARE: Comparing Behavior Therapy and Yoga for Treating Depression Among Adults.”

The research team, led by Lisa Uebelacker, PhD, and Louise Sylvia, PhD, continues to explore what constitutes the “completion” of a therapeutic experience. For BA participants, reaching the halfway point may be considered the minimum threshold for therapeutic benefit, as core strategies are introduced early in the protocol. For yoga therapy, where each class follows a consistent format and explores recurring themes, attending a similar number of sessions (50%) has been identified as a meaningful level of participation, particularly given the reported impact of breathwork practices.

Looking Ahead

Regular monthly data review meetings are now underway, ensuring that stakeholders remain engaged with study outcomes and emerging findings. A participant engagement survey is also in development to help further assess experience and satisfaction. With continued momentum, the COMPARE study is poised to offer valuable insights into how evidence-informed yoga therapy compares with established treatments for depression, and where it may expand access to effective care.

She joined IAYT in May 2023 in the role of associate director, working closely with previous Executive Director Alyssa Wostrel. During that time Dominique (pictured at far right with Board Members Joysree Subramanian, left, and Robin Rothenberg, center) oversaw a number of key operational and strategic initiatives, including collaborating with the board to launch the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee. You can learn more about Dominique’s impressive career in her iayt.org bio.

“This complex time requires a leader who is able to hold a clear vision while understanding the nuanced, far-reaching implications of decisions. We have all of that and more in Dominique,” explains Board President Robin Rothenberg. “Her background in organizational psychology, DEIA, and law are definite assets. This experience, combined with her personal study and dedication to the field of yoga therapy make Dominique the right person to lead IAYT.”

Her skills, expertise, and full commitment to the organization and its members allowed the board to confidently advance her from associate director to executive director. Dominique has made great strides to strengthen our professional network through relationship-building with the National Ayurvedic Medical Association, Society for Integrative Oncology, a number of international partners, and other stakeholders.

Additional top priorities for Dominique’s early tenure as executive director include working with the board to share guidance with IAYT staff and committees to resolve concerns about the Foundations Initiative, submitting a reapplication for a taxonomy code that will enable U.S. IAYT-certified yoga therapists to apply for a National Provider Identifier, and planning the expanded SYTAR 2026 with a dedicated research track.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to continue leading IAYT with the support of the board, staff, and community. I am strongly committed to IAYT’s mission and vision, and in particular to supporting DEIA across the organization. Over the past eight months, I’ve enjoyed connecting with colleagues around the world to strengthen our partnerships. I am excited to work with an amazing team that cares deeply about advancing yoga therapy and supporting our membership. A heartfelt thank you to the board for entrusting me with this role.”

—Dominique Ferrera Hawkins, Executive Director

We thank our IAYT community for its patience during our leadership transition and hope you will join us in continuing to welcome Dominique. We are grateful for your commitment to IAYT and dedication to advancing the field of yoga therapy.

In service,
The IAYT Board of Directors

IAYT board and team members at SYTAR 2025

Broadly, our board’s background reflects essential expertise in yoga therapy, integrative healthcare policy and delivery, and research. This year also marks the first time a member of the public has joined, bringing valuable additional perspective on IAYT’s work. The new members for 2025 join Interim President Robin Rothenberg, MA, C-IAYT; Treasurer Janet Caldwell, MS, C-IAYT; Secretary Hansa Knox Johnson, LMT, C-IAYT; and Neil Pearson, PT, MSc, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT.

Nominations

Members of IAYT’s volunteer policy governance board typically serve 3-year terms, with an option to serve a second consecutive term. Because a number of members’ terms were ending, the board’s Nomination Committee began its planning process in spring 2024. Chaired by Janet Caldwell, the committee included Robin Rothenberg, Matra (Raj) Majmundar, OTR/L, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT (past board president), and Dilip Sakar (another past president whose time on the board is now ending). Using a skills-gap matrix, the board reviewed its existing members’ expertise to identify additional skills that could benefit the organization.

For 2025, particular considerations for building a diverse and balanced board included geographical and generational diversity and dual certification. The group also considered individuals who had been vetted in the prior nominations process for the board and DEIA Committee and specifically sought a non-C-IAYT public member. IAYT’s board has historically had strong representation from program founders and directors, and current board members will continue to represent these groups.

In years past, nominations for new board members came from the existing members. For 2024, the board expanded the process to include nominations from staff and members of standing committees. As is natural in a maturing field, the IAYT board continues to shape its nominations process; we will share updates and opportunities as these procedures evolve for the next round of nominations and beyond.

Candidate Review

The board received approximately two dozen names, and about half of the nominees were invited to submit applications. Each candidate submitted a bio and CV and answered screening questions. From this group, individuals were invited to interview. Additional members of the board participated in the interview process, including outgoing members Susan Steiger Tebb, PhD, LSW, RYT-500, C-IAYT, as well as Neil Pearson and Hansa Knox Johnson. Interim Executive Director Dominique Ferrera Hawkins, JD, CPC, RYT-500, as a nonvoting member of the board, also participated in the interviews, which took place in December 2024 and January 2025. Best interview practices, including standardized questions and a scoring skills matrix, were used to ensure the best choices for the organization’s current needs and to minimize bias.

After discussion, which included short- and long-term strategic considerations for IAYT and yoga therapy and building a diverse board that represents different facets of our community, the board voted on the nominees. They agreed on seven highly qualified candidates, plus the eminent Dr. Manjunath N. K. in the new role of advisory member. Nominations and votes for board officers for the February 2025–February 2026 year will be held during the board’s annual retreat later this week.

IAYT’s other volunteers and staff are eager to work together with the board to continue to build the reach and reputation of IAYT-certified yoga therapists and of the field itself in the coming years!

Please join me in a brief look back on the year for a few highlights and trends. IAYT members can get the full picture with the recording of our December 11 webinar; you’ll need to be signed in to access the video, which will be available through January 31, 2025.

We plan a more detailed review of our year during another member webinar on January 23—watch for the registration link, with the time to be determined based on your input.*

Where We Stand at the End of 2024

Despite—or perhaps partly because of—worldwide uncertainty that makes our practices more relevant than ever, the end of 2024 finds IAYT in good fiscal standing and financial health. We have seen sustained, steady growth since the pandemic across membership, certification, and accreditation.

International interest in yoga therapy is still on the rise, with a notable increase in individual memberships from outside the United States in the past year. The number of international member schools has also grown: In the past 2 years more than half of IAYT’s new member schools have joined from outside the United States, and we recently welcomed schools from Norway, Turkey, and Portugal. Both certification (of individual C-IAYTs) and accreditation (of training programs) have continued to maintain renewal figures on par with or above expected standards for nonprofit organizations. For example, we have seen a 70% recertification rate since certification began in 2016.

Over the past several years and accelerating in 2024, IAYT has also ramped up communications, creating robust engagement through our e-newsletter and online on our various channels. Our social-media audience now totals more than 55,000 thanks to consistent sharing of relevant, quality content; specific outreach; a new streaming platform; and the continued growth of IAYT’s public-facing resources through yogatherapy.health.

Under the organization’s representational policy governance model, IAYT has steadily increased its opportunities for membership engagement. This year, for example, we introduced public comment periods for several initiatives of import for our profession, including revisions to IAYT’s Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibilities and the Scope of Practice for Yoga Therapy, and you can expect more feedback opportunities to come.  Support for members also includes increased chances to engage through sanghas, webinars, and other educational events like Global Yoga Therapy Day (August 14 every year!).

Where We're Heading in 2025

In 2025, we plan to expand opportunities for engagement in several key areas, as well as shape additional methods, such as through an international membership sangha, IAYT’s next strategic planning process, and evaluation for the Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga Principles for Healthcare Professionals initiative. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Committee will also be hosting a series of town halls, and our community will be invited to take a DEIA-focused survey to help us understand the supports members need, and the obstacles they face, in their programs and communities around DEIA.

In the coming months IAYT will continue to strengthen existing partnerships, for example, with the Society for Integrative Oncology, and build new connections with key partners in integrative health in the United States, such as through the NCCIH Coalition for Whole Person Health, as well as internationally.

As we look ahead, we will be further expanding the ways we communicate with our members and report on important organizational updates to increase transparency and accountability. The ideas and suggestions you’ve shared with us thus far will help us further shape our collective future. Please know, too, that your feedback is always welcome via the contact us form on iayt.org, which we use to route inquiries to the correct team members.

In Gratitude

In closing, I’d like to acknowledge the dedicated service of Alyssa Wostrel and Molly McManus. Alyssa served as IAYT’s executive director for more than 4 years, cultivating a range of strategic and innovative initiatives in support of the yoga therapy profession. Molly, too, has dedicated herself to IAYT for a number of years, most recently as board president, a role in which she was instrumental in strengthening international relationships. We will miss Alyssa and Molly and their caring leadership, but please know that both are still cheering on our work and will forever support the yoga therapy community. We are grateful for all that they helped us to accomplish.

We have a strong foundation on which to move forward in continued service to the profession of yoga therapy. I feel confident that together IAYT’s members, staff, and volunteers are well positioned to continue to pave the way to a future filled with many possibilities for advancing yoga therapy around the world. 

Thank you again for being part of the IAYT community. We wish you a wonderful holiday season and happy new year!

Dominique Ferrera Hawkins, JD, RYT-500, CPC
Interim Executive Director

*The brief member survey on event times will remain open through January 6, 2025.

This question, posed by Marc Edwards, a family physician who teaches in the integrative medicine program at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, has great relevance to our profession, and IAYT encourages all yoga therapists to participate in his research, "A Comparative Study of the Motivation for Training in Modern Medicine and Other Healing Traditions and Its Impact on Health and Well-Being." A similar survey has been provided to other types of healthcare professionals, including nurse practitioners, nutritionists, chiropractors, and ayurvedic practitioners. A high response rate from yoga therapists will ensure meaningful results and help to build a more complete picture of what motivates people to undertake yoga therapy training and how they are personally affected by their studies and practice.

Access the anonymous 6-minute study survey here.

The anonymous online survey takes about 6 minutes to complete. The results of the study could help illuminate issues related to practitioner health, integrative practice, and clinical outcomes. They also stand to advance the prestige and perceived value of complementary and integrative healthcare practices like yoga therapy. We plan to update you on the key findings once we evaluate their significance for IAYT members.

If you have any questions in advance of completing the survey, you can contact Dr. Edwards by phone at 1.860.521.8484 or by email.

Please feel free to share this information with your colleagues. The survey will remain open until January 19, 2025.

We are reaching out to share important news regarding a leadership transition at IAYT. After 4½ years of dedicated service, Alyssa Wostrel has decided to step down as executive director to pursue other opportunities in the wellness and whole-person health spaces. Throughout her tenure, Alyssa has been an integral part of IAYT’s growth, guiding the organization through transformational changes and challenges with steadfast commitment.

We’re pleased to announce that IAYT’s Associate Director Dominique Ferrera Hawkins, JD, RYT-500, CPC, will step into the role of interim executive director on November 22, 2024. Dominique’s extensive experience and deep understanding of the organization will ensure continuity and steady leadership as we navigate this transition.

A Transformational Legacy

During Alyssa’s tenure, IAYT has achieved a number of milestones, including implementation of a robust strategic planning process and the Certification Exam, both significant steps in the professionalization of the field. We’ve seen increased international membership at the individual and school levels, partly as a result of outreach and strategic alliances with yoga institutions around the world, and major growth in IAYT’s social-media platforms, discussion groups, and member events. Alyssa also created pathways for engagement in support of advocacy for yoga therapy’s visibility in healthcare organizations such as AIHM, IHPC, and the Pain Collaborative to Advance Equitable Value-Based Solutions, and she led IAYT’s successful application to NCCIH’s Coalition for Whole Person Health.

These accomplishments reflect Alyssa’s dedication to IAYT’s mission and a strong foundation on which to move into the next chapter.

Alyssa has truly transformed the culture of IAYT with her implementation of initiatives related to the strategic priority of increasing DEIA in the organization. She has coalesced the staff into a cohesive team and ensured that the many volunteers who keep IAYT running feel supported and appreciated. Alyssa stepped in as ED just weeks before the full force of the pandemic hit. She seamlessly navigated us through virtual conferences and town halls, helping members to stay connected through a time of great isolation.

Alyssa proved committed to learning about our world and our work as yoga therapists. She dedicated herself to merging her deep understanding of whole-person health policy to further IAYT’s mission. We are grateful for all she has done to help the organization evolve and wish her the very best on her journey.

Having worked closely with Dominique Ferrera Hawkins this past year on the DEIA Committee, I trust the grounded wisdom she embodies, and I look forward to deepening our collaboration for the benefit of IAYT.

—Robin Rothenberg, Interim Board President 

Looking Forward

This transition is part of an important phase for IAYT, and our commitment to advancing the field of yoga therapy and supporting our membership remains unchanged. Dominique Ferrera Hawkins, along with our committed staff, board, and volunteers, will continue to drive our mission forward, focusing on stability and growth as we look toward the future.

The staff is planning a membership event for December 11 where more will be shared about the organization’s current work and future plans; watch for details about this event soon. Thank you for your ongoing dedication to IAYT and for being part of this vibrant community.

Warm regards,
The IAYT Board of Directors 

It is with great sadness that we share the news of Molly McManus’s resignation from IAYT's board of directors due to health reasons.

Molly has served our association with remarkable dedication, steadfastly advocating for our mission globally. Throughout her tenure, most recently as the president of the board, Molly has inspired us all with her vision, kindness, and determination. We are grateful for the time and energy she has devoted to our shared goals.

Robin Rothenberg, current board member, will serve as the interim board president during this transition. On behalf of the board, Robin shared, Molly has compassionately and courageously stood out as a leader in our field, first as chair of the Accreditation Committee and for the past 3 years as board president. We are immensely grateful for Molly’s dedicated service and how she has demonstrated unequivocal care and kindness in all her interactions. We fully support her transition and wish her a swift and complete recovery so that her light can continue to shine bright as a beacon to us all.

THE CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS IS NOW CLOSED. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU AT SYTAR 2025!

Share your expertise at IAYT’s next Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR)! The 2025 conference will be held June 19–21 at the Atlanta Marriott Buckhead Hotel & Conference Center in Georgia.

IAYT is seeking dynamic presenters to offer high-quality professional development and outstanding personal practice experiences at our annual SYTAR conference, which brings together yoga therapists, yoga therapy students, and integrative health professionals like no other event.

• AFTERNOON SESSIONS, which include an experiential component, are a chance to actively engage with attendees and dive deep into a range of topics of interest to the yoga therapy community.
• MORNING PRACTICES are primarily intended to offer attendees a personal practice while perhaps learning something new to inspire further study and work with clients.

Please read the submission requirements carefully and submit your single best proposal for an afternoon session OR a morning practice via the links above. (We cannot accept submissions in more than one category per person.) Submissions must be received by October 11, 2024.

See you at SYTAR 2025!

Every August 14, IAYT's Global Yoga Therapy Day (GYTD) brings together an international community to share about the practice and profession of yoga therapy as it evolves. The event also provides professional development for yoga therapists and a window onto practice around the world.

Our expert presenters—many of them directors and key faculty from IAYT-accredited programs around the world—will bring forward the 2024 GYTD theme of Embracing Diversity: Exploring Access and Belonging in Yoga Therapy in their own unique ways. Access the day's schedule, plus a bonus piece, "Enhancing Accessibility and Inclusivity in Yoga Therapy: Reflections Through the Koshas," here.

As the day unfolds, we look forward to a profound exchange of ideas, experiences, and perspectives that will uplift spirits and invigorate hearts. Together, we will emerge strengthened by our collective commitment to embracing diversity and nurturing true belonging within the transformational domain of yoga therapy. 

Learn more about GYTD at iayt.org/globalyogatherapyday.

Launched in 2019 by Ann Marie Grace to celebrate the field and raise awareness, GYTD perfectly complements IAYT's mission of advancing yoga therapy as a recognized health profession. In 2023, nearly 1,300 people from more than 50 countries celebrated with us.

GYTD 2024, which offers 2 continuing education credits for C-IAYTs, is free to all and made possible by donations. To contribute, please visit iayt.org/donate. Thanks to a generous matching gift, all GYTD contributions (up to $2,500) will be doubled.

We are excited about IAYT’s new educational pathway, which will help to integrate the profession of yoga therapy into a range of healthcare settings, and we hope you are, too! We wanted to take a moment to provide a few more details on the benefits to our community, including accredited yoga therapy programs, member schools, C-IAYTs, and our general membership. Read on for background on the development of the 300-hour Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga Principles for the Qualified Health Professional pathway and how it raises the profile of the yoga therapy profession.

We should note up front that although the need to train healthcare practitioners in the foundations of therapeutic yoga principles is clear, the yoga therapy educational pathway and the C-IAYT certification continue to represent the pinnacle of excellence within the field of yoga therapy. Those who travel the foundations for health professionals pathway will learn about the scope of practice of C-IAYTs, as well as how to work with them and when to refer to them, and will themselves be eligible to obtain the IAYT-Q designation.

Background

The introduction of this new initiative follows 7-plus years of internal development and committee-level refinement, including guidance and input from IAYT’s board of directors. The Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga Principles for the Qualified Health Professional pathway has been shaped by numerous discussions, collaborative planning with volunteers, and feedback from other stakeholders during this time and earlier. IAYT developed this educational pathway as a response to a pressing need and a notable gap in the integrative healthcare landscape. Our collective aim was to establish a connection between the yoga therapy and licensed healthcare provider (LHCP) communities.*

Currently, several programs provide yoga and “yoga therapy” training to healthcare providers at different levels, with some requiring only a few hours to complete. However, to our knowledge, none of these programs are specifically oriented toward honoring the scope of practice of the C-IAYT. Furthermore, a number of trainings use the term “yoga therapy” but do not meet IAYT’s rigorous standards for accreditation, educational competencies, and definition of the professional practice of yoga therapy. Evidence suggests that health professionals are integrating yoga principles into their direct patient care without adequate training (see, e.g., “ The Use of Yoga in Clinical Practice: A Descriptive Study,” by Adams et al., 2023).

Establishing a mechanism of recognition through IAYT for foundational training that satisfies significant portions of the IAYT educational competencies can help to guarantee that health professionals integrating yoga into their scopes of practice do so at a level that honors and acknowledges the field of yoga therapy. This oversight supports the growth of the emerging profession, strengthens IAYT as a self-regulating body, and works to ensure public protection.

The Opportunity for Yoga Therapy Training Programs—And Yoga Therapists

The foundations for qualified health professionals educational pathway aims to uphold the integrity of comprehensive education and promote awareness of the C-IAYT scope of practice while offering focused training to complement the diverse fields of healthcare practice. This pathway stands apart from IAYT-accredited yoga therapy training programs. Schools offering IAYT-accredited programs are not obligated to provide such pathways. However, for those schools with the expertise and interest to offer such training, the foundations pathway represents an additional business opportunity and a chance to reach a new audience of professionals. This pathway aims to cultivate allies among participants; increase the visibility of the yoga therapy profession in healthcare, particularly among health practitioners in organized systems; and establish referral networks and employment opportunities for C-IAYTs in healthcare settings. We foresee that many individuals who initially opt for the foundations pathway will decide to continue their studies and gain more expertise in the breadth of yoga therapy practice.

Importantly, the clinical competencies for a healthcare professional who chooses to engage with therapeutic yoga in this more focused way, within the bounds of their own existing scope of practice, differ from the competencies required for a yoga therapist offering comprehensive yoga therapy care. These courses will provide orientation to the C-IAYT scope of practice, helping to distinguish what the healthcare provider is learning about therapeutic yoga tools from IAYT-certified yoga therapists’ in-depth work. They will also gain clarity about when to refer to a C-IAYT as they continue to practice under their own existing scope of practice.

This strategic initiative addresses the existing gap in referral streams to IAYT-certified yoga therapists and aligns directly with our mission—learn more in our Winter 2024 Yoga Therapy Today article. Offering education tailored to health allies within our community allows us to shape this engagement collectively rather than having external entities dictate standards for the profession. This educational pathway is a pivotal step for the field, particularly because, as noted, therapeutic yoga instruction is already available outside of this context. Better understanding of a complete practice of yoga therapy, as conducted by C-IAYTs, helps other healthcare providers to more deeply respect our work and helps our profession to take its proper place in supporting physical health, emotional well-being, mental balance, and spiritual consciousness.

Feedback is of paramount importance in every initiative undertaken by a membership association like IAYT, and the Foundations of Therapeutic Yoga Principles for the Qualified Health Professional educational pathway is no exception. We’ve scheduled a formal assessment period to begin in January 2025, 12 months post-launch, to gather member feedback and assess the initiative’s efficacy. This evaluation period will help us to identify adjustments to further align this educational pathway with IAYT’s overarching mission of establishing yoga therapy as a recognized healthcare profession of its own.

*LHCP was the terminology prevalent at the beginning of this process. We have now adopted the term qualified health professional (QHP) because it is more inclusive of international providers and those who work in nonlicensed fields, including practitioners of indigenous forms of healing.

IAYT Board President Molly McManus, Vice President Sue Tebb, and Executive Director Alyssa Wostrel journeyed to India in January 2024 to strengthen ties, build relationships, and participate in conferences and meetings in support of IAYT’s mission and vision.

As Dr. Tebb noted, "IAYT has great opportunities to forge strong relationships with many in India who also want to see yoga used for viable whole-person healthcare."

January 3–7: Bengaluru

The group’s first stop was Bengaluru, where they visited Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA University, shown at right) for the 25th International Conference on Frontiers in Yoga Research and its Applications (INCOFYRA). The 2024 INCOFYRA focused on Integrative Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation and afforded an opportunity to stay on S-VYASA’s beautiful campus, meet the welcoming and talented faculty and students, and tour the amazing facilities—which include two hospitals as well as naturopathic and ayurvedic medical schools. 

The IAYT team was delighted to participate in the preconference activities as well as the 3-day conference, which was attended by well over 1,500 people. They were honored to meet with the university’s newly appointed Vice Chancellor Manjunath Sharma, PhD, and Chancellor H. R. Nagendra, PhD. 

During an energizing time at INCOFYRA, IAYT and its hosts collectively affirmed their commitment to the expansion of yoga therapy for the good of public health and wellness and to reduce suffering across the globe. 

IAYT’s S-VYASA hosts also facilitated a number of fascinating meetings and tours, including visits to the university’s research labs, naturopathic and ayurvedic clinics, and integrative inpatient hospitals—which have yoga therapy at their core. One of the many teaching labs at S-VYASA’s School of Ayurveda is shown at left.

January 8–9: Chandigarh

Next, the group hopped a flight to Chandigarh, in Northern India, for the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) conference, directed by Akshay Anand, PhD, DSc. This 2-day conference focused on research challenges and opportunities, with presentations by renowned yoga and yoga therapy researchers to encourage implementation of yoga science outcomes in India as well as via multi-site studies. The local media interviewed Sue Tebb, PhD, MSW, C-IAYT, following her presentation on "The Role of Yoga in Cancer Care in the United States" about her experience using yoga therapy with people beginning chemotherapy for breast cancer. 

Wonderful connections were made during this segment of the trip, and the group was grateful to have the chance to visit PGIMER, which is the second-largest postgraduate education institution in India and has a massive hospital training complex. As was the case at S-VYASA, IAYT’s hosts were generous and thoughtful with their welcoming hospitality, and the group left Chandigarh happy to have met so many dedicated students, researchers, and faculty members.

"The PGIMER expert panel brought together experts in medicine, industry, bioengineering, government, education, and research to work together on the acceptance of yoga in the education and medical systems,” said Sue. “It was an amazing experience for me to listen to all who spoke from their hearts, knowledge, and experience of the importance of yoga for the overall health of people." She has continued to engage with colleagues from this event to develop a postconference paper on integrating yoga into public healthcare. 

The conferences generated strong interest from the local press.

January 10–11: Puducherry

The final leg of the journey began with a flight from Chandigarh to Chennai for a short road trip to Puducherry to meet with Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani, MBBS, MD (AltMed), C-IAYT, at his ashram. A quick visit blossomed into a wonderful 3 hours at Dr. Bhavanani’s beachside compound, during which the IAYT group had the good fortune to receive the blessing of his mother, Param Pujya Ammaji Meenakshi Devi Bhavanani. The team was also able to express their deep gratitude to Ananda, one of the very first C-IAYTs in India, for his long-time commitment to both IAYT and his leadership with the Indian Yoga Association.

I’d like to invite you to take a few moments to reflect with me as I share some of the highlights of IAYT’s remarkable journey over the course of 2023. Even as the year has been one of accomplishments for our organization, we are keenly aware of the backdrop of global tumult—and ever grateful for our yoga practices and the possibility of sharing them with more and more people. Our work has real value to support healing and a return to innate wholeness, and I consider myself fortunate to be part of the efforts to spread yoga therapy far and wide.

Everything we do at IAYT supports one or more of our strategic aims, and those aims in turn support a refreshed mission of advancing yoga therapy as a recognized health profession. Read on to learn how, with the support of our member community, we worked toward our goals this year and are looking forward to the next.

Milestones for the Field

I am delighted to announce that an accreditation standards and competency review is well underway. This project, which includes input from volunteers from programs around the world, will ensure continuous improvement of the quality of yoga therapy education. With 70 IAYT-accredited yoga therapy training programs and an impressive 94% re-accreditation rate in 2023, we are setting high standards for excellence in the field.

Notably, we are also launching 300-hour programs on Foundations of Yoga Principles for Qualified Health Practitioners. We completed a pilot of these “QHP Programs” this year and will be opening accreditation applications in spring 2024, all in service of expanding the integration of yoga therapy into varied environments and creating new opportunities for C-IAYTs—the more QHPs experience the benefits of yoga within their own scope of practice, the more they will support including yoga therapists as part of interprofessional healthcare teams.

In a year marked by strength and growth, we have certified more than 350 graduates from IAYT-accredited training programs, making this our most robust year yet on that front. It was a busy time for recertification, too: We received more than 1,680 recertification applications, and they are still coming in! Thank you all for upholding the integrity of our profession.

Over 100 C-IAYTs voluntarily took the Certification Exam at an initial discounted rate (and for CE credit!). An objective exam is the next step in the maturation of yoga therapy as a recognized profession, and we are thankful to everyone who has volunteered to assist with our development efforts since 2019.

The IAYT tech team has initiated system improvements for both accreditation and the certification exam, marking a significant step forward in enhancing our internal processes. Through a “pain points pulse” approach, we’re addressing challenges across departments, increasing automation, and ensuring a smoother experience for members.

Finally, in another move to streamline our operations, we transitioned to a 100% virtual team. Relinquishing our physical office space in Arkansas was a strategic decision aimed at reducing overhead costs while maintaining efficiency.

Reaching Out…

Our community is expanding! IAYT has had a healthy increase in new members in 2023, and we anticipate continued growth in 2024. This growth is not just in numbers—it’s also evident in increased connections and engagement within our community. More individuals than ever joined our online sanghas, town halls, and live events through social media, fostering a sense of unity and shared purpose.

Likewise, our communication channels have witnessed strong growth, particularly on LinkedIn, where our group has expanded to more than 17,000 members—an increase of over 2,000 people this year alone. As we share more about IAYT and about the profession of yoga therapy, we are encouraged to continue to see significant interest and engagement across our social media channels.

IAYT’s annual peer-reviewed journal, the International Journal of Yoga Therapy, continues to attract high-quality scholarship that advances the field for current professionals and those yet to come. And we’ve completely redesigned Yoga Therapy Today magazine for a fresh look and easier reading, with more varied perspectives than ever.

…And Building Connections

In other development news, IAYT is again supporting the North American Yoga Therapy Workforce Survey to gain insights into how yoga therapists work. This study replicates one conducted 5 years ago—also supported by IAYT—when yoga therapist certification was in its infancy. With established criteria for qualification as a yoga therapist and professionalization measures such as the C-IAYT Code of Ethics and Scope of Practice, we now aim to assess changes in the field since 2017. The data from both surveys will offer crucial insights for IAYT, the profession it represents, and our integrative health partners. If you are a yoga therapist practicing in the United States or Canada, please take the survey if you haven’t already!

As we strive to connect with our international members, IAYT is proud to carry forward Global Yoga Therapy Day (GYTD), founded by Ann Marie Grace (neé Johnston). Celebrated each year on August 14, GYTD 2023 was a resounding success, with more than 1,200 participants joining in from 50 countries. We hosted expert speakers from eight countries in time zone–spanning virtual presentations focused on professional development during these challenging times. The event was free, with an optional request for donation—I’m pleased to report that more than 60 new donors supported the event.

In other conference news, our annual membership conference, the Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR), sold out in Reston, Virginia, this past June! And our call for proposals for SYTAR 2024 garnered far more submissions than we’ve ever seen—making for some very difficult decisions for our Selection Committee—and we’re looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible in Scottsdale, Arizona, June 20–22, 2024.

Through tuition assistance and travel grants, IAYT supported increased accessibility for SYTAR 2023 and for our Symposium on Yoga Research (SYR), held in October at the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Tuition assistance is one of the ways we demonstrate IAYT’s commitment to inclusivity through our routine operations. We’re also seeking ways to provide a high-quality experience for those who are unable to attend our conferences in person.

Visions for the Future

As part of our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), a demographically diverse group has been selected for IAYT’s newest standing committee. Launched in October 2023, the DEIA Committee has begun meeting monthly to drive positive change within IAYT. Learn more about our dedication to making yoga therapy accessible to all on the DEIA timeline, which showcases milestones and actions from IAYT’s 30-plus-year journey.

This year we also engaged in a process with the IAYT board and staff leadership team to refresh the long-time mission statement and formally create a vision statement. The mission of advancing yoga therapy as a recognized health profession acknowledges how far we’ve already come and emphasizes our ongoing commitment to advancing the field.

And our new vision statement looks to a future where yoga therapists continue to contribute their expertise to healing settings of all kinds, expanding their reach for the benefit of all:

In the world envisioned by IAYT, yoga is routinely considered in settings around the world as a therapeutic option for physical health, emotional well-being, mental balance, and spiritual consciousness.

In short, this year has been one of immense progress and achievement for IAYT.

We are blessed to have a dedicated staff, wonderful volunteers, and an experienced and committed board of directors, all of whom I have the pleasure of working with every day to advance the emerging profession of yoga therapy. And I want to recognize each of you, our thousands of members, for your dedication to yoga therapy and your commitment to making a difference in the world. Thank you.

We will carry this wonderful momentum forward as we look ahead to 2024 and beyond, united in our dedication to making a positive impact on the health and well-being of individuals worldwide.

With gratitude for your continued commitment and support,

Alyssa Wostrel, MBA
IAYT Executive Director

Seating this committee would not have been possible without the dedication of several of IAYT’s board members. Board President Molly McManus and Members Marsha Banks-Harold, Janet Caldwell, and Robin Rothenberg, together with Executive Director Alyssa Wostrel, drafted the board charge, committee bylaws, and other essential infrastructure over the past year and a half. We offer huge thanks to them for helping IAYT to reach this milestone, and an additional deep bow of gratitude to Janet and Robin, who led the committee selection process and helped to review applications and interview candidates. We are also grateful to Board Vice President Sue Tebb and additional Subcommittee Members for their support in finalizing the DEIA Committee selection. The passion and commitment of each of these individuals is palpable, and we thank them for their contributions and for all they continue to do for IAYT.

Matra Raj, a past president of IAYT’s board of directors who also played a pivotal role spearheading the evolution of IAYT’s commitment to DEIA, will serve as a nonvoting advisory member of the committee. Additional nonvoting members of the committee are Executive Director Alyssa Wostrel, Board Liaison Robin Rothenberg, and Staff Liaison Dominique Ferrera Hawkins.

We could not have achieved this pivotal milestone without the support of the entire board of directors and DEIA subcommittee members, IAYT staff and community members, as well as the foundational efforts and guidance of IAYT’s DEI Task Force. 

We look forward to sharing more in the months to come as the DEIA Committee’s work gets underway!

Learn more about IAYT’s evolving commitment to DEIA in the organization’s DEI Competencies, published in 2022.

The purpose of this survey is to describe the North American (defined as the United States and Canada) yoga therapy workforce. The survey will generate foundational information to help us understand who yoga therapists are and how they work, along with the characteristics of the profession. Your response will be critical in helping to guide future education and research. We hope that you will take the time to share your experience and opinions!

Need for the Research

Yoga therapy is an emerging healthcare profession with newly created standards as well as accreditation and credentialing processes, respectively, for yoga therapy training programs and practitioners. IAYT defines yoga therapy as “The professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.” At present, little formal research describes the yoga therapist workforce.

Considering this knowledge gap, this survey aims to describe the North American yoga therapy workforce in terms of: (a) socioeconomic characteristics (e.g., age, race, ethnicity, gender, education, household income); (b) practice characteristics (e.g., trainings, certifications, yoga therapy styles, clinical settings, frequency, duration); and (c) income and employment characteristics (e.g., cost of classes and sessions, hours teaching, employment type, income earned from yoga therapy work). This research will help to inform education providers, IAYT, other yoga organizations, and the healthcare field about current yoga therapy practitioner characteristics in the workforce, as well as provide future directions for yoga therapy research, education, and practice.

Survey Eligibility and Details

If you are currently practicing as a yoga therapist in North America, we are seeking your help to participate in this unique survey. Participation is voluntary. You also have the right to withdraw from the study at any time without repercussion. We want to emphasize that there are no “right or wrong” answers to the questions. Your contributions will be valuable in improving our understanding of the pr of yoga therapy in North America. And, you contribution would be most valuable in improving our understanding of yoga therapy practice in North America.

As a token of gratitude for your time, those who complete the anonymous survey will be entered into a lottery to win a 1-year IAYT membership.

The questionnaire will take approximately 15 minutes to complete. Please note that all submitted information will be anonymous, and all research data will be stored in a password-protected database until analysis for publication. Findings from the study will be published in a peer-reviewed journal, disseminated to professional associations, and presented at conferences. These publications and presentations will not disclose any personal details, and data will only be reported in summarized form. The data collected for this study will not be used for any other purposes except those described above.

If you have any questions relating to this study, please contact Atiera Abatemarco at aabatemarco@muih.edu. Address any concerns relating to the conduct of this study to the chair of the Maryland University of Integrative Health Institutional Review Board, Marybeth Missenda, at mmissenda@muih.edu.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Thank you for your interest and support!

Research Partners

This project is being conducted in partnership with IAYT and researchers from Maryland University of Integrative Health and Southern California University of Health Sciences:

Atiera Abatemarco, MPH, CHES, RYT-200
Instructor
Maryland University of Integrative Health

Steffany Moonaz, PhD, RYT-500, C-IAYT
Associate Research Director
Southern California University of Health Sciences

Daryl Nault, MS
Assistant Professor + Data Management/Analysis
Maryland University of Integrative Health

Pamela Stokes Eggleston, MBA, MS, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT
Instructor
Maryland University of Integrative Health

Kellie Finn, MS, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT
Instructor
Maryland University of Integrative Health

Marlysa Sullivan, PT, DPT, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT
Instructor
Maryland University of Integrative Health

Jessica Buck
Yoga Therapy Graduate Student
Maryland University of Integrative Health

James Snow, DCN
Department Chair, Nutrition and Herbal Medicine
Maryland University of Integrative Health

THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS IS NOW CLOSED—SEE YOU AT SYTAR 2024!

Share your expertise at IAYT’s next Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR)! The 2024 conference will be held in Arizona June 20–22, at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort & Villas.

IAYT is seeking dynamic presenters to offer high-quality professional development and outstanding personal practice experiences at our annual SYTAR conference, which brings together yoga therapists, yoga therapy students, and integrative health professionals like no other event.

• AFTERNOON SESSIONS are a chance to actively engage with attendees and dive deep into a range of topics of interest to the yoga therapy community. 
• MORNING PRACTICES are an opportunity for attendees to engage in personal practice while perhaps learning something new to inspire further study and work with clients.

Please read the submission requirements carefully and submit your single best proposal for an afternoon session OR a morning practice via the links above. Submissions must be received by October 12, 2023.

See you at SYTAR 2024!

Learn more about this new opportunity to engage as a volunteer member of the DEIA Committee below.

For any general questions about the DEIA Committee launch or application process, please contact us.

We are pleased to announce an opportunity for C-IAYTs, yoga therapy students in training, and others who are passionate about DEIA to take on a leadership role by serving on IAYT’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Committee! This is a new standing committee with a charge from the IAYT Board of Directors.

IAYT values DEIA across the organization, including as related to its individual and school members and its programs. We acknowledge that diverse representation matters and is key to sustainability of the profession and, more broadly, to foster a more just and equitable world.

DEIA has been underrepresented in yoga therapy. IAYT’s newly established DEIA Committee will strive to support the organization in continuing to create a culture and community that reflect global diversity through the incorporation of DEIA in the practice of yoga therapy.

The DEIA Committee advises and provides a route for accountability for IAYT in matters of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. Through planning, guidance, and recommendations, the committee supports IAYT in the implementation of the organization’s DEIA competencies and ensures that these competencies are reflected in programming, outreach, publications, and policies at the board, departmental, membership, and committee levels. (Please review IAYT’s DEI Competencies. This living document, first published in early 2022, refers to DEI without accessibility in the title; the update to include the term reflects the ongoing learning in which we are all engaged.)

IAYT’s volunteer committee members represent diverse educational and professional backgrounds. They serve for 3-year terms and may serve consecutive terms. The DEIA Committee will consist of six voting members: It is preferred that five members hold the C-IAYT credential or are enrolled in an IAYT-accredited yoga therapy training program and one member is from the general public and has no professional involvement with yoga, yoga therapy, or ayurveda. Additionally, IAYT’s executive director, a staff liaison, and a board liaison will serve on the committee as non-voting members.

Applications to serve on the DEIA Committee will be accepted from June 20–July 11, 2023.

Review the Committee Member Responsibilities & Application