More About the Member Schools Program

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A Service Opportunity

An explicit goal of IAYT’s Member School program is to support the yoga therapy field as a whole through financial backing of the standards processes behind the certification of individual yoga therapists and the accreditation of yoga therapy training programs. The program also supports well-informed communication among the schools, IAYT membership, and the public on these key issues for our emerging profession.

 

History

IAYT’s efforts in these areas include the initial surveys of yoga therapist training programs in 2007 and 2008 and the annual Meeting of Schools, held just prior to IAYT’s annual membership conference, the Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR). All developments on standards have provided careful consideration for transparency, communication, education, and feedback. IAYT gratefully acknowledges the support and encouragement of the Academic Consortium for Complementary and Alternative Health Care, now known as the Academic Collaborative for Integrative Health, in this process.

The development of Educational Standards for the Training of Yoga Therapists was led by IAYT’s Educational Standards Committee, a diverse and representative group of 10 experienced trainers of yoga therapists, with the help of an experienced consultant in the field of emerging complementary and integrative healthcare fields. The committee began work in 2009, and the final standards were approved by the IAYT board of directors and posted on iayt.org in 2012.

 

Recent and Current Work

The IAYT Accreditation Committee was formed in 2012 to develop and implement an accreditation process for programs that meet the IAYT Educational Standards for the Training of Yoga Therapists. The first meeting to review this process was held at the Meeting of Schools at SYTAR 2013. Application for accreditation is open to all IAYT Member Schools. The first accredited programs were announced at SYTAR 2014.

The IAYT Certification Committee was formed in 2014 to implement a certification process for individuals who graduate from IAYT-accredited programs and to develop a grandparenting process for current yoga therapists. Applications for IAYT certification as a yoga therapist (C-IAYT) were opened in mid-2016. The grandparenting window extended until June 30, 2017.

In 2018, the Certification Committee launched a process to support quality continuing education in yoga therapy—Approved Professional Development (APD) courses.

In 2019, the Certification Committee started the multi-year process of developing a professional certification exam as the next step in the maturation of yoga therapy as a recognized and respected profession.

In 2020, the Portfolio Review & Evaluation (PR&E) pathway to certification became available for qualified yoga therapists with extensive education and experience.

The volunteer group that had long been supporting the Meeting of Schools became a standing IAYT committee in 2021. The Member Schools Committee now also facilitates quarterly town hall meetings to expand networking opportunities and explore topics of common interest.

 

How to Follow This Work

We publish updates on our work in Yoga Therapy Today and on iayt.org. IAYT also regularly emails members about our activities. Please let us know if you are not receiving these messages.

IAYT has published a number of articles and perspectives on standards for yoga therapy, including two invited articles in the organization’s scholarly journal:

• Seitz, D. D. (2010). An Overview of Regulatory Issues for Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Ayurveda. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 20.
• Cohen, M. H. (2007). The Search for Regulatory Recognition of Yoga Therapy: Legal and Policy Issues. International Journal of Yoga Therapy, 17.