I just wanted to express my sincere gratitude for the swift and clear response from Martina and the team. Thanks to the prompt assistance, I was able to smoothly complete my insurance documentation and successfully finalize the corporate booking on Saturday. Everything went absolutely fabulously, and I truly appreciate the support. Thank you once again for your excellent service!

I am beyond grateful to be part of Yoga Alliance Professionals (YAP) - an organisation that truly upholds the highest standards of yoga teaching. Unlike other accreditation bodies, YAP ensures real, hands-on learning with a minimum of 180 live contact hours and highly experienced Senior Yoga Teachers leading the way. They do not accept pre-recorded teacher training courses, reinforcing the importance of in-person learning and mentorship. Yoga Alliance Professionals also recognises the value of continuous development, encouraging further training such as the 300-hour certificate as an asset, rather than just a credential. This commitment to ongoing education and higher teaching standards sets them apart. Initially, I was confused about whether to join Yoga Alliance Professionals or Yoga Alliance (USA), as the names sound very similar. However, after speaking with Claire, it became crystal clear - YAP’s standards are far greater, and joining them means becoming an even better accredited yoga teacher, and this makes me really happy! As the blog explains it is like comparing apples to oranges - both are fruit but they serve completely different purposes. YAP provided clear communication and support whereas I could not locate any direct contact details for Yoga Alliance on their website. The Yoga Alliance in America has far fewer requirements and commitment to excellence, and once I understood the differences, there was no choice - YAP was the obvious decision for me. One of the other main reasons I joined YAP was Claire. From the very start, her outstanding patience, kindness, and efficiency made all the difference. I had the option to speak with her on the phone, and she always responded promptly and thoroughly to my emails. Every interaction left me feeling that I had someone truly on my side -someone who cared about my journey as a yoga teacher. If more organisations had a Claire, there would be some serious competition! (Joking, but also very serious!). In addition to my yoga qualifications, I have a background in law, holding an LLB and the John North Law Prize for academic performance. This experience has given me a deep appreciation for precision, ethics, and adherence to guidelines, all of which are essential in maintaining high teaching standards. These values align closely with Yoga Alliance Professionals’ commitment to excellence, making my experience with them even more meaningful. As a British yoga teacher, it just makes sense to be part of a British organisation that understands and supports our community, rather than joining an American alternative with weaker regulations. A huge thank you to Claire - she truly embodies everything that makes Yoga Alliance Professionals a standout organisation.

YAP has a very encouraging and approachable way. They remains realistic about what it is to be a ‘jobbing’ yoga teacher- and offers strong support in what could otherwise become quite isolating work in the community.

I would like to thank Claire, Aimee and the Yoga Alliance Professionals team for the support and guidance afforded to me from the beginning, during my training, with the Shannon Estuary Way Retreat, County Clare, Ireland, through to qualifying, uploading my profile; including tips on taking my next tentative steps. Thank you :pray::smiling_face_with_3_hearts: this support has made what could have been quite a daunting side of this journey much more achievable.

Very quick response and resolved the problem I had perfectly

Bruce's trainings are always insightful and full of practical wisdom. I took lots of notes and learnings from this once again - thank you!

The session on imposter syndrome is excellent. I discovered I had imposter syndrome in 2019. This video is the best I’ve watched on the topic. It’s clear, relatable, and empowering. I highly recommend it.

I loved the session, particularly the depth of it, lots of food for thoughts and actions to take. I will definitely set a day aside for deep reflection, love these words. Thank you co much for offering this and thank you for the resources.

I would like to thank Claire, Aimee and the Yoga Alliance Professionals team for the support and guidance afforded to me from the beginning, during my training, with the Shannon Estuary Way Retreat, County Clare, Ireland, through to qualifying, uploading my profile; including tips on taking my next tentative steps.  Thank you 🙏🥰 this support has made what could have been quite a daunting side of this journey much more achievable.

There are plenty of tips here for me to digest and take action on and Lead! Thank you.

This was a great short course it helped me remember positive things and it gave me a focus of how to move forward. Thank you

Thank you for this recording. Useful information and tips for overcoming insecurities and self-doubt as a new teacher.

What a fantastic course! It’s extremely helpful with where I am in the yoga teacher training process and will use the exercises to help overcome my own struggles with negative thinking.

Great framework to start thinking about growing a business rather than just a personal journey.

I am new to business idea thinking. I want to make Yoga teaching my full time business. Found this course eye opening and very insightful.

Refreshing to have a platform for yoga teachers to share our experiences

Thanks for sending the relevant links and thank you for an inspiring and focused zoom call. It felt very supportive and I really want to get on board with the next phase of my teaching journey.

Absolutely amazing, lovely supportive team and feel really happy with my insurance and the amazing amount of tools available to help me grow my yoga community and business

Just wanted to say well done to you all on your work over the last year and a bit. I really found the video trainings you issued at the start of lockdown very helpful, as well as the regular updates you have been providing.

I am delighted to be a part of such a valuable community where I feel we can, as yoga teachers, learn and share experiences together. I think the team at YAP are reliable, knowledgeable, kind and very helpful. They are keen to support teachers online, in person and very generous in their tech support too. I'm thrilled to be involved and look forward to many years ahead with them. Fenella Lindsell Senior Yoga Teacher Yoga Forever Ltd

After an enlightening business consultation with Louise at Yoga Alliance Professionals I'm registering as a Senior Yoga Teacher - thank you. I've been ducking and weaving for a year but Louise has presented new ideas, fresh thinking and inspirational advice. So I'm now preparing to 'pivot' my way out of lockdown, develop my skills and grow my business from yoga studio into a training academy. Bring it on!

Yoga Alliance Professionals, provide a professional service to support members of their yoga community. They go out of their way to be helpful, you really feel that they 'see you' as an individual member, with your own support needs and talents. The team are knowledgeable, warm and approachable.

Thanks for your help and support yesterday. I felt heard and listened to and met:) Best Wishes Nadia

Hi Louise, I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for your help the other day on zoom. I really appreciated it and it was really helpful so thank you. With love Kelly Jarvis

thanks for all the excellent work you do to help to keep us informed and given opportunities to train and generally be available whenever we need anything. Great Job up there in Scotland.

I am loving the support , help and layout of your service. I am growing in many areas and taking on more clients, your website is really guiding me and giving a lot of valuable information and resources as I take this opportunity to progress.

Glad I came to YAP UK not USA as the recommended! Bruce is so helpful. A stream of great knowledge Bruce

The only thing better than their insurance cover, is their customer service. Always friendly and always willing to help, I cannot recommend them enough. Throw in a website with a wealth of resources and us teachers have it made.

That’s super helpful, thank you. I watched the session from October and it was my question that Bruce read out so I have taken lots of notes. Some stuff I knew already but was a good reminder and some stuff was new, so as I say it was super helpful. He’s an infectious spirit which made the session extremely watchable. I hope to join live in November - I’ve put it in as 14:00 to 15:00 unless you tell me different. I’m off to niche and goal set for 2024 now :-)

Thanks again for giving me the guidance I needed to clarify my thoughts around launching my first CPD workshop. As a self employed Yoga teacher, having come from the world of corporate sales and marketing, I have really missed having professional guidance, until I enrolled with YAP and started using your resources. Thanks again.

Yoga Alliance have been very supportive, as I move through my journey as a Yoga Teacher. I have found them especially helfpul in the area of sharing my online programs and classes with the Yoga Alliance Community. This connection has allowed me to reach new people with my teachings. I have made great connections with new students who are ready to learn about my work, process and offerings as a Yoga Teacher. I have received personal 1:1 guidance on all things from the best times to offer Trainings, to pricing and how to create more accessible offerings. Yoga Alliance is a wonderful community space for connection with other teachers, students and practitioners. They provide practical support for Yoga Teachers to develop their craft and share their skills, no matter what stage of the journey you are on.

Secrets to success : I attach the Yoga Alliance Professionals logo along with ours to all of our social media posts and Teacher Training posts. It’s good to show Yoga Alliance Professionals endorse us. Having the studio helps greatly in filling TT and retreats, but I find having a structured yearly schedule for social media posts really helps. Working out when people may be thinking of TT and retreats and then running campaigns long term, medium term and just in time. Have unique selling points is the thing that will sway people away from other course and into yours. Another often missed point is to make sure your TT social media posts carry the same ethos as your other daily posts.

I find them [YAPTA Tasters] initially a great way to get leads, and then over time as the training gets buried further down as new ones are added it gets lost and numbers drop off. It would be great if there was a way of categorising them into specialist areas of interest “kids, postnatal, yin, business, anatomy” etc, so it’s less disadvantageous if your YAPTA taster is older! That said I think there is a counter argument that as trainers we need to consider contributing regularly and adding a new every few months. They do act as a great way to effectively generate leads and get in front of teacher audience that is YAP.

I have really enjoyed being a member, I didn’t realise how much YAP offered to its members. The asana clinics with Brian Cooper are out of this world, he has taught me so much, please pass on my comments to him and the free tasters are an excellent source of information. Please keep up the outstanding work.

Thanks Bruce and Aimee! Some great points [on business clinic] and clearly made

As a new teacher to yoga I have been given great support from the team in Yoga Professionals Alliance UK. Yoga is a passion of mine but when one steps onto the mat as a yoga teacher as opposed to a yoga student a whole new world of possibilities open up, some of which can become overwhelming. Since I joined YAP, I have been able to reach out to the team for help, support and guidance. This has been of huge benefit to me as it would take me a lot longer to find answers myself. The workshops that I have been able to attend to date have also supported me as I begin to develop my skills as a teacher. I look forward to joining many more.

The advisor was very helpful and so it was easy to sign up. Regular updates are useful and I’ve been impressed by the number of workshops/opportunities available. I haven’t had time to sign up yet but I look forward to taking part in future.

a special hug to Mark Keenan for all the support he has given to me as a yoga pro and regarding to my yoga teacher trainings in Portugal! Keep up the inspiring work ❤ Much love from Coimbra.

I am pretty chuffed! I have been allocated a new badge from Yoga Alliance Professionals. I am now classed as an Experienced Yoga Professional which that I have been teaching for more than 4 years and have over 2000 hrs of teaching under my belt. It's funny that even as adults we respond well to stickers!

With warm wishes and gratitude to YAP for your kindness and dedication to me as a teacher and my work. Whoever I speak to from your organization is so helpful and a pleasure to speak to!

An absolutely brilliant service I cannot thank you enough , I have found a new teacher we have already made contact ,and I have my 1:1class with her next Thursday. Huge thank you 😁🙏

I am so pleased with the help and support offered to novice teachers such as myself from your organisation.

I just wanted to leave some feedback to the webinars and workshops which I have participated on so far. Please send to all my many thanks. I have been learning just by listening to the discussions and have found some new ideas and very interesting to hear from others perspectives and challenges. Many thanks once again you are all doing Brilliantly !!!

Really pleased with the TrainerPro membership

Mark - I love how you always ste up when I need something - Thank you!

Hi Mark Just wanted to say a huge thank you for your ongoing support . I don’t think if it wasn’t for your supportive emails and guidance I be saying FLOW existed.

I am lucky enough to connect with lots of teachers around the world and even luckier to be supported by Yoga Alliance Professionals, I understand from others who have memberships elsewhere that the endless help, encouragement and value I receive from Yoga Alliance professionals is outstanding. The cost of being a Yoga Pro trainer has come back to me in more ways than I can say, I also recommend all may students join to get the best support for their journey and career. I love that I feel part of a family and community and not out here winging things alone.

I have been a member of Yoga Alliance Professionals since 2010, first as a Yoga Teacher and then as a Senior Yoga Teacher since 2012 and now as a Trainer PRO. Every time I have upgraded, I have been supported by Yoga Alliance Professionals staff - from the creation of my first Foundation Yoga Teacher Training in 2013 and all subsequent teacher trainings including Further Training and Specialist Yoga Training (Kids) and (Meditation). I firmly believe that Yoga Alliance Professionals came in to their own in 2020 with the Coronavirus Pandemic in the support that they offered their members and, as such, when I was invited to become a Trainer PRO member I didn’t hesitate to sign up. Now it feels like a partnership where I can ask for advice and support not only from the Yoga Alliance staff and founders but also from my fellow Trainer PRO members. Becoming a Trainer PRO means that I am also able to share my expertise with the wider Yoga Alliance Professionals membership which I did when I created a YAPTA course on Yoga for Stress & Trauma. After working alone as a Yoga Teacher Trainer for so many years it feels good to know I now have a team behind me to support me while I develop new and existing Yoga Teachers through the StretchBodyMind methodology.

Since becoming a Trainer Pro with YAP I have benefitted from a closer relationship and professional support with an organisation that shares my values. I love their philosophy on the teaching of yoga, the practice we all love, and their commitment to continued high standards during a rapidly changing time. I know the many graduates and post graduates from the Sandstone Training Academy are getting the gold standard in terms of yoga accreditation. I couldn’t be happier with the students they refer to our course as they are an ideal fit. I look forward to sharing the journey together for years to come

I just wanted to drop you a line to say how much I enjoy and admire Amrita. What a fantastic magazine; well conceived, well written, well edited and well designed.

I used the yoga alliance message board to look for a yoga teacher. I received a message back within 2 days and will hopefully have a new teacher for classes in my studio in the coming weeks. I would highly recommend the message board for teacher/client matching and will use it again if I need to in the future.

After an enlightening business consultation with Louise at Yoga Alliance Professionals I'm registering as a Senior Yoga Teacher - thank you. I've been ducking and weaving for a year but Louise has presented new ideas, fresh thinking and inspirational advice. So I'm now preparing to 'pivot' my way out of lockdown, develop my skills and grow my business from yoga studio into a training academy. Bring it on!

I am delighted to be a part of such a valuable community where I feel we can, as yoga teachers, learn and share experiences together. I think the team at YAP are reliable, knowledgeable, kind and very helpful. They are keen to support teachers online, in person and very generous in their tech support too. I'm thrilled to be involved and look forward to many years ahead with them.

I want to add that your advice over the last year has been invaluable. I'm so glad I registered for membership and took insurance with you

I have just joined the Yoga Alliance community, which is very exciting! Thanks so much for reaching out personally, it was so good to hear your thoughts. I'm inspired to create an offer for Yoga Teachers to help them find their vocal potential.

It has been a real pleasure to be a new member of the YAP family. I experience positive, uplifting, responsive and supportive replies to any query I have whether big or small. Their resources have been so useful as I made the move to teaching online and setting up a teacher training course. The videos and documents on all aspects of being a yoga teacher really support me and keep me right e.g. information on GDPR, codes of conducts, marketing and so much more. The materials are accessible and practical with supportive back up if needed. YAP are professional yet they have the personal touch. I am absolutely delighted to recommend YAP to yoga teachers, trainers and to any-one wishing to access yoga classes.

The YAP team has been fantastic and I'm so glad that I switched over - everyone that I have spoken to has been so helpful which is appreciated

We have had several students find us through Yoga Alliance Professionals - several in the last week

I can honestly say I am so overwhelmed with the support from YAP - thank you. Very best wishes to all of YAP and take care... I would also like to take this opportunity to thank YAP for ALL your emails/posts and support. I think it is absolutely incredible how the company are practising together in the mornings. I remember seeing a post about this and an image of some of you all on Zoom! It completely explains why the company works so well and why the customer support is so incredible.

It is really beneficial to establish a community of teachers that can get together to have useful discussions. Louisa Craig was a warm and welcoming host and allowed us the opportunity to discuss several different topics while holding the space for us. It was good to have structured questions there so that there was a format to the meeting" (About our teacher meet-ups)

The badge means so much more, the world of yoga has several alliances, wheels, and federations. 'YAP' set high standards and that differentiates them from other organizations. For example, they believe that 'Teacher Trainer' requires, time, wisdom, and knowledge, and that can only be attained through experience.

I just want to say thank you for your responses to my queries. I have gained a lot of information from yourselves particularly the video on becoming a yoga teacher. I'm a lot clearer now on the steps I shall be taking. Carry on the fabulous work it really is fantastic. I look forward to being in touch in the future. Hopefully as a teacher in training!

Thank you for all your help I really appreciate it. I have no hesitation in recommending Yoga Alliance Professionals to my fellow students ..... Blessings Kay

I wanted to say a big thank you to you and the team there at Yoga Alliance Professionals. When ever I have called I have always been able to speak to a real person which is so refreshing. Everyone has always been extremely friendly and helpful. It makes me feel part of an organisation even though I run my small business by myself. So a big thank you to you all!

I am delighted we are getting more leads that I am able to respond to, thank you so much.

I appreciate everything that YAP have done for me. Right from the start of designing and registering the course to helping promote the course and generate leads. YAP have kept me on track and responded to my communications very efficiently. As I get closer to the start date it is reassuring to know that support is there.

Amrita is THE yoga industry's publication for professionals and the public.