Joanna Cashman

What is the Yoga Alliance?

Yoga Alliance is an organization started in 1999 as a way to create nationally recognized standards for yoga teachers and yoga teacher trainings. Yoga Alliance has no governmentally recognized authority to impose standards on teacher training programs. Yoga Alliance recommends educational standards and compile s a registry listing of schools and teachers who comply with their standards. Registration with Yoga Alliance is not necessary for our RHY Certified Yoga Teachers to teach yoga. Currently there are no legal state or federal level certification requirements necessary to teach yoga. Yoga Alliance cannot certify teachers. It is not a training organization. It can only make recommendations regarding educational standards. YA charges annual fees from teachers and schools that wish to be on their registry lists.

Why We Are Discontinuing Our Affiliation with Yoga Alliance.

From 2003 to 2021 the Radiant Health Yoga® teacher training program met all Yoga Alliance educational standards to earn approval. After 20 years of approval from Yoga Alliance, we have decided to discontinue our affiliation as their standards are too limiting and no longer compatible with our programs emphasis on the therapeutic applications of yoga and our commitment to affordability. YA has announced that schools may not use the word therapeutic in the curriculum nor teach the therapeutic applications of yoga for specific health conditions in 200 hour trainings. Recently YA provided a list of words that we are forbidden to use as descriptors of our program related to the therapeutic applications of yoga practices. Additionally their annual fees and application procedures have become prohibitively expensive. This over-reach of authority is not acceptable to us. We choose to remain true to the values that our program is built upon.

The RHY Teacher Training Program has always given our students a fundamental understanding of how to apply the therapeutic applications of yoga practice within safe scope of practice ethical boundaries. Our graduates are certified yoga teachers not yoga therapists, however we believe that all yoga teachers have the right to learn the basic therapeutic applications of yoga in their entry level training. Those wanting to specialize in yoga therapy are encouraged to enroll in a formal yoga therapist training program ideally affiliated with the International Association of Yoga Therapy which requires 800 hours of expensive training.

Our core values include affordability and inclusion. We aim to keep our yoga teacher training affordable to those who are financially underprivileged. Most people cannot afford the expense of an 800 hour program and should not be deprived of a broad, in-depth education because of their lack of financial privilege. Classism is the systematic oppression of subordinated class groups to advantage and strengthen the dominant class groups. RHY does not wish to perpetuate a system that runs contrary to it’s values of inclusion and affordability. Our lineage asserts our right to follow our core values, curriculum design, and remain true to our unique focus, style and methodology. We will not withhold valuable educational information from our students. We understand that it takes many years of training and experience to make an outstanding yoga teacher. RHY is an entry level, great place to start that journey. Our grads are “certified yoga teachers” CYT. Our lead trainer, Joanna Cashman, is a certified Integrative Yoga Therapist, Registered Nurse, Licensed Massage Therapist, and 500 hr E-RYT registered with the Yoga Alliance, who has extensive experience facilitating therapeutic yoga practices in a wide variety of medical, mental health and community settings.

In Summary:

~ Upon graduation of the RHY teacher training you are a CYT, a certified Yoga Teacher affiliated with Radiant Health Wellness a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization. You are not required to pay any annual fees to maintain your certification.

~ Yoga Alliance cannot legally certify yoga teachers. It is not a training school. RHY is no longer affiliated with Yoga Alliance.

~ RHY graduates are certified yoga teachers not yoga therapists however they do learn the basic therapeutic benefits of yoga practices to support holistic health.