Both as a studio and as a Yoga school, Zia has made a conscious decision not to align with Yoga Alliance - here's why...

Yoga Alliance (YA) is a paid membership organization created in 1999 in an attempt to provide a standard of education for yoga teachers here in the US. It's important to note that YA is NOT a certifying body, they do not issue certificates of any kind and no local, state, or federal government sanctions the organization in order to hold any RYT or RYS accountable.

When you register with Yoga Alliance, you are literally doing just that. Registering. You are listed as a Registered Yoga Instructor (RYT) and are granted permission to use their registry stamp on your website or other marketing materials as a way of promoting yourself.

While Yoga Alliance has done an incredible job of marketing itself as the gold standard for yoga teachers, this stamp is misleading. It implies that the organization is somehow regulating the yoga industry and ensuring that certain standards are being met and upheld. Again, they are not a certifying body, they are just a registry.

We can tell you from over two decades of experience that not once have we had a Yoga Alliance representative check in on us as teachers, as a studio, or with any of the students we have trained at our Yoga + Leadership School.

Each year, YA has simply taken our money and asked for us to continue to pay for the use of the Registered Yoga School (RYS) stamp.

Further, and most importantly, YA has done nothing to address the inequity, racism, and ableism that exist in the yoga industry.

There are no prerequisites or experience necessary to join our Wisdom + Wellness program.

For the Yoga Teacher Training program, we recommend students have some type of regular wellness practice in their lives before the beginning of training.

The Yoga Leadership Training program requires at least 200 hours of yoga teacher training and at least 1 year of experience teaching yoga or wellness. Any experience with public speaking, leadership, etc., will also be helpful in this training.

All genders, sexualities, expressions, abilities, bodies, and experience levels are welcome in our space.

After the completion of all program milestones, you will earn a Certification of Completion from The Pranic Life Yoga + Leadership School. This certification can be used to show evidence of your teaching experience and education for future teaching opportunities.

Explore the program milestones for each training level here:

• Yoga Teacher Training Milestones

• Yoga + Leadership Training Milestones

*It's important to note that, in the USA is that while we strongly believe in practicing deep self-study before leading the work of Yoga, there is absolutely no regulation on yoga teachers. This means that you do not need to be certified, registered, or licensed in order to start leading sun salutations and calling yourself a Yoga Teacher.

While it’s hard to give an exact #, we know from past training that Teacher Trainees spend about 2-4 hours and Leaders spend about 3-5 hours a week in their movement, meditation, and pranayama practices, reading or reviewing video content, creating journal entries and connecting with each other on Mentorship calls.

Training weekends will vary based on each facilitator and the content for the session. In general, weekend sessions will include breath, meditation, and movement practices, lectures, group work, opportunities to practice teaching and leadership, and content-specific workshops.

Friday sessions are between 6 pm-8 pm allowing us to reconnect, ground, and practice together and act as an overview of the weekend ahead.

Saturday sessions are between 8 am-4 pm and initiate activities to delve deeper into the content.

Sunday sessions are between 9 am-4 pm and are the integration of the weekend’s learning into your life and leadership.

We will have ample breaks for lunch on Saturday and Sunday, and there will be short breaks during the afternoon sessions. You can also see a typical weekend overview below:

Yes! We strive to offer this training in equitable and sustainable ways mindful of the imperfect world we live in. Our training rates reflect what is needed to sustain our business and keep our commitment to provide equitable pay for our facilitators and a living wage salary for our leadership team. If cost is a concern, please consider taking advantage of our early bird and pay-in-full discounts ($600 in savings!) Both our 6-month and 12-month payment plan options are outlined on the application page of each training program.

We have a small number of scholarships available for this training program. If you are interested in learning more or applying for a scholarship, you can learn more about our Community Scholarship Programs HERE.

Your first monthly payment is processed on the day you register. The remaining monthly installments are deducted from your payment source on the same day each month until the end of the payment plan. We cannot change the date when the payment is deducted from your account. So if there is a particular day you wish to have the payment deducted, for example on the 5th of each month, then please make your deposit on the 5th of the month.

All deposits are nonrefundable: the deposit for the Yoga Teacher Training program is $1040. The first 3 installments of a 6-month installment plan or the first five installments of a 12-month payment plan go towards the nonrefundable deposit.

All cancellations must be made by August 1st. Refund requests made prior to August 1st will include a refund of the amount paid minus the $1040 deposit. After August 1st, there are no refunds available. This policy allows us to pay our team for their time and commitment, therefore we cannot make exceptions for any reason, medical or otherwise. We thank you in advance for honoring this policy.

Community is a fundamental element of all of our training programs, making each group session an invaluable part of your learning experience. If you absolutely must miss a training session, you will be required to make up the missed time and coursework in order to receive your completion certificate. Make-up work will be handled on a case-by-case basis and should be arranged in advance with your group leader and/or mentor, with the approval of the Facilitation Team.

We will meet in person on the designated training weekends. This allows us to truly connect and be present with one another to get the most out of the curriculum. However, portions of the training will be available online for you to complete in between weekend sessions.

Yes!

Injury and other limitations can be some of the most powerful tools in learning empathetic and creative leadership. Bring whatever you need to sit comfortably and contact us if you have any special requirements. Most importantly, be sure to listen to your body and move with awareness during all classes and activities.

Yep!

You will have some pre-work to complete between our in-person training weekends. This may include things like readings and daily wellness practices as well as working on more long-term projects. Cultivating a regular wellness practice, along with your other homework, will reinforce your ability to support yourself and others while gaining the practical knowledge and awareness you need to refine your leadership skills.

No way.

One of the big myths about wellness is that we have to already be fit enough to be well. Many of the people you interact with may have similar concerns. Our training will help you balance your flexibility with your strength while gaining awareness of what to do to empower yourself and others. These programs are designed to meet you where you are. Whether you are 18 or 108, this program has space for you. If you are 109? Congratulations! You can probably teach us a few things about enduring wellness 😉

I’m pretty sure there is no perfect time… which means it’s always the perfect time. The skills you will learn in our program will transform your ability to be present and to create your life. If you find you frequently feel like you don’t have time, that might be a recurring dialogue for you!

That said, we have other options if you aren’t able to make the time commitment this time around - explore our Wisdom + Wellness Tier.

Tuition for this program is non-refundable after August 1st. In some extreme cases, paid tuition can be used as a credit and applied to future training. Exceptions are handled on a case-by-case basis, are not guaranteed, and must be requested in writing directly to the Program Directors.

Let us introduce you to mentorship + co-pilots!

Everyone enrolled in our training program will be paired with a fellow trainee in the same program as them. This person will be your co-pilot, or your go-to person for support during the program. Each week you'll plan to connect for 30 minutes (over the phone, via Zoom, or in person) with your co-pilot to check in and see how you can support one another.

Additionally, Yoga Teachers and Leadership Trainees will be paired with a Mentor that is at the program level above them. This person will serve as a mentor on your journey through training and in this portion of your personal and professional development. You'll also connect with this person each week for 30 minutes.

In addition to these structures, our program is held by a team of directors, support staff, and mentors who are dedicated to your success in our program. If you have any specific questions, accommodations, or requests, please reach out directly to Lauren Davish-Vantine at lauren@ziayogawellness.com