Guide
What is the difference between RYS, RYT and E-RYT?
SHORT ANSWER
RYS is a school; RYT is a teacher. A Registered Yoga School (RYS) is a business whose syllabus Yoga Alliance has approved. A Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) is an individual who trained at one and paid to register. E-RYT means experienced: at least two years and 1,000 or 2,000 hours of logged teaching.
Last updated · Written by the team at Junegiri Yoga School, Rishikesh
The confusion is worth clearing up before you pay anybody
Almost every yoga school website uses these acronyms as though they are interchangeable, and they are not. The distinction matters commercially: a school can be registered while the teacher standing in front of you is not, and a teacher can hold a serious personal credential at a school that has no registration at all.
Both situations are common and neither is automatically a problem. But you should know which one you are buying.
Every credential, and what it actually requires
| Credential | Who holds it | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| RYS 200 / 300 / 500 | A school, not a person | The school submitted its syllabus, faculty and policies to Yoga Alliance and pays an annual fee. It is a registration, not an inspection — nobody visits. |
| RYT 200 | A teacher | Completed a 200-hour course at an RYS, then registered individually and paid the fee. The certificate and the registration are two separate things. |
| RYT 500 | A teacher | A 500-hour training, or a 200-hour plus a 300-hour, then registration. |
| E-RYT 200 | A teacher | RYT 200 plus at least two years and 1,000 hours of logged teaching since qualifying. |
| E-RYT 500 | A teacher | RYT 500 plus at least four years and 2,000 hours of logged teaching. This is the credential required to lead teacher trainings. |
| YACEP | A teacher | Approved to deliver continuing education hours to other registered teachers. |
Every one of these is verifiable for free in the Yoga Alliance public directory. It takes about ten seconds and you should do it for any school and any lead teacher before you pay a deposit.
Do you actually need to register as an RYT?
Often, no. Yoga Alliance is a voluntary membership body, not a licensing authority — yoga is unregulated in most countries, and nobody can stop you teaching without it.
It becomes worth the annual fee in specific situations: many Western studios and gyms list it as a hiring requirement, most insurers ask for it, and it is frequently required to teach on retreats or cruise ships. If you intend to teach privately or in a community setting, you may never need it.
The honest summary is that RYT registration buys access to employers who use it as a filter. It is not a measure of whether you can teach, and experienced teachers routinely let it lapse.
Whatever you decide for yourself, ask any school to state plainly what it holds and at which level — the level is the part people forget to check. Ours is set out on our certification page.
What this means when you are comparing schools
A school claiming 'Yoga Alliance certified' is using language that does not exist
Yoga Alliance registers schools; it does not certify them. The phrase is a mild red flag — not because it is fraudulent, but because it suggests the school is repeating marketing copy rather than describing its own status accurately.
Check the lead teacher separately from the school
A school's RYS registration says nothing about who will actually teach you. Ask for the lead teacher's name and look them up. An E-RYT 500 has logged at least 2,000 hours of teaching and four years; that is a meaningful floor.
A school registration in progress is not automatically a problem
New schools genuinely take months to register, and some good ones are mid-process. What matters is whether they tell you plainly and let you decide, or let you assume. If RYT eligibility is essential to your plans, get the timing in writing before you pay.
Related
Other questions worth answering first
How do I tell a good yoga school in Rishikesh from a bad one?
Verify the lead teacher's credential in the Yoga Alliance directory, ask how many students are in a batch and how many times you will teach with feedback, and read reviews outside the school's own website. Schools that answer those three plainly are almost always the serious ones.
Is a 200-hour yoga teacher training enough to actually teach?
Yes for teaching general beginner classes, and that is what it is designed for. A 200-hour training qualifies you to lead a safe, well-sequenced class for healthy adults. It does not prepare you to teach injuries, pregnancy, or advanced practitioners, and most graduates need a year of regular teaching before they feel competent.
Still deciding?
We would rather talk you out of the wrong course than sell you one. Ask us anything — including whether another school suits you better.
Or see dates and prices.
