Yoga Alliance

I never pictured myself doing yoga, but one day my back started hurting. My mom told me to see her trainer and do a yoga session with her. It wasn’t some magical cure-all like some people might claim, but it definitely helped. I ended up really liking the physical part (stretching and bodyweight exercise), but the rest just isn’t for me; however, it is for a lot of people. Yoga has exploded in popularity, and now pretty much anyone who wants to can claim to be a yoga instructor. Yoga Alliance is an Arlington, VA non-profit that exists “to sustain and support the field of yoga.” They do this by “by providing the public with a registry of teachers and schools whose training meets our standards, and by supporting yoga teachers, schools and studios in their work as yoga professionals.”

Namaste

While most of the non-profits that we feature are 501(c)(3) organizations, Yoga Alliance is actually a a 501(c)(6) professional and trade association; however, they also have a 501(c)(3) called Yoga Alliance Registry. Together the organizations work to keep yoga safe and healthy for everyone who practices. So far they already have more than 2,500 schools and nearly 40,000 teachers registered. While they can’t keep people from calling what they do yoga, even if it’s not up to their standards, Yoga Alliance can continue to move yoga in the right direction by bringing together professionals who benefit from the yoga economy. If you’d like to join Yoga Alliance, take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Communications Specialist and a Marketing and Public Affairs Specialist. Both positions look like they could be a great fit for a recent grad.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

• YogaAlliance.org
• Jobs at Yoga Alliance
• About Yoga Alliance
• Staff at Yoga Alliance
• Yoga Alliance’s Financials

Do you have a yoga practice?