Written by Joseph Berridge, Founder of Joga Yoga
RYT means Registered Yoga Teacher. The number is training hours. RYT 200 is a 200-hour training, RYT 500 is 500 hours, and the E in E-RYT stands for Experienced, awarded for teaching hours logged after training rather than for more coursework.
That’s the whole system in three sentences. What follows is the detail that actually decides things: which credential you need for what, what each one costs, and the one distinction that trips up almost everyone.
Certification and Registration Are Not the Same Thing
This is the point to get straight before anything else, because getting it wrong wastes money.
Your certificate comes from the school. You finish the course, the school issues it, and it’s yours. Your registration comes from Yoga Alliance, and only if you apply for it separately and pay for it. Graduating does not register you. Nobody does it on your behalf.
So a school being a Registered Yoga School (RYS) means the school’s curriculum was approved. It doesn’t mean you’re an RYT. You become an RYT by submitting your certificate details to Yoga Alliance after you graduate.
And registration isn’t legally required. Yoga teaching is not a licensed profession in most countries. No law says you need RYT status to teach a class. What registration buys you is access: many studios, retreat companies and insurers use it as a hiring filter. That’s a commercial reason, not a legal one, and any page telling you that RYT 200 lets you “legally teach” is wrong.
The Credential Ladder
| Credential | Training required | Teaching hours required | Who it’s for |
|---|---|---|---|
| RYT 200 | 200 hours at an RYS 200 | None | Anyone starting out. The standard entry credential. |
| RYT 500 | 500 hours total, either as one program at an RYS 500 or 200 + a separate 300 at an RYS 300 | Yoga Alliance requires teaching hours before RYT 500 is granted | Teachers deepening their range or moving toward specialisation |
| E-RYT 200 | Your RYT 200 | Commonly cited as 1,000 hours over at least two years | Working teachers with real mileage |
| E-RYT 500 | 500 hours, by either route above | Commonly cited as 2,000 hours | Senior teachers. Required to be a Lead Trainer on an RYS 200 program. |
| RCYT | Specialty children’s yoga training on top of RYT | Per Yoga Alliance standards | Teaching children |
| RPYT | Specialty prenatal training on top of RYT | Per Yoga Alliance standards | Teaching pregnancy and postpartum |
| YACEP | Requires an E-RYT designation | Per Yoga Alliance standards | Teachers who want to deliver continuing education to other teachers |
I’ve written “commonly cited” against the E-RYT teaching hours deliberately. Those figures appear consistently across the industry, but Yoga Alliance has revised its standards more than once, and the numbers on third-party sites lag behind. Before you plan around them, read the current requirements yourself.
Source: Yoga Alliance credential overview and its Standards for RYS Credentials.
The Two Routes to RYT 500
Yoga Alliance accepts either path, and they are not equivalent in practice.
One 500-hour program at an RYS 500. Continuous, one school, one cohort. Simpler administratively, and usually a bigger single commitment of time and money.
A 200-hour training, then a separate 300-hour training at an RYS 300. This is what most teachers do. You can leave years between the two, teach in the gap, and pick a 300-hour program that suits where your teaching has actually gone. The 300 doesn’t have to be at the same school as your 200.
The second route is why “RYT 500” and “300-hour training” get used almost interchangeably in course marketing. A 300-hour course is the top-up that takes an existing RYT 200 to 500 total hours.
One detail worth knowing about 500-hour standards
Yoga Alliance’s school standards state that of the 500 hours, 450 must be contact hours, meaning learning with a faculty member present. Non-contact hours cover things like set reading. If a 500-hour program is heavily self-study, check that ratio before enrolling.
What It Costs
Two separate costs, and course marketing often blurs them.
Tuition goes to the school. Yoga Alliance notes that schools set their own fees, ranging from roughly $1,500 to $5,000 and above depending on length, location and format.
Registration goes to Yoga Alliance. Its application guide lists an initial RYT cost of $115, made up of a one-time $50 registration fee plus $65 for the first year of membership, renewing annually after that.
So the credential itself is cheap. The training is the expense.
Which One Do You Actually Need?
Most people overthink this. The honest answer for the large majority is RYT 200 and nothing else for a while.
- You want to teach classes. RYT 200. That’s the credential studios ask for and it’s sufficient for years of teaching.
- You’ve been teaching a while and feel stuck. A 300-hour training, taking you to RYT 500. Do this when you know what you want to specialise in, not before.
- You want to run your own teacher training. E-RYT 500, since Yoga Alliance requires Lead Trainers on RYS 200 programs to hold it. That’s a multi-year path.
- You want to teach kids or prenatal. RCYT or RPYT on top of your RYT. Specialty credentials, not replacements.
- You want to offer continuing education to other teachers. YACEP, which needs an E-RYT first.
What you cannot do is skip ahead. Every route starts at 200 hours.
Terms You’ll See That Aren’t Yoga Alliance Credentials
The alphabet soup gets muddier because not every acronym comes from Yoga Alliance.
- CYT, Certified Yoga Teacher, is a generic term any school can use. It carries no standard.
- Yoga Alliance Professionals is a separate UK-based organisation, not affiliated with Yoga Alliance. Similar name, different registry, different standards.
- C-IAYT comes from the International Association of Yoga Therapists and covers yoga therapy, which is a different profession from yoga teaching with much longer training.
- 200RYT is just RYT 200 written backwards. Same thing.
If a school lists a credential you don’t recognise, check which body issues it before you treat it as equivalent.
Where we fit in: Joga Yoga is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School in Canggu, Bali. Our 200-hour training qualifies you to apply for RYT 200. Our 300-hour training is the top-up that takes an existing RYT 200 to 500 total hours. Our 100-hour course is a deepening immersion rather than a teaching credential, since Yoga Alliance has no 100-hour RYT level.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does RYT stand for?
Registered Yoga Teacher. The number after it is the training hours completed, so RYT 200 means 200 hours and RYT 500 means 500 hours. It’s a voluntary registry credential from Yoga Alliance, not a licence or a legal qualification.
What is the difference between RYT 200 and RYT 500?
Training hours. RYT 200 comes from a 200-hour training at a Registered Yoga School. RYT 500 comes from either a single 500-hour program at an RYS 500, or a 200-hour training followed by a separate 300-hour advanced training at an RYS 300.
What does the E in E-RYT mean?
Experienced. E-RYT credentials recognise teaching hours accumulated after training, not extra coursework. That’s why two teachers can both hold 500 training hours while only one is an E-RYT 500.
Do I have to register with Yoga Alliance to teach yoga?
No. Yoga teaching isn’t a licensed profession in most countries and no law requires registration. Many studios, retreats and insurers ask for it as a hiring filter, which is the practical reason most teachers register anyway.
How much does Yoga Alliance registration cost?
Yoga Alliance lists an initial RYT cost of $115, made up of a one-time $50 registration fee plus $65 for the first year of membership. Membership renews annually. These fees are separate from your training tuition.
Does a 100-hour training make me an RYT?
No. Yoga Alliance has no 100-hour teaching credential. A 100-hour course is worthwhile as a deep dive or as a foundation before committing to a full 200-hour training, but on its own it doesn’t qualify you to register as a teacher.
Earn Your RYT 200 in Canggu, Bali
Joga Yoga is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School. Our 200-hour training qualifies you to register as an RYT 200, and our 300-hour course takes you to RYT 500.
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