Discontinue IAYT-Q Pathway

Current C-IAYT

I believe IAYT should be working more to legitimize the depth and wisdom of the practices in the health / medical / insurance worlds - rather than condensing and minimizing its realm with professionals already inside the medical profession.

This option is not thought thru-not intentional…and bottom line does not align with the Yamas! We all do better when we do better!

I have had a private practice as a yoga therapist since 2008, long before it became a credentialed field. Once it became credentialed, I enrolled in and graduated from an excellent university with a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy degree so I could in good conscience call myself a Yoga Therapist. My new credentials won me a "seat at the table" among physicians, trauma therapists, and neuropsychologists, who often refer patients to me. It's not about the letters after our names. It's about the deep teaching, understanding, and practice of yoga as a therapeutic modality. As Yoga Therapists, we integrate both an Eastern and Western comprehensive approach to healing, and this takes time and dedication. In my opinion, this isn't possible after only 300 hours. Too much is lost in the rush to get there. The training required to be excellent healers in our chosen field of Yoga Therapy is a long and in-depth one, and there should be no shortcuts. Clearly, the new training is an indication that being a C-IAYT has a lot of value. But we can't get there without putting in the time, the sweat, the practice, and the dedication.

I’ve spent a lot of time and money and healing for this designation and it is unfair to create a mini version for licensed therapists. They have the advantage of having their services covered under extended medical benefits. How are we supposed to compete with that? This association should be looking out for our interests and spend more time on showing the public the benefits Of yoga therapists and getting our profession recognized by the insurance plans.

IAYT should be facilitating the integration of trained certified yoga therapists into existing medical practices and creating ways for those of us who do not have a license to practice something else to be hired. I did not spend years studying yoga and obtaining a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy just to be saddled with graduate loan debt and left with teaching yoga classes with no pathway to working as a respected yoga therapist. I incorporate my training and experience regardless but remain disappointed that I have been unable to practice as a yoga therapist.

This program drastically undercuts Yoga Therapy as a profession and demeans all of us who work to maintain the integrity of what we do. Anyone who wants to offer Yoga Therapy should have to adhere to the same rigorous training guidelines as the rest of us. This program will also hobble the employment opportunities of those of us who are not Licensed Healthcare Professionals, as clients will no longer seek our care if their extended or government health benefits will cover what LHCPs are offering, even if it is not as robust as what C-IAYTs are offering. At the very least, people exiting this program should not carry an IAYT designation. It should be called something else so that there is a definite and clear delineation between therapeutic yoga and Yoga Therapy. This whole situation is utterly disheartening.

I completed my 800 hours in 2022. I am currently a C – I A Y T and think our credentialing needs to continue to be respected.

I strongly oppose the IAYT-Q pathway because it further erodes a profession already struggling to be understood within healthcare. I routinely witness physicians and allied health providers attempt to “teach” yoga without training and simultaneously avoid referring to credentialed Yoga Therapists—even while privately admitting they don’t know what they’re doing. Creating a 300-hour credential only widens this gap, confuses the public, and harms 800-hour programs and their graduates. IAYT must pause this pathway and engage its membership before more damage is done.

As a C-IAYT, this new designation discounts the field of yoga therapy.

Please listen and act with integrity. Without integrity, IAYT and the c-IAYT credential becomes meaningless.

Let’s not set the bar lower! 800 hours minimum! Time to recognize all the C-IAYT’s out there who want to see integrity in the profession and some serious support, It would benefit everyone and help move the profession forward. No easy way! PLEASE

I believe in an extensive and thorough yoga therapy credential that offers no shortcuts or alternative pathways- the training should remain extensive and rigorous regardless of professional affiliations.

Melissa Printon-- former C-IAYT

If I had known that you were starting this I never would have even started my Yoga Therapy schooling. After reading about this, researching it and educating myself on the Q designation as much as possible I became extremely disheartened and disappointed with IAYT and I have been questioning IF I even want to finish at this point. It seems as if you have made us redundant and less than.

The Q designation is a slap in the face to those of us that Paid thousands of dollars and over 800 hours of specialized training. This undermines all that we have worked for to gain the respect of the designation since we are not medical professionals. Do not create a new designation

In addition, become a democratic organisation.

8 months ago Featured

I will tell you from being a Physical therapist that the worst thing the American Physical Therapy Association did was confuse the public with a bunch of specialty certs for money ideas before securing their services beyond a commodity of other professions. Now doctorate doesn’t even fix it. Learn from that.

The “Q” track and certification diminish of all of us who worked so hard to meet the IAYT standards. This certification for allopathic professionals will erode the unique offerings of yoga therapists, and diminish our ability to receive referrals from those in the allopathic community. If they can have this credential, they are not likely to call upon us to bring therapeutic yoga to their patients. IAYT has helped put yoga therapy on the map; the “Q” credential works against its goals and will harm those of us who work to bring therapeutic yoga into the allopathic setting. Protect and represent US, and discontinue the “Q” track.

As a healthcare professional and C-IAYT, I can say that the additional training I received with the 800 hour Yoga Therapy training was absolutely essential to my full depth of understanding the uniqueness of this field. A "fast track" to Yoga Therapy without this extensive training feels like a gut punch. Yoga Therapy needs to stand alone and not be "shoved in a box" with other disciplines. This is very disappointing that we are even having to petition this.