RYS Ownership Policy

Last Updated: December 15, 2020

Yoga Alliance recognizes that not all yoga schools have a business model in which the business has an “owner.” For purposes of this policy, Owners are the legal owner(s) and/or legal representative of a for-profit school applying to the Yoga Alliance, with decisional authority over the business. Leaders are the chief employed executive or the Chair of the board of directors of a non-profit school applying to the Yoga Alliance. Only Owners or Leaders may create a Registered Yoga School account, and they must accept the RYS Ownership Agreement and agree to the Code of Conduct and Yoga Therapy Policy.

Owners and Leaders must be authorized to use the intellectual property of all teacher training syllabi associated with the RYS account, have full access to all functions within the school profile and are responsible for setting the publishing options for school ratings. Owners and Leaders may also edit the school’s contact information, including school name, and communication preferences. Owners and Leaders are solely responsible for affirming that their record is accurate and up-to-date with Yoga Alliance.

After an Owner or Leader creates a school account, they may add other Owners or Leaders and/or assign certain roles to staff (such as Syllabus Manager, Program Manager, or Profile Manager). For schools with a corporate shareholder business model, minority shareholders will not be deemed Owners unless added to the RYS account as an Owner by a majority shareholder. Where no single shareholder has a majority ownership interest, the Chair of the board of the corporation will serve as the legal representative designated as the Owner of the RYS account.

RYS Ownership Agreement

By creating or renewing a RYS account, you are entering into a legal agreement with Yoga Alliance. Specifically, you affirm that, if the RYS is a for-profit business, you are a legal Owner or properly designated legal representative, or, if the RYS is a non-profit organization, you are the chief employed executive or Chair of the board of the organization for which you are creating or renewing the RYS account. In addition, you affirm that all information you provide while creating or renewing the account is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge. By creating or renewing a RYS account you authorize Yoga Alliance to assess the school’s credentials or those of its faculty, and to request updated information at any time, to assure the training meets the requirements for the registry. You agree to abide by all applicable policies of the Yoga Alliance, including the Trademark Usage Guidelines, and the terms and conditions below.

Terms and Conditions

Registration with Yoga Alliance allows the Registered Yoga School to use the “RYS” Designation and to be listed in the Yoga Alliance Directory. The RYS Designation denotes that the school’s syllabus, trainers, and faculty have been assessed and verified by Yoga Alliance and have met the Yoga Alliance requirements for registration. An RYS Designation cannot be transferred to another school or owner that uses a different syllabus for any reason. If ownership and/or staffing changes lead to a dispute about who has the right to use the RYS Designation, a new RYS application may be required to be submitted for the school. Upon registration with Yoga Alliance, for-profit schools should list all persons with ownership rights and, where there is no single majority shareholder, must identify the Chair of the board or other properly designated legal representative; non-profit schools should list the chief employed executive and the Chair of the board of directors. Registered Yoga Schools are required to confirm or update ownership/leadership information and agree to the current terms and conditions at the time of each renewal of the RYS registration. If a school designates any person as an owner or leader, it is affirming that each person listed as an owner or leader has legal authority to make any changes to the RYS record, and is subject to this RYS Ownership Agreement. Only owners/leaders listed with a RYS have the authority to change the name of the RYS in the Yoga Alliance Directory. Only owners/leaders may add new owners or leaders. To remove an owner or leader from a RYS, the owner or leader must remove themselves through the online system. Owners and leaders whose ownership or leadership role ends must promptly notify RYS and arrange for a new owner or leader to be listed on the account.

Yoga Alliance reserves the right to change the name of the RYS shown in the Yoga Alliance Directory, to add or remove an owner or leader, and to make other changes in the RYS account, upon satisfactory proof of such change needed. Evidence of such changes includes but is not limited to legal documents reflecting a change in the name, ownership, or other status of the entity.

Yoga Alliance reserves the right to grant access of the RYS account to an authorized representative of a deceased or incapacitated owner or leader, upon satisfactory proof.

Yoga Alliance reserves the right to suspend or revoke any RYS listing if a school violates any of the stated policies, fails to pay dues or fees owed when due, has undergone changes such that it no longer meets the applicable RYS standards, or has falsely represented that the school meets the RYS standards.