What Is RYT 200? Meaning, RYS vs E-RYT, and How to Register with Yoga Alliance

"RYT 200" is printed on job ads, studio websites and course pages all over the world. Is it a certificate? A licence? Something your school gives you, or something you apply for?

This guide answers that in plain English: what each letter means, how RYT differs from RYS and E-RYT, how to register after your course, what it costs, and how to keep it active.

Written by Mayuri Shewale, E-RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance), YACEP and founder of Swaastik Yog School in Rishikesh. Our school is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School in Tapovan, where I lead our 200-hour batches. When our graduates apply to Yoga Alliance, their confirmation requests come to us, so we see this process from the school side too. The steps below follow Yoga Alliance's own application guide.

What does RYT 200 stand for?

RYT 200 is short for Registered Yoga Teacher, 200 hours. Each part tells you something:

Part	What it means
Registered	You are listed on Yoga Alliance's public teacher register.
Yoga	The credential is for yoga teaching.
Teacher	It is a teacher credential, not a student or school credential.
200	You finished a full 200-hour training at a Yoga Alliance registered school.

In short: RYT 200 tells a studio or student that you completed 200 hours of teacher training at a school that meets Yoga Alliance's standards. It is Yoga Alliance's entry-level teacher credential. There are no teaching hours needed to get it.

RYS vs RYT vs E-RYT: what is the difference?

An RYS is a school. An RYT is a teacher. An E-RYT is an experienced teacher with years of teaching and logged hours. Schools train you; teachers register. Here is the full picture, based on Yoga Alliance's own standards guide:

Credential	Who holds it	How you get it
RYS 200 / 300 / 500	A yoga school	The school registers its training with Yoga Alliance and meets its curriculum and faculty standards.
RYT 200	A new teacher	Finish a full 200-hour training at one RYS 200. No teaching hours needed.
RYT 500	A teacher with advanced training	500 training hours (a 500-hour course, or 200 + 300 hours) plus at least 100 hours of teaching after the 200 or 500-hour training.
E-RYT 200	An experienced teacher	An RYS 200 training, then at least 2 years and 1,000 hours of teaching.
E-RYT 500	A very experienced teacher	500 training hours, then at least 4 years and 2,000 hours of teaching (500 of them after the 300 or 500-hour training).
YACEP	An E-RYT who runs workshops	E-RYTs can add this Continuing Education Provider credential for $20 a year. Their workshops count toward other teachers' training hours.

Yoga Alliance also has two specialty credentials: RCYT (children's yoga, 95 extra training hours) and RPYT (prenatal yoga, 85 extra training hours). Both also need an RYT credential.

Is RYT 200 a certificate or a licence?

Neither, exactly. It is a registration. This trips up a lot of people, so here is the simple version:

• Your school certifies you. When you pass the course, the school gives you a 200-hour certificate.
• Yoga Alliance registers you. You then apply to Yoga Alliance with that certificate. Once approved, you can call yourself an RYT 200 and you appear in their online directory.

Yoga Alliance is a membership organisation, not a government body. Registering is voluntary. It is not a legal licence to teach. But many studios, gyms and retreat centres around the world ask for it, because it is a widely known yoga teacher standard. If you are weighing up whether it is worth paying for, read our honest guide: Is Yoga Alliance certification worth it?

What do you study in an RYS 200 course?

Since 2020, Yoga Alliance has set a "common core" of four subject areas for RYS 200 courses:

1. Techniques, Training and Practice: asana, pranayama, meditation and other techniques.
2. Anatomy and Physiology: how the body moves, and how to keep students safe.
3. Yoga Humanities: philosophy, history and ethics.
4. Professional Essentials: teaching methodology and practicum (teaching real classes).

Each school then adds its own style and depth. At our school, the 200-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh runs for 22 days. You study Hatha, Vinyasa and Ashtanga side by side. Batches are capped at 12 students, so every trainee gets hands-on corrections. You start leading teaching practice in the first week. The final exam is a practical teaching exam: you teach a class. You can see what the hours actually feel like in our day in the life of a 200-hour trainee.

How do I register as an RYT 200 after my course?

You register yourself, online, on the Yoga Alliance website. The form is short. The wait for your school to confirm is the slow part. These steps follow Yoga Alliance's official application guide:

1. Go to yogaalliance.org and click "Join" in the top-right corner.
2. Create your account and add your contact details.
3. Open your dashboard. Choose "Basic Dashboard" (top right), then the "Teacher" tab under "How would you describe yourself?"
4. Pick your credential: choose RYT 200. For the program type, choose RYS 200.
5. Enter your training dates. The end date should match the exact date on your certificate.
6. Find your school. Type the school name (for us, "Swaastik Yog School"), click Search, then "Select".
7. Upload your certificate. A clear photo or scan works. Click "Send Request".
8. Wait for your school to confirm. Your school checks that you trained there and confirms it. You get an email when it is done. Yoga Alliance says this can take up to 14 days.
9. Pay. When the confirmation email arrives, log back in, open the Teacher tab and pay $115 ($50 application fee + $65 first-year dues).
10. Leave a school review when prompted. Then you are done: you are an RYT 200.

What to have ready before you start

You need	Why	Tip
A digital copy of your certificate	You upload it in step 7	Photograph it flat, in daylight, before you fly home.
Exact start and end dates	Yoga Alliance checks them against the certificate	Copy them from the certificate, not from memory.
Your school's registered name	To find the school in the search	Check it on the school's Yoga Alliance profile.
A card for $115	To pay in step 9	Fees are in US dollars. Your bank may add a small conversion fee.

No rush: Yoga Alliance says there is no cut-off time to register after your training. You can register the week you get home or a few years later. Some people wait until they start teaching, so the yearly dues start when the credential is useful to them. One thing to know: workshops you take before you register do not count toward your first continuing education cycle.

The school side: when your confirmation request reaches us, we check it against our records and confirm it. Make sure your dates match your certificate. If you get stuck on a screen, message us. You can see our listing on our Yoga Alliance school profile.

How much does RYT 200 cost?

The Yoga Alliance fees are small next to the course itself. Here is what you pay Yoga Alliance (not the school), from their official fee table:

Fee	Amount	When
Application fee	$50	Once, non-refundable
Membership dues	$65	Every year
First year total	$115	When you register
Five years in total	$375	If fees stay the same ($115 + 4 × $65)

The bigger cost is the training. Our 200-hour course is $440 in a dorm, $880 in a shared room or $1,100 in a private room, with your stay, meals and course materials included. To compare schools fairly, see our Rishikesh yoga teacher training price index for 2026.

How do I keep my RYT 200 active?

You keep it active by doing two things: paying the yearly dues, and completing continuing education (CE) every three years. Yoga Alliance's current rule is 75 hours every three years, split like this:

Every three years you need	Hours	What counts
Teaching hours	45	Time spent teaching yoga
Training hours	30	Learning linked to one of Yoga Alliance's four educational categories: workshops and courses with a qualified provider, or Yoga Alliance's own on-demand library

• Your cycle starts on the day you finish your RYT registration and resets every three years.
• Extra hours do not roll over. Training hours above 30 in one cycle do not carry into the next one.
• Members get 600+ hours of on-demand continuing education content from Yoga Alliance.
• Falling behind? Contact Yoga Alliance's Help Center before your cycle ends to ask about your options.

Forty-five teaching hours in three years is about one hour-long class every three or four weeks. If you teach at all, you will meet it easily. For the 30 training hours, choose courses that fit a Yoga Alliance subject area. A specialty training, such as our aerial yoga teacher training, can add a new skill at the same time. Check with the provider that the hours can be logged as continuing education.

What is the path from RYT 200 to RYT 500?

RYT 500 needs 500 training hours and 100 teaching hours. There are two ways to get the training hours:

Route	What you do	Good for
200 + 300	A 200-hour course at an RYS 200, then a full 300-hour course at one RYS 300. Same school or different schools.	People who want to teach for a while between the two levels.
500 in one go	A full 500-hour course at one RYS 500, or a school's 200 and 300-hour courses back to back.	People with time now who want both levels in one trip.

Three rules that catch people out:

1. Short courses do not add up. Six 50-hour workshops from different places do not count as a 300-hour training. The 300 hours must come from a school registered as an RYS 300.
2. A 300-hour on its own is not enough. You need the 200-hour foundation first.
3. The 100 teaching hours come after your 200-hour (or 500-hour) training. Start logging your classes from your first one.

At our school, the 300-hour course is for teachers who already have a 200-hour certificate, from us or from another school. Our 500-hour course runs our 200 and 300 back to back over 51 days, and you need no prior training to join. For a full comparison, read our 300-hour yoga teacher training guide or our 200-hour vs 500-hour comparison.

When can I become an E-RYT?

You become an E-RYT by teaching, not by taking another course. The "E" stands for "Experienced". The numbers are set by Yoga Alliance:

• E-RYT 200: a 200-hour training at an RYS 200, then at least 2 years and 1,000 hours of teaching.
• E-RYT 500: 500 training hours, then at least 4 years and 2,000 hours of teaching. At least 500 of those hours must come after your 300 or 500-hour training.

Yoga Alliance says an E-RYT 500 can lead 200, 300 or 500-hour teacher trainings and run continuing education workshops for other teachers. This is the level I hold. If you hope to train teachers one day, keep a simple teaching log from your very first class: the date, the place, the style and the length. It will save you hours of digging later.

Do I need RYT 200 to teach yoga?

Not by law in most places, but it helps. Yoga Alliance registration is voluntary. You can teach friends, community classes or your own studio without it. But many employers, retreat centres and online platforms use it as a quick check that you are trained. If you plan to teach outside your home town, or abroad, the $115 is usually worth it.

In India there is also a separate government-backed system. Our guide to yoga teacher certification in India explains how it compares. And if you want to know what RYT 200 teachers actually earn, see our yoga teacher salary guide for 2026.

Five mistakes to avoid with your RYT 200

Mistake	What happens	Do this instead
Training at a school that is not an RYS	You cannot register as an RYT 200	Look the school up in Yoga Alliance's school directory before you pay a deposit.
Typing the wrong end date	Your request may be delayed	Copy the date exactly from your certificate.
Adding up short courses	They do not count toward 200 or 300 hours	Choose one full-length course from one registered school.
Not logging teaching hours	Harder to prove hours for RYT 500 or E-RYT	Keep a simple log from your first class.
Ignoring your CE cycle	You fall behind on the 45 + 30 hours	Check "My Training Hours" once a year.

Frequently asked questions

What does RYT 200 mean?

RYT 200 means Registered Yoga Teacher, 200 hours. It is Yoga Alliance's entry-level teacher credential. You can apply for it after finishing a full 200-hour training at a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School (RYS 200).

Is RYT 200 the same as a 200-hour certificate?

No. The certificate comes from your school when you finish the course. RYT 200 is the registration you get from Yoga Alliance when you apply with that certificate and pay the fee. You need the certificate first.

How long does RYT 200 registration take?

The online form is short. Then your school has to confirm your training, which Yoga Alliance says can take up to 14 days. Once it is confirmed, you log back in, pay the fee and leave a short school review to finish.

How much does RYT 200 cost?

$115 in the first year: a $50 one-time application fee plus $65 in yearly dues. After that you pay $65 a year to stay registered. These fees go to Yoga Alliance, not to your school.

Does RYT 200 expire?

Your training does not expire, and there is no deadline to register. Once registered, you stay active by paying $65 a year and completing 45 teaching hours and 30 training hours every three years.

Can I combine two 100-hour courses to get RYT 200?

Not as two separate courses. Yoga Alliance says multiple trainings cannot be combined to meet the 200-hour requirement. You need a 200-hour training from one Registered Yoga School. Our 100-hour course does not lead to RYT 200 on its own. If you want to start with it, ask us how it fits with our 200-hour course before you book.

What is the difference between RYT 200 and E-RYT 200?

RYT 200 is for anyone who has finished a 200-hour training at a Registered Yoga School. E-RYT 200 adds experience: at least two years and 1,000 hours of teaching after that training. E-RYTs can also add the YACEP credential and run continuing education workshops.

Do I have to register with Yoga Alliance straight after the course?

No. You can register whenever you like. Some graduates register right away. Others wait until they start teaching, so the yearly dues begin when the credential starts working for them.

Sources and last check: fees, registration steps, continuing education rules and credential requirements were checked on 14 October 2026 against Yoga Alliance's official Registered Yoga Teacher Application Guide (PDF), its Standards for Registered Yoga Teachers (PDF) and its Help Center registration article. Yoga Alliance can change its rules and fees, so always confirm on yogaalliance.org before you pay.