FAQs - Do you need to be an RPYT to teach prenatal yoga?

Do you need to be an RPYT to teach pre and postnatal yoga is probably the most common question we get from aspiring prenatal and mom and baby yoga teachers.

I’m going to give you the short answer but of course, there’s more that could be said on the pros and cons!

But before we get there - for anyone wondering what the heck I'm even talking about, let's start at the beginning...

What is an RPYT

A RPYT is a Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher. Yoga Teachers can register as an RPYT if they have successfully completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training, an 85-hour prenatal yoga training (that that are both registered with Yoga Alliance), and have submitted 30 teaching hours in prenatal yoga.

Who is Yoga Alliance (YA)?

Yoga Alliance is the largest nonprofit association representing the yoga community. Yoga Alliance is a standard accepted by the yoga community around the world, which fosters accountability and continuous improvement for yoga teacher trainings. 

While we LOVE the work Yoga Alliance has done and is doing, there is a misconception that in order to teach or be hired, you must be registered with YA. This is not true 99% of the time. 

So back to our question: Do I need to be a RPYT (Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher) to teach prenatal yoga?

The short answer is NO. You do not need the designation to teach, to be hired or to provide amazing offerings to pre and postnatal women.

What you do need however is a proven high-quality training provided by skilled and experienced teachers.

Here are components of pre and postnatal teacher trainings outside the RPYT designation that are highly important:

✅ Qualified, skilled and experienced Teachers

✅ Access to feedback (someone to watch you teach)

✅ Access to continuous learning as information in this field changes often

✅ A training organization committed to your success

✅ Ongoing support from your Teachers

✅ Expert multi-disciplinary Teachers

✅ Complete understanding of the following topics: 

• Yoga Posture Safety and Modifications for Pregnancy  
• The Benefits of Yoga for a Pregnant Student
• Common Aches and Pains During Pregnancy and How Prenatal Yoga can Help
• Understanding Pregnancy –The 4 Trimesters & Hormones 
• Pregnancy & The Stages of Labour 
• Prenatal Anatomy: Pelvic Floor, Core, Diaphragm & More 
• How The Breath is Our Greatest Tool for Birth & Beyond
• Spinal Anatomy, the Pelvis, and Posture 
• Stability and Motor Control during Pregnancy 
• Creating the Complete Prenatal Yoga Experience 
• Sequencing, Class Planning, Intention Setting, Props, Class Set-Up & More
• Understanding Fetal Growth: 0 – 40 weeks 
• What a live class looks like
• Pregnancy + Mental Health - When to Know to Refer to the Experts
• How to Build your Classes with Acceptable Poses

If the training program you are considering checks off all of the above but is not a training that allows you to register as an RPYT - you have to ask yourself if the value of the program outweighs the value of the RPYT designation.

While we can't make that decision for you, we can tell you that the aspiring teachers who chose our programs (not RPYT eligible) do so because 1) they know we check off the entire list above and 2) because of things like... the pull the brand offers for filing classes, the recognition of the brand helps with being hired, lifelong coaching will help them continuously grow, our pre-made marketing materials make it easy to get started and they know all of that has been proven by our current instructors. 

If you're ready to find out if MOGA programs check everything on your list, click here.