A yoga teacher has every interest in belonging to a professional association. It authenticates their status, protects their rights and gives access to a network, model contracts and insurance.
Why become a member?
- to authenticate your professional status before the public and the authorities;
- to have your professional rights and interests respected;
- to improve your practice conditions and those of the profession;
- to take part in your association’s actions;
- to obtain its support in case of a problem;
- to access model contracts;
- to receive relevant information.
The different kinds of members
To become a teaching member, you send a request to the secretariat with a copy of your diploma and a description of your background; the board reviews it, then the member pays their dues. Practitioner members apply and pay their dues. Affiliated members (students) pay through their teacher, who is themselves a member (e.g. ABEPY, Belgium).
Detail (Belgian example — ABEPY)
1. Teaching and trainer members: provide a copy of the diploma (or explain their path), be accepted by the board, pay an annual fee, take part in the general assembly (eligible for the board), be insured (Ethias), be able to insure their students, appear on the lists and website, subscribe to the Écho du Yoga, publish their notices. Trainer members run a training school recognised by ABEPY.
2. Practitioner members: they practise and study yoga, pay dues, take part in the general assembly, are insured and subscribed to the Écho du Yoga.
3. Affiliated members (students): registered through a teacher who pays their dues, insured, enrollable all year, without voting rights.
4. Honorary members: those who have significantly contributed to the development of yoga.
5. Associations and legal entities: affiliation is possible if their activities are compatible; they may receive the Écho du Yoga without taking part in management or insuring students.
Some federations
Belgium: Fédération belge d’hébertisme et de yoga (fbhy.be) · ABEPY (yoga-abepy.be) · Ligue francophone de Haṭha Yoga (yogaligue.be).
France: Fédération française de yoga (yoga-paris.com) · Fédération internationale de yoga · Fédération française de Haṭha Yoga (Shri Mahesh) · FNPY (federationyoga.fr) · Fédération française des écoles de yoga (Nâtha-Yoga) · FNEY — 3 rue Aubriot, 75004 Paris.
Greece: Hellenic Haṭha Yoga Association (esyoga.gr). Europe: European Yoga Union (yogaeurop.com).
