What Is a YACEP? Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Explained
If you are a Registered Yoga Teacher, you will meet the term YACEP sooner or later. Here is what it means, how continuing education works on the Yoga Alliance registry, whether online courses count and how to choose a provider with confidence.Quick answer: A YACEP is a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. The designation is open only to members who hold the E-RYT credential. Courses taken with a YACEP count towards the continuing education hours that Registered Yoga Teachers complete every three years, and online, self-paced courses taught by a YACEP count too (Yoga Alliance, n.d.).
What does YACEP mean and who can hold it?
YACEP stands for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. It is a designation that Yoga Alliance makes available to some of its members, so that the courses they teach count towards the continuing education of Registered Yoga Teachers (Yoga Alliance, n.d.).
Yoga Alliance is a membership organisation that keeps a registry of yoga teachers and schools. It does not certify, accredit or approve individual courses. Schools and teachers are registered or credentialed members listed on its registry, and the YACEP designation belongs to that system. It tells you something about the teacher, not about a particular course.
The designation is available only to members who hold the E-RYT credential, for 20 US dollars a year. In other words, a YACEP is always an experienced registered teacher.
RYT. Registered Yoga Teacher.
E-RYT. Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, the credential required before a member can hold the YACEP designation.
YACEP. Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. Courses taken with a YACEP count towards an RYT’s continuing education hours.
A YACEP is an E-RYT whose courses count towards RYT continuing education. The designation describes the provider, not an approval of a course.
Continuing education requirements for RYTs, in brief
According to Yoga Alliance’s Help Center, RYTs complete 30 training hours and 45 teaching hours every three years, counted from the date they joined (Yoga Alliance, n.d.). Training hours must relate to one of the Educational Categories: Techniques, Training and Practice; Teaching Methodology, which includes special populations; Anatomy and Physiology; and Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics. The categories exclude the diagnosis and treatment of illness.
Yoga Alliance has also announced, on a newer page, that current requirements stay the same until the 2030 recertification cycle. From then, RYTs will complete 30 hours and E-RYTs 40 hours every three years. Policies can change, so check the official Yoga Alliance website before you plan your hours.
Before registration. Training hours completed before you registered do not count towards your first continuing education cycle.
No rollover. Hours beyond 30 in a three-year period do not carry over into the next period.
Falling short. A teacher who cannot complete the hours can ask Yoga Alliance for an extension of the cycle.
Plan for 30 training hours and 45 teaching hours in each three-year cycle, with training hours that fit an Educational Category.
A class at BeYoga in Lisbon.
Do online, self-paced courses count, and what must a YACEP certificate show?
Yes. Online and asynchronous courses, meaning self-paced and recorded, count towards continuing education when they are taught by a YACEP. Yoga Alliance no longer separates contact hours from non-contact hours for this purpose (Yoga Alliance, n.d.). This is good news for teachers who fit study around classes, family or a second job.
You log your hours in the Yoga Alliance Teacher Dashboard, under My Training Hours. Courses taught by a YACEP and courses taught by someone else are logged through different options, so choose the right one.
Your certificate matters, because it is your record of the training. At minimum, a YACEP certificate must include the following. YACEP is a registered mark of Yoga Alliance.
Provider’s legal name. The YACEP’s legal name as on record with Yoga Alliance.
Course name. The name of the course as listed in the YACEP directory.
Your legal name. The participant’s legal name.
Signature. The YACEP’s handwritten signature attesting to successful completion.
Date. The date of completion.
Hours by category. The number of hours broken down by Educational Category.
Self-paced online courses with a YACEP count, provided the certificate carries all the required details.
How to check a provider and choose a course
Checking a provider takes a minute. Search the teacher’s name in the Yoga Alliance directory and look for the YACEP designation next to it. If you cannot find it, ask the provider before you enrol.
Once the provider checks out, choose with your teaching in mind rather than simply collecting hours. These questions help.
Who teaches it?. The designation belongs to a person. Make sure the YACEP is the teacher who teaches the course.
Which category?. Confirm the course content relates to an Educational Category and that the certificate shows the hours by category.
Does it fit your cycle?. Extra hours do not roll over, so spread your study sensibly across the three years.
Does it serve your students?. The best continuing education changes how you teach the people already in your classes.
BeYoga’s online continuing education courses and their hours
All BeYoga continuing education courses are online and self-paced. They are created and taught by Carla Gonçalves, E-RYT 500 and YACEP, with more than 25 years of experience and more than 4,000 registered teaching hours. The exception is the Prenatal and Postnatal course, taught by Nélia Rodrigues. Access lasts 4 months for the 10, 20 and 30-hour courses.
Yoga Nidra. Yoga Nidra Teacher Training: 10 hours, 175 euros.
Meditation. Meditation Teacher Training: 10 hours, 175 euros.
Pranayama and Breathwork. Pranayama and Breathwork Teacher Training: 10 hours, 175 euros.
Chair Yoga. Chair Yoga Teacher Training: 10 hours, 175 euros.
Yin Yoga. Yin Yoga Teacher Training: 20 hours, 350 euros.
Therapeutic Yoga. Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training: 20 hours, 350 euros.
Restorative Yoga. Restorative Yoga Teacher Training: 30 hours, 525 euros.
Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga. Prenatal and Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training: 50 hours. The English edition opens in January 2027, with a waiting list.
What you learn in a BeYoga course
This article covers the rules. The courses cover the teaching itself: the method behind each style and how to guide and adapt it for the people in your room. That practical work is kept for the training, where it can be taught properly and assessed.
Each course follows the same structure, so you know what to expect.
Video lessons. In English, the lessons use Carla’s own voice translated with AI and reviewed by the BeYoga team.
Interactive manual. The full course content, organised for study and later reference.
PDF workbook. Exercises that help you apply the material to your own teaching.
Final exam. A pass mark of 80% or more confirms you have understood the content.
Certificate. Issued with the hours by Educational Category, ready to log in your Teacher Dashboard.
You can browse all online courses in English or read more about BeYoga School and Carla Gonçalves.
What Is a YACEP? Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Explained: frequently asked
What does YACEP mean in yoga?
YACEP means Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider. It is a designation held by members with the E-RYT credential. Courses taken with a YACEP count towards the continuing education hours that Registered Yoga Teachers complete. The designation describes the teacher; Yoga Alliance does not certify, accredit or approve individual courses (Yoga Alliance, n.d.).
Who can become a YACEP?
Only Yoga Alliance members who hold the E-RYT credential, Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher, can hold the YACEP designation. It costs 20 US dollars a year. If you are an RYT without the E-RYT credential, you can still take courses with a YACEP for your own continuing education.
How many continuing education hours does an RYT need?
According to Yoga Alliance’s Help Center, RYTs complete 30 training hours and 45 teaching hours every three years from the date they joined. Training hours must relate to an Educational Category. Yoga Alliance has announced that, from the 2030 recertification cycle, E-RYTs will complete 40 hours. Always check the official site for the current rules.
Do online yoga courses count for Yoga Alliance continuing education?
Yes. Online and asynchronous courses, including self-paced recorded courses, count towards continuing education when taught by a YACEP. Yoga Alliance no longer separates contact from non-contact hours for this purpose. Make sure your certificate shows the hours by Educational Category and the other required details.
Do extra continuing education hours roll over?
No. Hours beyond 30 in a three-year period do not roll over into the next period, and training completed before registration does not count towards your first cycle. If you fall short, you can ask Yoga Alliance for an extension of your continuing education cycle.
How do I check a YACEP and log my hours?
Search the teacher’s name in the Yoga Alliance directory and look for the YACEP designation. Once you complete a course, log the hours in your Teacher Dashboard under My Training Hours. Courses taught by a YACEP and by someone else are logged through different options, so select the correct one.
Online continuing education with BeYoga
Eight courses from 10 to 50 hours, created by Carla Gonçalves, E-RYT 500 and YACEP.
Sources cited in this article
Yoga Alliance. (n.d.). Does Yoga Alliance have any Continuing Education requirements for Registered Yoga Teachers? Help Center. https://help.yogaalliance.org/s/article/Does-Yoga-Alliance-have-any-Continuing-Education-requirements-for-Registered-Yoga-Teachers-What-happens-if-I-cannot-complete-them
Yoga Alliance. (n.d.). YACEP certificate requirements. https://yogaalliance.org/policies-priorities-progress/yacep-certificate-requirements/
Yoga Alliance. (n.d.). Yoga continuing education and YACEP directory. https://yogaalliance.org/continuing-education/
