A New Paradigm
Yoga Unify is a not-for-profit, participatory network dedicated to empowering the evolution of yoga. Created by yogis for our yoga communities, Yoga Unify offers standards in instruction without standardization. Yoga Unify at every level is a supportive blend of governance and guidance that honors ancient wisdom while meeting modern needs. YU aims to address the challenges plaguing every facet of the industry, from the poverty-line payment structure to the profound effects of the pandemic on our studios, to the ever-present elephants in the room: equity and ethics. As an instructor your journey with Yoga Unify will begin with Qualifications for one of the 4 designations shown below representing significant steps to uplift our community with a greater awareness of what what it means to be a professional yogi.
A New Paradigm
Yoga Unify is a non-profit, participatory network dedicated to empowering the evolution of yoga. Created by yogis for yoga—both the practice as a whole and practitioners at every level—Yoga Unify is a supportive blend of governance and guidance that honors ancient wisdom while meeting modern needs. YŪ aims to address the challenges plaguing every facet of the industry, from the poverty-line payment structure to the profound effects of the pandemic on our studios, to the ever-present elephants in the room: equity and ethics.
Education & Lifelong Studentship
Qualifications, Mentors, and Guidance
Yoga Unify recognizes that yoga isn’t a one-size-fits-all journey and that not all students who want to deepen their practice are interested in becoming a teacher. Our Member accessible Yoga Unify Catalog is an educational support system that paves a pathway to lifelong studentship for all practitioners. Our Qualification program, alongside other resources, is a support system for all yoga teachers to showcase their breadth of experience and elevate the profession.
Community Investment
Donations and Research
By investing financially in the community in the form of donations, we help to steward systemic change during this time of great transformation. In doing so, we support all yoga practitioners (regardless of lineage or style), innovate new ways of sharing the practice, and tend to the roots of yoga. This will not only have a lasting impact to expand the reach of yoga’s benefits but also usher in a new level of mutually-accountable support to navigate the changes affecting us all.
Ethics
Listening to Your Voice
Yoga Unify is committed to listening to your voice in supporting your concerns of professional ethics in the field of professional ethics. By establishing a yoga911 call center, our intention is to prevent misconduct, to foster a culture of professionalism, consent, and integrity, and – as needed – to use this tool to easily and safely report ethical misconduct.
yoga911 is scheduled to be active in late 2022.
Latest Articles
An Island of Excellence
The Patanjali Sutras 1:1 offers us the premise of the yoga lifestyle that we might come to understand the nature of our human condition. That the practice of yoga is meant to address the Self, the nature of that which IS, the I AM.
Patanjali long held that the human being is an island of excellence. That to be born human is the greatest of all achievements, and likewise, to die without knowing the essence of life is our greatest loss.
1:1 Now begins the instruction of the practice of yoga.
Atha yoganusasanam
To fully understand our mind and attain mastery over it, so that we might harness its vast powers is at the core of yoga philosophy, lifestyle and practice.
We are beings with the capacity to self-illuminate, to access and capture for use our innate intuitive divine intelligence, that which constitutes the core of our island of excellence. The great I AM is THAT.
Our capacity for divine intelligence allows us to comprehend the reality we know as time-space, the law of cause and effect and rational thought. This ability to self illuminate also gives us cause to transcend this reality, what the sages have cited as our ability to enter into a transcendental reality of genius and ingenuity.
When we are bathed in this inner wisdom, we are a powerful interceptor of ignorance, false identification, attachments, aversion and the fear of death. We become capable of becoming fully established in our true Self.
The path of yoga establishes with Self the ancient tradition of shakti sadhana, a daily spiritual practice of asanas, pranayama, meditation (dhyana) and affirming mantras together known as the Kriya. All of these to (re)establish the pristine nature of our innate mind, to recapture its immense power and wisdom for the purpose of revealing who we are, to know the I AM within.
Yoga Unify State of the Union
In the minds of the uninitiated, yoga teacher may seem like a passive profession, but actually yogi and warrior are synonymous terms, and as teachers, we contend on the front lines of being. With so many things in seeming opposition, unity is not only an ideal but the key to our planetary survival. The sacred science of yoga is the Path of Life Itself. As we dedicate ourselves to validating and illuminating the ancient methods, we see the need to engage each other and build community.
The Pandemic has illuminated how fragile we are and also how resilient we can be. Many lack the tools or perspective for this unprecedented state of affairs. Thus, pervasive mental health issues abound, compounded by so much uncertainty and loss. Yoga Unify will strive to raise awareness of yoga’s capacity to manage the human experience rather than be overwhelmed by it. Yoga offers the means to recover from trauma and heal our nervous system and psyche to be happy, vital, and inspired.
In the Taoist tradition, it’s said that when illness or trauma manifest then we should search for the cure in our own backyard. We know that yoga is the medicine most needed and Yoga Unify seeks to be the logistical transport to deliver that medicine so that it can appear in the “backyards” of those in need. As you know, one of the prime intentions of Yoga Unify is to share revenue and resources with the greater yoga community.
We currently have an initiative that we feel represents a win/win for all of us. Before going into detail we’d like to share a few thoughts. Yoga Unify is not yet another hierarchy; it’s a conscious consortium of Teachers who are dedicated to elevating the profession of yoga and working together to evolve this sacred science. Yoga Unify exists to support your efforts in helping to heal the world at this crucial time. The Yoga Unify vision is timely and vast and it will remain viable if we all choose to engage with each other. Thus, here are some options that we’re really excited about:
Yoga Unify is excited to announce our teacher referral initiative. Annual Community Initiative. For your T. Training program going forward, if you would like to add $54 per person to your tuition (or have a number of them pay that amount upon graduation), your T. Trainees will receive a YU membership for their first year and a designation. If you’d like to take advantage of this please contact us at Hello@yogaunify.orgFor Teachers who have passed through your Training, who pay full price for a YU Membership/Designation ($169 for the first year), we will pay you a commission of $54 per person for those whom you refer. Commissions to be paid quarterly. Simply ask your Teacher Training graduates to indicate that they were referred by you when signing on with Yoga Unify.
Think back on all of the Teacher Trainees you’ve graduated over the years. Why not send an e-blast to that list! In order to qualify for these please register your School/Teacher Training Program with us. Registering your School/Program is free of charge. The only proviso is that Lead Trainers (unless they teach in the capacity of “guest”) of a registered Yoga Unify school need to be Yoga Unify Qualified Professionals.
If you have questions or comments about any or all of what we’ve outlined here or if you’d like our assistance with the Qual process, we’re happy to connect with you via phone or Zoom.
We wish you joy, health, and abundant blessings!
Ravi SinghChairman of the Board / Co-Founder Yoga Unify
Yoga Unify Catalog
The Yoga Unify Catalog is an advanced search tool available to anyone in the Yoga Unify community. It’s easily searchable by the teacher, type of yoga, level of study, date, and location (including virtual). With Yoga Unify community access you are able to save favorites and track your studies and progress, as well as work with YU Student and Career Advisors to chart your pathway to advance your yogic understanding and professional excellence.
Search the Yoga U Catalog
Organizational Structure
We believe yogis can offer proof of concept to the benefits of a yoga practice by holding a place for peace even in tumultuous times. As a community we can demonstrate what’s possible when we come together across traditions and beliefs to elevate one another and hold space for continuous growth and evolution.
Yoga Unify is a circular organization created for the yoga community of students, professionals, studios, and schools. We’re not a top-down directorate, but rather a mutually-accountable organization here to serve the community.