Membership

All YogaNZ members are assigned a Level reflecting their level of training and teaching experience. Members can upgrade this, as their training and experience change, at any time through the members’ area.

Membership levels are as follows:

• Level 1 – 200 hour training.
• Level 2 – 350 hour training.
• Level 3 – 500 hour training, teaching for 5 years, and 500 hours of teaching.
• Level 4 – 1000 hour training, teaching for 10 years, and 1000 hours of teaching.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of our membership level requirements, see our Membership Curriculum Guidelines.

Please note, special assistance with membership application is available for teachers who have been trained in less ‘formal’, and non-certified, ways. This will be relevant to teachers who gained their training and experience in the years before certification of teacher training became the accepted norm. Please be in touch with us if you would like this assistance.

In order to uphold standards of safety and teaching, YogaNZ requires its members to:

• Abide by our Statement of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, and practice within their Scope of Practice.
• Maintain a valid First Aid Certificate (containing NZQA units 6401 and 6402).
• Engage in Continued Professional Development (CPD), gaining 10 CPD points per membership year.

YogaNZ is committed to supporting its members in meeting these requirements – log in to access additional guides and resources, or contact us if you have any queries.

YogaNZ requires our members gain 10 Continuing Professional Development points (CPD) each membership year for re-registration. This is to ensure our members are actively improving their knowledge and skills as teachers, in order to build and maintain professionalism within Yoga in Aotearoa.

CPD points are gained at 1 point per hour for the following:

• YogaNZ events e.g. Sanghas / Forums / Hauora Conference.
• Educational workshops and training with Registered Level 3 & 4 Yoga NZ teachers.

CPD points are gained at 1 point per 2 hours for the following:

• Educational workshops and training presented by Yoga professionals with a Yoga education equivalent to a YogaNZ level 3 or 4 teacher.
• Educational workshops and training with Registered allied health professionals in another related field eg. a physio discussing shoulder rehab.
• Educational events with professionally qualified tutors that are in a field related to supporting Yoga teachers in specific skills such as business operations eg. marketing, accounting etc.

Note:

At YogaNZ we understand that some training you have undertaken may fall outside of the above categories, yet it may well be useful and valid CPD. For training, workshops, writing of research papers, conference presentations or any other studies or activities that are outside of the above descriptions please contact us at info@yoganewzealand.org.nz to determine what CPD points you are eligible for.

We understand that sometimes meeting this 10 point requirement is tough – we do allow members to re-register with a deficit of up to 10 points, with the understanding they make a genuine commitment to gain these points over the following membership year.

To facilitate the ease, depth, and breadth of our members’ professional development, YogaNZ offers support in the following ways:

• Hosting regular YogaNZ events, including Sanghas and an annual forum. These events expose you to new possibilities, new knowledge and new skill areas in Yoga teaching, as well as building opportunities for collaboration with your Yoga community across Aotearoa.
• Partnering with Registered Exercise Professionals NZ (REPS NZ), giving YogaNZ members access to their collation of CPD workshops and courses.
• Giving all YogaNZ members a platform on our website to list workshops and courses they’re teaching – courses taken with level 3 and 4 YogaNZ teachers will gain you 1 CPD point per hour.

Please keep a good record of your own CPD points, so you’re able to refer to this information when it comes time for membership renewal.

Robust ethical standards and conduct are central to upholding professionalism of Yoga in New Zealand.

Our Statement of Ethics was negotiated in collaboration with the Yoga New Zealand Council and a Working Group comprised of senior Yoga teachers, and reflects the Yamas and Niyamas as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Our Scope of Practice makes explicit the standards of ethical and professional behaviour expected of registered YogaNZ teachers, ensuring these ethics are practical and practiced. This Code applies to all members of YogaNZ.

A registered Yoga Professional may pursue any activity that falls within their Scope of Practice.
The duty of care of a Yoga Teacher is to teach the practice of Yoga, whilst ensuring the safety of a student at all times, and to refer students to a more appropriate therapist or medical practitioner when the student presents with symptoms outside the expertise of the teacher.

Some Yoga Teachers will hold additional qualifications that complement the scope of Yoga Teaching, which will permit such practitioners an extended Scope of Practice, for example being a registered psychologist, physiotherapist, doctor, naturopath etc. Such extended scope is beyond normal Yoga Teaching practice and is to be regulated by the scope and codes of the professional registering body of other such disciplines.

When you join YogaNZ, you have the option to purchase insurance if wanted. Arranged through our sister organization REPs, this insurance option is at the highly discounted rate of $108 per year.  

For more information on this, please see:
– Liability policy
– Insurance certificate
– Policy schedule