What "RPYS" Actually Means — And Why Many Prenatal Yoga Certifications Don't Have It
If you’ve been looking into prenatal yoga teacher training, you’ve probably seen a lot of different certifications floating around. Some are 20 hours, some are 85, some are just a weekend workshop with a certificate at the end. It can be genuinely hard to know what you’re looking at.
One designation matters more than most yoga teachers realize: RPYS- Registered Prenatal Yoga School.
Here’s what it is, why it’s rare, and why it should be at the top of your checklist when you’re choosing a training.
RPYT vs. RPYS: Two very different things
Let’s start with the one most people have heard of: RPYT stands for Registered Prenatal Yoga Teacher. It’s a credential you earn and attach to your Yoga Alliance profile once you’ve completed the right training and logged your teaching hours.
RPYS is different. It stands for Registered Prenatal Yoga School — and it’s the designation Yoga Alliance awards to the training program itself, not the individual teacher.
This distinction matters more than it might seem at first. Because in order to earn the RPYT credential, you have to complete your 85-hour training at an RPYS. Not just any prenatal yoga course. Specifically one that Yoga Alliance has reviewed, vetted, and approved.
What it actually takes for a school to become RPYS registered
Yoga Alliance doesn’t hand out RPYS status lightly. To earn it, a school has to submit its full curriculum for review — and that curriculum has to meet specific standards across several categories:
A minimum of 85 hours total
At least 25 hours in techniques, training, and practice (with the majority taught live by a lead trainer)
At least 10 hours in teaching methodology
Coverage of prenatal anatomy and physiology, trimester-specific modifications, contraindications, breathwork, and psychological considerations during pregnancy
Understanding of the yoga teacher’s relationship with healthcare professionals — including how to identify high-risk pregnancies and when to refer out
On top of that, the lead trainer has to hold both the E-RYT 500 credential and the RPYT designation. You can’t just be an experienced yoga teacher who also loves prenatal work. You have to have the credentials to back it.
Then, after the curriculum review, Yoga Alliance conducts an interview with the school director. It’s a real process — not just a form you fill out.
Why so many prenatal courses skip all of this
The honest answer? Because it’s a lot of work, and there’s no requirement that forces them to do it.
Anyone can create a prenatal yoga course. Anyone can call it a “certification” and charge for it. Without RPYS registration, there are no standards the course has to meet — no required hours, no required content, no review process. Some of those courses are genuinely good. Others cover very little and leave teachers underprepared for the realities of teaching pregnant students safely.
The problem is that from the outside, it can be nearly impossible to tell the difference. A 30-hour online course and an 85-hour RPYS training can look similar on a sales page.
What this means for your career
When you complete an RPYS training, you’re eligible to register for the RPYT credential with Yoga Alliance — which means you can officially list it on your profile, your website, and your bio. It’s one of the few credentials in the yoga world that’s universally recognized and globally understood.
More practically: when a pregnant student, a studio owner, or a healthcare provider sees RPYT next to your name, it means something. It tells them that you were trained by a school that met rigorous standards, that your lead trainer had the credentials to teach you, and that your education covered the full scope of what it means to safely support someone through pregnancy.
That credibility matters — especially as more doctors and midwives are recommending prenatal yoga to their patients and wanting to know who’s teaching it.
What to look for when you’re choosing a training
Before you enroll anywhere, these are the questions worth asking:
Is the school actually RPYS registered? You can verify this directly on Yoga Alliance’s website. Search for the school by name under their registered schools directory. If they’re not listed, they’re not registered — regardless of what their sales page says.
Who is the lead trainer, and what are their credentials? They should hold E-RYT 500 and RPYT at minimum.
Is the training 85 hours? That’s the floor for RPYS programs. Anything less won’t make you eligible for the RPYT credential.
What’s covered? A solid training should go deep into prenatal anatomy, trimester-by-trimester sequencing, contraindications, breathwork, and the postpartum period. If the curriculum is vague or light on specifics, that’s worth noticing.
Island Prenatal Yoga is a Yoga Alliance Registered Prenatal Yoga School (RPYS) — one of the few schools in the world that focuses exclusively on prenatal and postnatal yoga teacher training. Our 85-hour RPYT training has certified 850+ teachers across 40+ countries. If you’re ready to specialize, you can learn more here.
Lauren Prindiville is the founder of Island Prenatal Yoga and holds the RPYT, E-RYT 500, RPYS, and YACEP credentials. She has been training prenatal yoga teachers since 2019.
This post originally appeared on The Prenatal Yoga Teacher on Substack. Subscribe for weekly resources for yoga teachers. SUBSCRIBE NOW