Launch of Scheme for Certification of Yoga Training School/Institutions

Launch of Scheme for Certification of Yoga Training School/Institutions

The Ministry of AYUSH, in collaboration with the Quality Council of India, has launched a Voluntary Certification Scheme for Yoga Training Schools. The draft scheme has been approved by the Steering Committee, which was chaired by Yogrishi Ramdev, on 28 March 2016.

The country's top yoga experts from some of the oldest yoga institutions - such as Dr H. R. Nagendra, Prime Minister’s Yoga Guru, Sri O P Tiwari  of Kaivalyadham,  Smt Hansaji of Yoga Institute, representatives of Sivananda school, Isha Foundation, and  Art of Living, and officials of the Ministries of Ayush and Commerce attended the meeting.  Regular Chairman of the Steering Committee Sri Sri Ravishanker could not attend this meeting due to his pre-occupation at Rashtrapati Bhavan where he was conferred the Padma Vibhushan.

After having operated the Yoga Professionals’ Certification Scheme since June, 2015, the Steering Committee decided to launch the scheme for certification of Yoga Schools. All the yoga schools present confirmed their readiness for certification. Speaking on the occasion, Baba Ramdev emphasized that it is very important to have a scientific, secular, universal, unbiased, balanced and practical approach to yoga certification in order to provide it a good foundation. Yogrishi Ramdev also paid his respect to the Prime Minister for having brought leadershin in promoting Yoga across globally.

Dr. R.P. Singh, Secretary General - QCI hailed this as a land mark development, as this move will create opportunities for the young talent by equipping them with necessary skills to aid in Popularising Yoga globally and nationally.

In another landmark decision, the steering Committee decided to encourage differently abled professionals to get certified as Yoga Teachers by relaxing the requirement of demonstration for them and having only teaching practice and theoretical knowledge as prerequisites.

The certification of the schools would be undertaken by QCI initially but eventually, independent certification bodies accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies (NABCB), a constituent Board of QCI, adhering to applicable international standard, ISO 17021, shall be approved for certifying schools. Given the international equivalence NABCB holds, this would facilitate international acceptance of the Yoga school certification.