Advocacy for the Yoga Profession
As the peak body for yoga in Australia, Yoga Australia actively encourages and facilitates action to improve the quality of the profession in Australia. We effect positive change for members and practitioners in the Yoga community.
Latest Action
Our advocacy activities
Direct action:
- We engage with all levels of government and the health industry
- We lobby on behalf of teachers to improve rates of pay, fair superannuation etc
- We promote a broader understanding of yoga as an established modality to support health and well-being
- We support reputable research and case studies that demonstrate the impact that yoga can have in many parts of the community
- We conduct industry forums where policy can be discussed, and we facilitate collaboration with primary and secondary stakeholders both within yoga and the broader community. Keep reading to learn more about our policy and legislative advocacy.
Beyond strictly yoga-related advocacy, we also actively take part in many other good-for-the-world activities, such as those that impact our environment.
Our advocacy aims:
- Improve the understanding of yoga and its role in health and wellness;
- Encourage and inform government, industry, and health professionals to develop their understanding of yoga and its role in providing beneficial outcomes and positive changes for the community;
- Encourage our members’ engagement in regulatory and policy changes;
- Encourage research into the impact of yoga in the community
- Promote the development of policy and regulation to support and improve the quality of yoga
- Contribute to broader policy issues affecting health and well-being where our perspective will add value.
Yoga Australia’s Guiding Principles
Yoga is a system of self-enquiry, transformation, and integration. The role of the yoga professional is to guide participants in their practice, supporting their physical, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.
This Statement of Ethics draws on the yama and niyama as outlined in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. We present these principles for their timeless accessibility, while acknowledging that different yoga traditions express ethical foundations in varied ways. In all matters, Australian law and common sense take precedence.
Ahimsa — Nonviolence and compassion. We seek to do no harm and act with care within the scope of our practice.
Satya — Truthfulness. We acknowledge the origins of yoga practice and provide a truthful, safe environment for our community.
Asteya — Non-stealing. We provide equal opportunities to all and are conscious of what we receive.
Brahmacharya — Self-restraint. We practice appropriate restraint in professional relationships.
Aparigraha — Non-attachment. We welcome change and acknowledge the natural abundance of life.
Sauca — Purity. We cultivate clarity of intention, ongoing self-care, and a safe practice environment.
Santosha — Contentment. We practice active acceptance of the present.
Tapas — Discipline. We are dedicated to yogic practice and lifestyle.
Svadhyaya — Self-study. We are committed to ongoing self-enquiry, reflection, and learning.
Ishvarapranidhana — Relationship with wholeness. We serve the goals of yoga and honour an ongoing relationship with innate wholeness.
Membership Obligations
All Yoga Australia members are required to:
- Abide by the Yoga Australia Constitution
- Abide by this Statement of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct
- Maintain current First Aid qualifications
- Meet Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements of 12 points (20 hours) per year
- Maintain public liability insurance ($2 million) and professional indemnity insurance ($10 million)
Insurance is available through our recommended yoga teacher insurance.
Professional Conduct
The professional-practitioner relationship requires ethical conduct that respects the rights, trust, and dignity of all practitioners. In this context, “practitioner” includes those attending yoga classes, yoga therapy clients, teacher trainees, and those being mentored.
Yoga Australia professionals will:
- Demonstrate respect to all practitioners regardless of cultural background, age, gender identity, ethnicity, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs
- Maintain a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for the teaching and practice of yoga
- Adhere to relevant legislative requirements including workplace health and safety
- Protect practitioners’ privacy and right to confidentiality
- Obtain consent before making audio or visual recordings
- Communicate in a courteous, respectful, and honest manner
- Listen actively to practitioners’ needs, concerns, and preferences
Consent and Physical Contact
- Obtain clear consent before physically adjusting a practitioner
- Recognise that consent is ongoing and may be withdrawn at any time
- Respect a practitioner’s right to decline physical contact without explanation
- Be attentive to non-verbal cues that may indicate discomfort
Professional Boundaries
- Maintain professional boundaries appropriate to the context of the relationship
- Recognise power dynamics inherent in professional relationships and behave in a manner that does not harass or exploit practitioners physically, psychologically, emotionally, sexually, or financially
- Declare and address any conflict of interest that may arise
- Exercise particular care in therapeutic contexts, teacher training, and trauma-informed settings where duty of care is heightened
- Navigate personal relationships with transparency, mutual consent, and regard for the professional context
- Demonstrate duty of care by offering referrals to appropriate professionals when matters fall outside the yoga teacher’s scope
Integrity and Conduct Towards Peers
- Honestly, accurately, and fairly represent the benefits and outcomes of yoga practice
- Respect copyright and acknowledge sources when drawing on the work of others
- Speak respectfully of other yoga traditions and health modalities
- Interact with other yoga professionals in a respectful manner
- Exercise care and professionalism in public forums including social media
Claims and Representations
Yoga Australia professionals must not:
- Claim to cure, treat, or diagnose any medical condition
- Make claims about therapeutic benefits that cannot be substantiated
- Use protected health terminology (such as “clinical” or “therapeutic”) unless appropriately qualified
- Advertise services beyond the scope of their yoga teaching qualifications
Yoga Australia professionals should:
- Represent that yoga may assist, relieve, or improve certain conditions and promote general health and wellbeing
- Be aware of the evidence base for yoga’s benefits and limitations
- Direct practitioners to appropriate healthcare professionals for medical concerns
A Yoga Australia registered professional may pursue activities within the following scope. A free Scope of Practice short course is available to all members.
Qualified To
A yoga professional is qualified to:
- Work within the scope of a yoga teaching qualification with a variety of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health presentations
- Offer integrated practices including asana, pranayama, relaxation, meditation, mudra, bandha, mantra, sankalpa, yoga philosophy, and lifestyle guidance according to a yoga framework
- Receive and provide referrals from other appropriate healthcare providers
- Act as part of a multi-disciplinary team when appropriate
- Be informed by diagnosis provided by other health professionals qualified to do so
Not Qualified To
A yoga professional is NOT qualified to:
- Diagnose a medical condition
- Prescribe medication, nutritional supplements, or herbs unless separately qualified
- Advise about ceasing prescribed medication
- Perform any invasive procedures
- Request or interpret diagnostic tests unless separately qualified
- Make false or misleading claims about yoga’s therapeutic and healing capacities
- Work with clients presenting with issues outside the teacher’s areas of competence
Teaching Settings
Yoga teaching may occur in:
- Group classes — participants with varied conditions where modifications are provided
- Individualised teaching — one-to-one instruction
- Private health eligible services — Level 2 and Level 3 members may provide services eligible for private health rebates:
- Individual sessions (one-to-one)
- Small group sessions (maximum 8 participants)
Extended Scope
Some yoga professionals hold additional qualifications (psychologist, physiotherapist, doctor, naturopath, etc.) that permit extended scope of practice. Such extended scope is regulated by the codes and registering body of those disciplines.
Yoga Australia aims to address complaints as an essential part of maintaining integrity in the profession. Grievances are approached with respect, confidentiality, goodwill, and equality.
Before Lodging a Complaint
Before lodging a formal complaint with Yoga Australia, you should:
- Take reasonable measures to communicate with the respondent about the grievance
- Allow reasonable time for a response
- Make reasonable efforts to understand the response and resolve the matter directly
Lodging a Formal Complaint
If the matter is not resolved, you may lodge a formal complaint in writing using the Grievance Form, including:
- The nature of the complaint (date, time, location, people involved)
- How the complaint relates to the Code of Professional Conduct or Statement of Ethics
- Steps already taken to resolve the grievance
- What outcome you are seeking
Resolution
Yoga Australia will respond to complaints in a reasonable timeframe. Yoga Australia has discretion to engage or not engage with complaints based on available resources, legal remit, and the safety of staff and volunteers.
Complaints alleging criminal behaviour may be referred to appropriate authorities.
Yoga Australia may notify the person who is the subject of the complaint so that all parties can participate in resolution. In some cases, Yoga Australia may advise that it cannot have a useful role and recommend other approaches.
Voluntary Registration
Yoga professionals in Australia are not required by law to hold registration. Yoga Australia maintains voluntary registration standards to protect both the public and the integrity of yoga practice.
Arguments for voluntary registration include elevated professional standards, verification of credentials, networking opportunities, and access to professional development. Arguments against include additional costs, administrative burden, and division between registered and unregistered teachers.
Yoga Australia supports voluntary registration and continues to monitor the broader regulatory environment.
Institutional Conduct
Yoga Australia acknowledges that members of the yoga community in Australia and abroad have experienced abuse within institutions and from individual instructors. Yoga Australia is committed to ethical conduct and the protection of practitioners.
For information on institutional responses to abuse, see the findings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Case Study 21 examined practices at a yoga ashram in Australia. The findings and Yoga Australia’s public statements are available:
