What Is YTT? A 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Explained

YTT stands for Yoga Teacher Training, a general term now used for courses that prepare students to teach Yoga. A foundational programme is commonly described as a 200-hour YTT, or YTT 200. In the Sivananda Yoga tradition, however, TTC is not simply another name for YTT 200. It is the original name of the Teachers’ Training Course developed and first taught by Swami Vishnudevananda in 1969. This was the first Yoga teachers’ training course established in the West.

This guide explains the abbreviation and the terms that travel with it, where the 200-hour standard came from, what the eight subjects of a Sivananda course cover, and what a day on one looks like.

The abbreviations, in plain terms

Five terms appear frequently, but they do not mean the same thing:

• TTC or SY TTC: Teachers’ Training Course, also called the Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training Course. This is the name of the foundational teacher training developed by Swami Vishnudevananda. The course offered in Vietnam is a 200-hour TTC.
• YTT: Yoga Teacher Training, a general term for courses that prepare students to teach Yoga.
• YTT 200: A foundational Yoga teacher training programme comprising at least 200 hours. A 300-hour programme is advanced training taken after completing the foundational course. Together, the two levels provide 500 hours of training.
• RYS: Registered Yoga School. This designation is given to a school registered with Yoga Alliance to offer training at a particular level. RYS 200 refers to a school registered to deliver a 200-hour foundational programme.
• RYT: Registered Yoga Teacher. After completing an eligible training programme, a graduate may apply separately to Yoga Alliance for registration as an RYT.

The main distinction is between the course, the school and the individual. TTC or YTT refers to the training programme, RYS refers to the registered school, and RYT refers to the teacher who has applied for registration. Completing the course provides the required certification, but Yoga Alliance registration is a separate process.

The Sivananda Yoga Teachers’ Training Course offered at the Sivananda Yoga Resort and Training Center in Da Lat, Vietnam, is a 200-hour residential programme. The Center is registered with Yoga Alliance as an RYS 200, and graduates are eligible to apply for RYT 200 registration. Dates, fees and requirements are available on the Yoga Teacher Training Course page.

Where the 200-hour standard came from

The 200-hour designation and the Sivananda Teachers’ Training Course have related but distinct histories. The 200-hour designation is a modern training standard, while the Sivananda TTC was established several decades earlier.

In 1969, Swami Vishnudevananda developed and taught the first Yoga Teachers’ Training Course in the West, in Canada. Nine years earlier, he had published The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, presenting the system of Yoga practice that would form an important part of the training.

The TTC introduced a structured, four-week residential programme in which students followed a fixed daily timetable and studied Yoga as a complete way of life. The curriculum combined personal asana and pranayama practice, teaching methods, meditation, Yoga philosophy, anatomy and selfless service. This systematic and immersive approach became an influential model for the development of modern Yoga teacher training in the West.

Today, the Sivananda TTC continues to follow the residential structure developed by Swami Vishnudevananda while also meeting the current Yoga Alliance RYS 200 standard. The 200-hour designation describes its present accreditation, while the essential structure and purpose of the course come from the original programme established in 1969.

More about the teachers and tradition behind the course can be found in Sivananda Yoga là gì? and on the Sivananda teachings page.

What a 200-hour curriculum covers

The Sivananda TTC is organised around eight areas of study. Rather than being completed as separate modules, they are practised and studied together throughout the course.

1. Asanas: Sun Salutations, the twelve basic postures and more than 125 variations. Students deepen their own practice while learning how to demonstrate, teach and offer appropriate corrections.
2. Pranayama: Daily practice of Kapalabhati and Anuloma Viloma, together with an introduction to more advanced breathing techniques.
3. Nutrition: The yogic vegetarian diet, the effects of food on the body and mind, and an introduction to Ayurvedic principles of nutrition.
4. Meditation and Mantra: The practical foundations of meditation, concentration and the repetition of mantra.
5. Anatomy and Physiology: The major systems of the body and how they are affected by asana and pranayama practice.
6. Yoga Philosophy: The Five Points and Four Paths of Yoga, Vedanta philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita and other teachings from the tradition.
7. Kirtan and Chanting: Devotional chanting, Sanskrit pronunciation and the use of sacred sound as part of spiritual practice.
8. Kriyas: Traditional yogic cleansing practices and their role in supporting physical and mental purification.

What distinguishes the course is the way these areas are brought together. Anatomy and physiology provide an understanding of the physical body, while asana and pranayama bring that knowledge into direct practice. Meditation, philosophy, nutrition, chanting and kriyas place the training within a complete yogic lifestyle. Students learn not only how to perform the postures, but also how to teach, observe and support others with clarity and care.

A day on a teacher training course

The timetable runs from 6:00am to lights out at 10:00pm.

The detail that matters most on this schedule is that asana appears twice, and the two sessions are not the same thing. The morning is personal practice; the afternoon is teaching practice, where students lead and are corrected. That split is what separates a teacher training from an intensive course of yoga.

How a YTT differs from a retreat

Both are residential and both follow a timetable, so the two get confused when people are booking.

• A retreat puts you in the daily rhythm as a participant: two practice sessions, meals, and the morning and evening gatherings. Described in full in what a meditation retreat involves.
• A YTT adds the study and the teaching. Lectures on philosophy and anatomy, a text class at midday, and an afternoon session where you teach rather than practise. The days are longer and there is coursework behind them.

Someone who wants the practice without the study is describing a retreat, and the Yoga Vacation page covers those. Someone who wants to teach afterwards, or to understand the system from the inside whether or not they teach, is describing a YTT.

What Yoga Alliance registration does and does not mean

Yoga Alliance is a nonprofit professional membership and credentialing organisation. Its RYS and RYT designations are private professional credentials, not government licences to teach Yoga.

An RYS 200 designation means that Yoga Alliance has assessed the school’s curriculum, trainers and faculty against its requirements for foundational 200-hour training. These requirements include specified areas of study, minimum training hours, qualified lead trainers and practical teaching experience. After successfully completing the programme, a graduate receives a certificate from the school and may apply separately to Yoga Alliance for RYT 200 registration.

Registration provides a useful common standard, but it does not make every RYS 200 course identical. Schools may differ considerably in their tradition, teaching approach, daily schedule, class size, residential experience and the amount of individual guidance students receive. Yoga Alliance registration should therefore be considered one important factor rather than a complete measure of a course.

Before choosing a programme, students should confirm that the school’s registration is current and review the curriculum, teaching faculty, supervised teaching practice, assessment process and daily timetable. Anyone planning to teach professionally should also check the local requirements of their intended country, employer, studio and insurer. An RYT credential does not by itself provide a work visa, business permission or automatic legal authorisation to teach in every country.

After the course

Graduating a 200-hour course is what makes registering as an RYT possible; the registration itself is a separate step the graduate takes. Beyond the 200 there are longer programmes: the ashram runs a 300-hour advanced teacher training, a Sadhana Intensive, Health Educator Training 800-hour, and Peace Educator Training 300-hour

Not everyone who takes a TTC teaches afterwards, and the course is not structured on the assumption that they will. The benefits of the teacher training course post covers what graduates describe taking away from it.

Frequently asked questions

What does YTT stand for?

Yoga Teacher Training. Written YTT 200 or YTT200 when the hour count is specified, and called the TTC in the Sivananda tradition.

Is YTT the same as TTC?

Yes. TTC — Teacher Training Course — is the older term and the one this tradition uses; YTT is the more common abbreviation internationally. Both refer to the same 200-hour course here.

What is the difference between RYS and RYT?

RYS is the school, registered to deliver a programme at a stated level. RYT is the graduate, registered after completing one. A course at an RYS 200 school makes RYT registration possible.

Does the 200 in YTT 200 mean 200 hours of asana?

No. The 200 hours cover the whole curriculum — postures, breathing, cleansing practices, nutrition, meditation and mantra, anatomy and physiology, philosophy, and chanting. On the Sivananda timetable, asana occupies two of the day's sessions out of roughly ten scheduled items.

What comes after a 200-hour course?

The 300-hour advanced course, which together with the 200 is often referred to as a 500-hour qualification. There are also specialised courses and intensives.

Where can I see dates and requirements?

On the Yoga Teacher Training Course page, alongside the current curriculum, and on Upcoming Courses for scheduled dates.

Further reading: Yoga for beginners · Meditation retreats in Vietnam · Yoga in Vietnam · The Five Points of Yoga · The Four Paths of Yoga