Yoga is growing everywhere, but even on calm journeys, it can get a bit tricky without support. With so many new styles, teacher training, studios, and wellness trends rising across California, yoga teachers can sometimes feel like tiny creatures floating in a big ocean. That’s where the California Yoga Teachers Association (CYTA) enters like a friendly lighthouse guiding and supporting the whole yoga community.
California Yoga Teachers Association
CYTA, the California Yoga Teachers Association (CYTA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting yoga teachers across the state. It provides resources, education, and networking opportunities that help teachers develop their skills and maintain high professional standards. CYTA supports both new and experienced teachers by offering workshops, mentorship programs, and community events designed to have a better understanding of yoga philosophy and teaching methods.
In a vibrant and diverse state like California, having an association like this means yoga doesn’t get lost in the noise. Instead, it becomes clearer, more authentic, and more powerful for teachers, students, and the communities they serve.
What is the California Yoga Teachers Association?
The California Yoga Teachers Association, also known as CYTA is more than just a name – it’s also a steady and supportive force behind many yoga teachers across the state. It’s created by teachers for teachers; it’s a place where wisdom is shared, community is built, and the spirit of yoga is protected.
CYTA first came to life in 1974, during a time when yoga was just beginning to spread its roots across the West. A group of dedicated California yoga teachers felt the need to come together, not just to teach poses, but to protect the heart of the practice, support each other, and create a space for real learning and growth.
Their simple idea was to form a community that benefits yoga teachers in thriving, not just in their careers, but also in their purpose!
CYTA continues that same mission –
- To support teachers by offering resources, guidance, and mentorship.
- To educate through workshops and continued learning.
- To connect teachers across California so no one has to walk the path alone.
At its core, CYTA stands for the belief that yoga is not just about teaching classes, but about living with integrity, sharing from the heart, and growing together.
Who Leads the California Yoga Teachers Association?
The California Yoga Teachers Association (CYTA), as per its most recent IRS Form 990-PF filings, is led by officers John Abbott, who serves as both Directors and President. Other key members of the board include Susan Wong (Director), Ed Baskauskas (Director and Treasurer), Karie Brown (Director), Jo Ann Lyons (Director), and Leticia Alcantar (Director, appointed in 2023).
CYTA primarily had the Yoga Dana Foundation as its main grantees. The Yoga Dana Foundation provides funding to yoga teachers and organizations with a focus on making yoga accessible to underserved communities. According to CauseIQ data, the Yoga Dana Foundation received grants from CYTA in 2023. That grant was categorized as general support, which aimed to support the foundation’s ongoing work.
How the CYTA Supports Yoga Teachers?
Teaching yoga is a lifelong journey and even the best teachers need guidance, inspiration, and community on the way. That’s exactly where CYTA shines!
If you’re stepping into your first class as a teacher or you’ve been leading students for decades, CYTA is like a wise friend walking beside you. It’s always there with something helpful in hand, be it a workshop to create new ideas, a mentor to guide you through challenges, or a gentle reminder to stay grounded in your yoga practice.
Here’s how CYTA supports its teaching tribe –
- Continuing Education That Inspires
Learning doesn’t stop after a 200-hour training. CYTA offers workshops, mentorship programs, and retreats that help teachers update their skills and stay curious. From advanced anatomy to soulful sequencing to lessons on yogic philosophy, there’s always something to expand your teaching toolbox.
- Resources for Every Step of the Path
New teachers often have many questions and seasoned teachers sometimes need fresh perspectives. In such cases, CYTA provides articles, book recommendations, teaching tips, and templates that make the teaching journey smooth and joyful.
- Teaching with Integrity
Since yoga is growing fast, CYTA helps teachers stay rooted in ethical practices, yoga philosophy, and safe, inclusive teaching. They offer guidance on everything from student boundaries and cultural respect to how to lead trauma-aware classes.
CYTA isn’t just about supporting your career, it’s also about nurturing your teaching so that you can serve your students with wisdom, confidence, and care!
Yoga Education with Heart
At CYTA, yoga education isn’t just about perfecting poses, it’s about teaching with care and purpose. Their approach combines together mindfulness, anatomy, ancient philosophy, and inclusivity by making sure teachers don’t just know what to teach, but why and how to teach it with heart.
CYTA believes in honoring the roots of yoga by making space for today’s realities. From trauma-aware teaching to embracing diverse bodies and stories, it’s a balance of tradition and evolution to help yoga stay meaningful and alive in modern times.
A Hub for Tools, Networking & Growth
Being a yoga teacher can sometimes feel like a solo journey — but with CYTA, you’re never walking alone. It acts like a central meeting point where yoga teachers in California come together to learn, share, and grow.
Through events, retreats, virtual circles, adding profiles in the association directory, and in-person meetups, CYTA creates real spaces for connection. These gatherings aren’t just about learning, they’re also about building friendships and exchanging ideas.
They offer career support, teaching tools, and visibility opportunities that help you shine brighter. It’s like a yoga village full of tools, wisdom, and people who’ve got your back!
Advocacy and Ethics
The California Yoga Teachers Association believes yoga is more than a movement. It’s a way of living with honesty, care, and responsibility. That’s why CYTA stands as a strong voice for ethics, fairness, and respect in the yoga field.
CYTA keeps its roots strong by speaking up on important issues like fair pay for teachers, safe and inclusive classrooms, and protecting the meaning of yoga in modern wellness spaces.
They offer clear guidance on how teachers can –
- Build trusting and respectful student-teacher relationships
- Create safe and welcoming spaces for all students, regardless of background, body, or beliefs
- Respect cultural roots and teach with sensitivity, not appropriation
They help slow things down by making sure yoga stays rooted in kindness, awareness, and ethical care!
Partner Projects & Community Initiatives
Yoga is meant to reach everyone, and the California Yoga Teachers Association is working to make sure it actually does!
Through partnerships with studios, wellness organizations, and schools, CYTA brings yoga beyond studio walls, like neighborhoods, classrooms, and communities that need it the most. They team up with like-minded groups to offer free or low-cost classes, wellness talks, and healing spaces for people who otherwise may not have access to yoga and its information.
From outreach in public schools to events in underserved communities, their mission is to make yoga inclusive. They believe that every person, no matter their age, income, race, gender, or ability deserves a chance to experience the peace and power of this practice.
These community efforts are about connection, empowerment, and healing. And every teacher involved becomes part of a bigger movement that brings yoga back to its practice of unity.
Final Words
The association of California yoga teachers is more than a group — it’s a growing circle of support, wisdom, and shared purpose. It’s where yoga teachers come to feel seen, stay inspired, updated, and grow their skills.
It’s a space that welcomes you with open arms to learn, connect, and be a part of something meaningful.
So stay rooted in your practice, rise strong in your voice, and teach with interest and purpose because the CYTA community is here to walk beside you!
