How to Ensure You Are Found on Our Directory
May 13, 2015
If you are having trouble finding your profile on our Directory, there are a few reasons why this may be happening. Here are a few tips and simple ways for you to troubleshoot at home.
Update Lapsed Membership
The easiest way to check why you may not be able to find your profile is to make sure your membership is current. Log in to your Yoga Alliance® account and check your Teacher Dashboard to make sure you aren’t due to renew. Find directions on how to renew.
Publish Profile
If your membership is up-to-date and you can’t find yourself on the Directory, make sure that your profile is public. On your Teacher Dashboard, click “My Profile” from the left menu. From there you can check the status of your profile and publish or unpublish it.
Use Correct Search Terms
Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®s) may choose the name by which they wish to be displayed on the Directory – their Directory Name – in place of their legal first and last names. We suggest using the name your students would know you as for your Directory Name. You can share any other names, spiritual names or nicknames in your bio. If students are searching for you under the name other than your Directory Name, even your legal name associated with your Yoga Alliance account, they won’t be able to find you.
Also check that your Directory Name does not contain any unintentional extra characters, such as punctuation marks or spaces. Examples: Susan. Savasana, Susan Savasana
Use Google-Recognized Directory Address
When we updated our Directory, we added new location and address features to help students search for Directory profiles by location. Our new system uses Google Maps to display search results on an interactive map. In order to be searched by location, your Directory Address must be Google-recognized. Your Directory Address is different from your shipping and billing addresses, which, for your privacy, will always remain private from public view.
When entering your Directory Address, a box will appear below the text box and automatically populate Google-recognized address suggestions. You MUST select an address from this list as your Directory Address.
Use a Sufficiently Specific Directory Address
You may not want to publicly display your full home address on your profile, and that is perfectly acceptable. We respect your privacy, so there are many options if you wish to be searched by location. If the address you select from the list of suggestions is not specific enough, a message will appear stating: “This is not a specific location. For people to find you in our Directory, you need to enter a specific location.”
Acceptable address criteria options:
- Specific street address (i.e., house number + street name), city and state
- City, state and zip code
- City, state, country
Examples:
- 4201 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA — OK
- Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA — Not specific enough
- Arlington, VA, 22203 — OK
- Arlington, VA — Not specific enough
- Arlington, VA, USA - OK
Note that an address with a street name, city, state, and zip code is not specific enough, even though an address with only a city, state and zip code is specific enough.
Need more assistance?
Have you tried all of these troubleshooting tips, but still can’t find yourself on the Directory? Sometimes glitches in the system happen, and that may be the case for you. Our Customer Service representatives are available to help you fix the issue or contact our website developers, who will work out any technical errors. Send our team an email at info@yogaalliance.org.