For four days in mid-April, yogis gathered in Toronto, Canada at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for what has been described as one of the biggest yoga events in North America – the Toronto Yoga Conference & Show.
The Toronto Yoga Show, separate from the conference portion, was an “urban yoga retreat designed to galvanize, grow, educate and inspire your practice.” From Friday, April 10 through Sunday evening, over 20,000 attending yogis took advantage of a full line-up of activities suited to all interests, including educational lectures, vendor exhibits, yoga classes, and cultural arts experiences.
Yoga Alliance® welcomed hundreds of attendees to our booth at the Show, where staff members and YA spokesperson Andrew Tanner, E-RYT 500, shared information about our organization’s advocacy work and how Social Credentialing helps the yoga community self-regulate and measure the quality of teacher training programs. “This was our busiest show yet,” says Andrew, “we received an amazingly warm welcome from Canadian teachers.”
Attendees were particularly interested not only in learning how to register with YA, but also in sharing their thoughts on potential professional development opportunities. Questions were asked about if, or when, there will be a rating system for Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®s) that is comparable to the existing rating system for Registered Yoga Schools (RYS®s).
Attendees also loved the headshot studio at the YA booth; nearly 200 yoga professionals got their headshots taken! Yoga Alliance also helped YA members enroll in a new liability insurance plan available to Canadian members through our new partner, Fraser & Hoyt.
During the show, Andrew led two well-attended talks, both on April 12. The first, “The Future of Yoga in Canada,” focused on the new developments practitioners can expect down the road from the overall yoga industry, as YA’s continued organizational growth and membership benefits. Andrew’s second lecture, “Top Five Foundations of Your Yoga Business,” was geared to studio owners and yoga teachers, drawing more than 50 attendees. Many of the attendees made a beeline for the YA booth directly afterwards to continue the conversation about what YA can offer their businesses.
Join us at the next gathering on our calendar on May 30, 2015 in Illinois, where YA will participate in Wanderlust 108 Chicago! This “mindful triathlon” will get you moving with a 5K run, followed by a 90-minute yoga class and guided meditation with Sage Rountree, E-RYT 500. Andrew will be there to answer questions and talk about what is currently in the works at YA and how it benefits the yoga community.