Assessment Process

About Assessment

RIMYI provides the structure and guidelines governing Iyengar Yoga certification and assessment.

The IYNAUS Assessment Committee is tasked with the administration of assessments and implementing the RIMYI guidelines. Successful assessments involve many aspects, including training of assessors, exam writing, and venue coordination. While the IYNAUS Assessment Committee administers the assessment process, RIMYI certifies and provides certificates.

Applying for Assessment

For Aspiring Candidates Checklist for Assessment Candidates Register for Assessment Assessment Dates & Venues Wait-List Assessment Application Needs-Based Assistance

For Aspiring Candidates

Candidates aspiring to assess should work closely with their mentor to understand the requirements for the level they want to apply for. The mentoring teacher is familiar with the process and can offer guidance and support as the aspiring candidate prepares.

Upon acceptance to a mentoring or teacher education program, prospective teachers must join IYNAUS. At the minimum, candidates for assessment must have been members of IYNAUS for at least one year before applying for assessment. For example, if applying for assessment, candidates must have been a member of IYNAUS by May 1 of the previous year.

The Assessment Committee is grateful for your careful attention to the assessment process. Candidates should read the following documents:

IYNAUS Assessment Manual: Published by the IYNAUS Assessment Committee, and based upon the RIMYI Certification and Assessment Guidelines, this manual offers advice for teachers, aspiring teachers, and their mentors who are developing the art of teaching Iyengar Yoga. Keen students of Iyengar Yoga will find support for their practice by studying the syllabi from current and past assessment manuals reprinted here. For those considering undertaking the assessment process, this manual also outlines the requirements for each level and an overview of the IYNAUS assessment process.
RIMYI Certification and Assessment Guidelines: This primary source document provides the requirements to assess and teach each level of certification, the syllabi and required reading, and an outline of the assessment process as envisioned by RIMYI.

RIMYI FAQs: These FAQs provide additional information that should be read and understood.

Checklist for Assessment Candidates

Upon entering into a mentoring relationship, mentees must establish IYNAUS membership. Candidates training for assessment must agree to teach yoga according to the techniques set forth by B.K.S Iyengar and not mix the techniques of Iyengar Yoga with any other system of yoga or with any other discipline. As candidates prepare to apply for assessment, first confirm with your mentor that you are ready. If your mentor determines you are ready to apply for assessment, you may proceed. Your mentor will be prompted to fill out a recommendation form online once your application has been submitted. The following checklist will ensure that you are ready to apply for assessment:

Do you meet the training prerequisites and eligibility requirements for an Iyengar Yoga teacher? See Page 7 of the RIMYI Certification and Assessment Guidelines.
Have you read the current Assessment Manual and 2020 RIMYI Certification and the Assessment Guidelines?
Do you have the capability to complete your online registration, pay your application fees, and communicate online throughout the assessment process?

Have you checked the IYNAUS website to see that your contact information is correct?

Applying early is appreciated but will not increase your chance of being given your first choice of date/venue. Applications will not be accepted after the deadline. If you meet all of the requirements and have completed your application correctly, you will receive an email by late June with your assessment date and venue.

To register for assessment, login to your IYNAUS account and navigate to the “register for assessment” link. Have the following information available to complete your assessment application:

— Mentor’s name
— Study history with your mentor and other CIYTs, including weekly classes and workshop attendance
— Mentoring/apprenticing history
— Convention attendance
— Trips to RIMYI
— Teacher training and teacher education history
— Iyengar Yoga community volunteer history

The deadline to register for assessment is May 31. Mentors will have until June 10 to write their recommendations.

By late June, you should expect to receive notice of your assignment to a date and venue. The chair of the venue will contact you with further information.

Withdrawing an Assessment Application

Should you wish to withdraw your application, please use the following steps:

Within "My Page," go to the "Teacher" section and then "Assessment History."
Click on "Withdraw Assessment.”
This process will result in the assessment chair being notified of your withdrawal and any refund of payment due. A new application will be required should you decide to reapply.

For withdrawals before the May 31 application deadline, a $50 processing fee will be charged. A $100 processing fee will be charged for withdrawals received between June 1 and August 1. Thereafter, the processing fee is $150 until the assessment is underway. The assessment officially begins once the written exam has been sent by the venue chair. There are no refunds after the assessment has started.

Assessment Dates & Venues

Assessments will be offered for Levels 1, 2, and 3. Assessment venues may be online or in-person. The teaching presentation may be done either with students on Zoom or in the same room with the candidate. Written exams will be take-home exams sent to the candidate approximately seven weeks before the assessment.

2024 Assessment Dates

Assessment venues include both online and in-person options. The online venues (those listed without a location) are conducted entirely online. In-person venues will require the candidate's physical presence at the hosting studio in the city listed. Candidates at in-person venues should plan on arriving Thursday and expect to be there through Sunday afternoon.

Level 1
- August 16 – 18
- August 23 – 25, Portland, Oregon
- September 6 – 8, Los Angeles, California
- September 13 – 15
- September 27 – 29
- October 18 – 20, Providence, Rhode Island
- October 25 – 27

Level 2
- August 23 – 25, Ann Arbor, Michigan
- September 13 – 15
- September 20 – 22, Asheville, North Carolina
- October 18 – 20
- November 1 – 3

Level 3
- September 6 – 8
- October 25 – 27
- November 8 – 10, New York, New York

Wait-List

IYNAUS may not be able to accommodate all applicants for assessment in a given year if the number of available assessment venues or assessors is insufficient. If the assessments are full, applicants will be given priority based on the following criteria: exam retakes, number of years of practice, and years of teaching experience.

If you are wait-listed, you must decide whether you are willing to wait and see if a spot opens in the current assessment year or postpone it to the next assessment year.

Assessment Application Needs-Based Assistance

2024 Assessment Application Needs-Based Assistance

In keeping with its mission to promote the teachings of B.K.S. Iyengar, IYNAUS has created a program to offer needs-based assistance to IYNAUS members applying for the CIYT assessment in 2024. This support recognizes the dedication required to prepare for the assessment to become a CIYT and achieve a higher CIYT certification level.

The needs-based assistance will be up to 50% of the assessment application fee. Applicants will be emailed about assistance decisions by May 29, 2024. Assistance will be issued as a partial refund of the 2024 assessment application fee.*

Eligibility to Apply

To apply for needs-based assistance, an applicant must be eligible for and applying for assessment in 2024.
Level 2 and Level 3 applicants must be Certified Iyengar Yoga Teachers (CIYTs) in good standing and up-to-date with their continuing education hours.

Needs-Based Application Procedure

The needs-based application is separate from the assessment application; information from one application will not be available to reviewers of the other application.
Interested applicants must fill out and submit the application for the needs-based assistance in addition to an assessment application.
Applications are due May 20, 2024.
Applicants will be emailed about assistance decisions on or before May 29, 2024.
Needs-based assistance will be issued as a partial refund of a recipient’s 2024 assessment application fee.*

* As noted, needs-based assistance will be issued as a partial refund of the assessment application fee. Recipients will be responsible for submitting the full assessment application fee when applying, even if learning that they are to receive needs-based assistance before they submit the assessment application.

The Assessment Weekend

Assessors, the Zoom coordinator, students, and others behind the scenes have contributed their time and effort for the weekend assessment. Many are volunteers and the assessment process could not happen without them.

There will typically be three assessors serving during the assessment weekend. If any candidate is a student of one of the assessors, that assessor is allowed to evaluate that candidate.

Candidates accepted for assessment will receive an assigned date and venue for their assessment. A typical assessment weekend is scheduled from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon. Approximately seven weeks prior to the assigned weekend, candidates will receive the written exam. They will have four weeks to complete the take-home exam.

Assessments will begin Friday morning with a general informational meeting for candidates and assessors followed by a technical check with the Zoom coordinator (if online). This is an opportunity for candidates to ask questions about the weekend or the technology.

The assessors and candidates will commence the assessment weekend with a group practice. This is an informal practice, a time for assessors and candidates to connect through practice. Following this practice session, there will be time for discussion. On Friday afternoon, the demonstration component, including the Level 2 individual presentation and inversions practice will take place.

On Saturday and Sunday, the candidates will demonstrate their teaching skills with a group of appropriate-level students. Prior to the weekend, candidates will have received an assigned time for their teaching. Level 1 candidates will have 35 – 45 minutes to teach; a brief situation demonstration follows. Level 2 candidates will have 45 – 55 minutes to teach; the situation presentation will take place right after their teaching. Level 3 candidates will write a sequence appropriate for a two-hour class which they will condense to 75-90 minutes for their assessment class. The Level 3 situation presentation is scheduled for Sunday.

Candidates will be sent feedback from the assessors and an invitation to fill out a web form where they are encouraged to give the Assessment Committee feedback regarding their assessment.