A Statement from Yoga Alliance CEO Shannon Roche

Last Updated: February 24, 2022

Two of the central tenets of yoga are a commitment to truthfulness (satya) and the prevention of harm (ahimsa). As a global membership association that yoga professionals turn to for guidance, community, and trust, Yoga Alliance takes seriously our responsibility and role in supporting a safe, well-informed, thriving yoga community. In that spirit, we do not support the sharing or promotion of misinformation, including any anti-vaccine and/or anti-mask content.

We urge everyone in the yoga community, including practitioners, to stay vigilant and active in our shared responsibility by doing what we can to stop the spread of misinformation both online and in our communities. This includes only sharing information from credible sources such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and its peer agencies around the world, following science-backed recommendations from these organizations, reporting misinformation on social media platforms, and flagging misinformation when you see it.

To support our members and the broader yoga community, Yoga Alliance has created an online resource center, yourya.org, with carefully vetted health information, COVID-19 mitigation resources, and information to guide yoga professionals in identifying false or misleading information about the virus and vaccines. We are also working closely with public health experts to share timely and relevant information with the yoga community as we all continue to navigate these challenging times.

In addition to the human toll, the COVID-19 pandemic has been devastating to small businesses like yoga teachers and studio owners. We believe that the fastest and most effective route to recovery lies in everyone working together, with the tools available to each of us, so that we can all put this pandemic behind us.