Why do you use Bayesian ratings instead of simple averages?

Simple averages are easily skewed by small sample sizes. A school with 3 reviews and a 5.0 average looks better than a school with 400 reviews and a 4.95 average, even though the second school has far more evidence of consistent quality. Bayesian weighting pulls small-sample scores toward the population mean, so a high rating has to be earned through volume and consistency, not luck.

What does the Top Rated 2026 badge mean?

The Top Rated 2026 badge is awarded to schools with an average student rating of 4.5 stars or higher and at least 10 verified student reviews on Yoga Alliance. The badge is recalculated each quarter when we sync new review data. Schools cannot purchase or apply for the badge.

Where does your school data come from?

All school data comes from the public Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School (RYS) directory and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) accredited programs directory. We pull school profiles, designations, training formats, yoga styles, and verified student reviews directly from these public sources. We do not accept self-reported data from schools.

How can I report an error or claim my school profile?

If you notice incorrect information on a school profile, or if you are a school owner who wants to update your listing, contact us at hello@onlineyogaplanet.com. We verify all correction requests against the Yoga Alliance directory before making changes.

How We Rank Yoga Teacher Training Programs: Our Methodology

Why Rankings Matter (and Why Most Are Broken)

Search for "best yoga teacher training" and you'll find dozens of listicles. Most of them are affiliate-driven. The schools that appear are the ones that pay the highest commission, not the ones with the best student outcomes. The rankings are editorial opinions dressed up as data.

We built something different. Every ranking on Online Yoga Planet is calculated from verified student review data. No school can pay for placement. No school can opt in or opt out. If students rate a program highly and enough of them do, the program rises. If they don't, it doesn't.

The Bayesian Weighted Rating Formula

A simple average rating sounds fair, but it's not. A school with three 5-star reviews looks better than a school with 352 reviews averaging 4.97. But which one would you trust more?

We use a Bayesian weighted rating to solve this. The formula pulls small-sample scores toward the population average, so a high ranking has to be earned through both quality and volume.

B = (n / (n + m)) × R + (m / (n + m)) × C

B = Bayesian weighted rating (what we rank by)
n = number of reviews for the school
R = the school's average rating (1–5 stars)
m = prior weight = 20 (the minimum reviews before a rating "counts" at full strength)
C = prior mean = 4.5 (the assumed average across all schools)

In plain English

A 5.0 from 3 students is noise. A 4.97 from 352 students is a signal.

When a school has very few reviews, the formula leans heavily on the population average (4.5). As review count grows, the school's actual average takes over. By the time a school has 50+ reviews, its Bayesian score is nearly identical to its raw average. The formula rewards consistency, not luck.

Example

School A: 3 reviews, 5.0 average
Bayesian score = (3/23) × 5.0 + (20/23) × 4.5 = 4.565

School B: 352 reviews, 4.97 average
Bayesian score = (352/372) × 4.97 + (20/372) × 4.5 = 4.945

School B ranks higher. It should. Three hundred fifty-two students said this program is excellent. Three people said that about School A. The formula reflects that difference.

What the "Top Rated 2026" Badge Means

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The Top Rated 2026 badge is awarded to schools that meet both criteria: a student review average of 4.5 stars or higher and at least 10 verified reviews on Yoga Alliance. The badge is recalculated each quarter. Schools cannot apply for it, purchase it, or influence it in any way.

Data Sources

All school data in the YTT Database comes from two public, authoritative sources:

Yoga Alliance — the public Registered Yoga School (RYS) directory. We pull school profiles, designations (RYS 200, RYS 300, RYS 500), training formats, yoga styles taught, location data, and verified student reviews.
IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists) — accredited yoga therapy training programs. Schools with IAYT accreditation receive a separate badge on their profile.

We do not accept self-reported data from schools. If a school's Yoga Alliance profile lists it as offering online classes, we include it. If it doesn't, we don't.

What We Don't Do

This is just as important as what we do. Our rankings have zero commercial influence:

No sponsored placements. No school can pay to appear in a ranking or move up the list.
No affiliate commissions. We do not earn money when you click through to a school or enroll. There are no affiliate links anywhere on this site.
No pay-to-rank. Schools cannot buy premium listings, featured placements, or priority positioning.
No editorial overrides. We don't manually move schools up or down. The formula decides.

How Often Data Is Refreshed

We sync school data from Yoga Alliance on a quarterly basis. This includes new reviews, updated school profiles, and changes in designation status. Between syncs, review counts and ratings remain stable. The "Last updated" date on each page reflects the most recent data sync.

How to Report Errors or Claim a Profile

If you find incorrect information on a school profile, or you're a school owner who wants to update your listing, email us at [email protected]. We verify all correction requests against the Yoga Alliance directory before making changes. We don't edit profiles based on unverified requests.

If your school is missing from the database entirely, it likely means your Yoga Alliance profile doesn't indicate online class availability. Update your YA profile and you'll appear in the next quarterly sync.