Developing Your Scope of Practice

As a yoga professional, your primary responsibility is to provide a safe and supportive environment that fosters student learning and confidence. While your expertise is important, it is not possible to be an authority in every aspect of health, wellbeing, or human experience.

Understanding your scope of practice allows you to recognise the limits of your knowledge, training, and competence. This awareness supports informed guidance, helps you identify when a student's needs exceed your role, and ensures timely referrals to qualified professionals.

Adhering to your scope of practice is essential for professional and ethical teaching. It protects students, supports sound decision-making, maintains trust, and ensures safe, responsible practice.

This workbook is designed to help you reflect on your role, define professional boundaries, identify areas for growth, and document your scope of practice. As your qualifications and expertise develop, your scope of practice should be updated accordingly.

When to Use This Guide

This guide is designed to support reflective practice throughout your teaching career. You may find it helpful to complete or revisit it:

When you first qualify as a yoga teacher.
At the start of your YogaPros membership.
During your annual professional review or self-reflection.
After completing continuing professional development (CPD) or gaining new qualifications.
Before teaching a new style of yoga or working with a new client group.
When you begin offering new services, workshops, retreats or one-to-one sessions.
If you are unsure whether a situation falls within your professional competence.
As part of your ongoing commitment to safe, ethical and professional practice.

There is no single "correct" scope of practice. Every yoga professional's scope will differ depending on their qualifications, experience, training, confidence, insurance cover and the populations they work with.

Regularly reviewing your scope of practice helps ensure it accurately reflects your current knowledge and capabilities, allowing you to teach with confidence while providing the safest possible experience for your students.

Why Complete This Workbook?

Your scope of practice defines what you are trained, qualified and competent to do as a yoga professional.

Having a clear scope of practice helps you:

Teach safely and ethically.
Build trust with your students.
Make confident professional decisions.
Know when to refer students to another professional.
Protect yourself professionally and legally.

Your scope of practice is not fixed. It should evolve as your knowledge, qualifications and experience develop.

Workbook

Step 1: Define Your Current Role

Complete the statements below.

My professional role(s)

☐ Yoga Teacher

☐ Yoga Therapist

☐ Children's Yoga Teacher

☐ Pregnancy Yoga Teacher

☐ Chair Yoga Teacher

☐ Meditation Teacher

☐ Breath work Teacher

☐ Other:

I currently teach

☐ Adults

☐ Beginners

☐ Older Adults

☐ Children

☐ Teenagers

☐ Pregnancy

☐ Postnatal

☐ Accessible Yoga

☐ People with long-term health conditions

☐ Corporate classes

☐ One-to-one sessions

☐ Other:

Step 2: What Am I Qualified To Do?

List your current qualifications.

Qualification	Trainer Name	Year

Additional specialist training

Examples include:

Trauma-informed yoga
Yoga Nidra
Anatomy
Mental Health First Aid
CPD courses

Step 3: Define Your Scope

I am confident and competent to...

Examples

✔ Teach group yoga classes

✔ Modify postures

✔ Teach beginners

✔ Offer breathing practices

✔ Teach relaxation

My scope includes:

My scope does NOT include...

Examples

☐ Diagnosing injuries

☐ Medical advice

☐ Counselling

☐ Nutrition planning

☐ Prescribing exercises following surgery

☐ Safeguarding investigations

☐ Financial advice

Other:

Step 4: Know Your Boundaries

Use this checklist before offering advice.

Ask yourself:

□ Am I trained to advise on this?

□ Am I qualified?

□ Am I insured for this?

□ Do I have enough experience?

□ Is this within my professional role?

□ Could this advice cause harm if I'm wrong?

□ Would another professional be better placed to help?

If you answer No to any of these questions, consider referring the student elsewhere.

Step 5: Recognise When to Refer

Refer when a student requires support outside your expertise.

Examples include:

Situation	Refer To
Medical diagnosis	GP or Healthcare Professional
Injury rehabilitation	Physiotherapist
Mental health support	Counsellor or Psychotherapist
Nutrition planning	Registered Nutrition Professional
Safeguarding concerns	Safeguarding Lead or Appropriate Authority
Specialist yoga needs	Yoga teacher with relevant specialist training

Step 6: Student Questions Checklist

Before answering a student's question, pause and ask:

□ Is this a yoga question?

□ Is this outside my expertise?

□ Am I making assumptions?

□ Would I be comfortable defending this advice professionally?

□ Should I recommend they seek specialist support instead?

Remember:

Being helpful doesn't always mean providing the answer.

Sometimes the safest response is:

"That's outside my area of expertise, but I'd encourage you to speak with an appropriate healthcare or wellbeing professional."

Step 7: My Referral Network

Build your own trusted network.

Healthcare Professional

Physiotherapist

Mental Health Professional

Nutrition Professional

Women's Health Specialist

Specialist Yoga Teacher

Other

Step 8: Review Your Scope

Review your scope of practice:

□ Every year

□ After completing CPD

□ When teaching a new population

□ When changing your teaching environment

□ After gaining new qualifications

Ask yourself:

Has my knowledge changed?
Am I working with different students?
Do I need additional training?
Does my insurance still cover my work?

Scope of Practice Self-Assessment

Rate yourself from 1–5.

Statement	Rating
I understand my professional boundaries.	☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5
I know when to refer students.	☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5
I feel confident saying "I don't know."	☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5
I only provide advice within my competence.	☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5
I regularly update my knowledge through CPD.	☐1 ☐2 ☐3 ☐4 ☐5

My Scope of Practice Statement

Complete this statement.

I am qualified and competent to teach:

I do not provide:

When a student's needs fall outside my expertise, I will refer them to an appropriately qualified professional.

Top Tips

✔ Stay within your training and competence.

✔ Don't feel pressured to answer every question.

✔ Referring students is a sign of professionalism—not a weakness.

✔ Keep learning through CPD.

✔ Review your scope of practice regularly as your career develops.

Resources:

Understanding Scope of Practice: A Guide for Yoga Teachers

This guide is intended as a reflective learning resource and should not replace the requirements of your professional qualifications, insurance policy, employer, or applicable legislation. You are responsible for ensuring that your practice remains within the limits of your training, competence, and insurance cover.