Yoga waiver template
A yoga waiver is the release students sign before their first class, covering the strains, slips and heat that come with the practice. This one also asks about injuries and pregnancy, explains heated classes and lets students opt out of hands-on assists in writing. Read it below, then open it in SignMaster and share it as a link or a QR code at the front desk.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 4 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Student
Yoga Waiver and Release
This Waiver and Release is given by the student signing below to Studio name (the "Studio"), whose classes take place at Class locations. It covers every class, workshop, retreat and online session the student joins.
1. About you
- Full name: Student name
- Date of birth: Date of birth
- Your yoga experience: Yoga experience
- Injuries, conditions or surgeries your teacher should know about: Injuries or conditions
- Pregnant: If so, please tell your teacher before every class.
2. Practicing safely
Yoga asks the body to stretch, balance, bear weight on the hands and sometimes turn upside down. The student will practice within their own limits, rest whenever they need to, skip or modify any pose, and tell the teacher about pain, numbness, dizziness or anything that feels wrong. Breathing practices can cause light-headedness; the student will return to normal breathing if that happens.
3. Heated classes
Some classes are heated to about Heated room temperature. Heat raises the risk of dehydration, dizziness, fainting and heat exhaustion, and may not be safe during pregnancy or with heart conditions. The student will drink water before and during class, rest or leave the room if they feel unwell, and ask a doctor first if they have any doubt.
4. Hands-on assists
Teachers may offer gentle hands-on assists to guide alignment. A student may say no at any time, before or during class, and the teacher will respect it. Tick here if you never want hands-on assists: .
5. Not medical treatment
Yoga classes are exercise and relaxation, not medical care, therapy or a cure for any condition. Teachers are not doctors or therapists, and the student should follow their own doctor's advice about their health.
6. Risks
Yoga carries risks, including muscle strains, joint and ligament injuries, neck and back injuries from inversions, falls from balancing poses or props, slipping on a damp mat, heat illness and, in aerial classes, falls from a hammock. The student understands these risks and accepts them. Initials: Initials after the risks
7. Release
To the extent the law allows, the student releases the Studio, its owners, teachers and staff from claims for injury, illness or loss arising from classes, workshops, retreats or use of the Studio's space and props, including claims of ordinary negligence. The release does not cover gross negligence or willful misconduct. Initials: Initials after the release
8. Online classes and belongings
When practicing online, the student is responsible for a clear, non-slip space and stable props. At the Studio, mats and props are cleaned between uses, and belongings are left at the student's own risk.
9. Photos and emergency contact
The Studio sometimes photographs classes for its website and social media. Tick to stay out of them: . Emergency contact: Emergency contact.
10. General
This waiver is governed by the laws of the state of State and applies until the student signs a newer version. If any part is unenforceable, the rest still applies. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Phone: Student phone Email: Student email
I have read this waiver, I will practice within my own limits, and I understand I am giving up legal rights in section 7.
Student
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Why a gentle practice still needs a waiver
Most yoga injuries are small: a tweaked hamstring, a sore wrist, a neck that didn't like headstand. But hot rooms, inversions and aerial hammocks raise the stakes, and a studio's insurer will usually want every student to have signed a release. A yoga-specific waiver also captures what a teacher needs to know before class, such as a recent shoulder surgery or a pregnancy, and records whether the student wants to be touched.
What the template covers
- About the student: name, date of birth, experience, injuries or conditions, and a pregnancy box with a reminder to tell the teacher each class.
- Practicing safely: working within their limits, modifying or skipping poses, and what to do if breathwork makes them light-headed.
- Heated classes: the room temperature, the risks of heat, and drinking water and resting when needed.
- Hands-on assists: the right to say no at any time, and a tick box for no assists at all.
- Not medical treatment: classes aren't therapy, and teachers aren't doctors.
- Risks and release: strains, inversion injuries, falls, damp mats, heat illness and aerial falls, then a release of ordinary negligence, each initialed.
- Online classes, photos and contacts: a safe space at home, a photo opt-out and an emergency contact.
- Scope: every class, workshop, retreat and online session until a newer version is signed.
Mistakes yoga studios make
- Using one waiver for every class type. Heated, aerial and prenatal classes each carry risks a generic form doesn't mention.
- Giving assists without asking. Consent cards on the mat help in the room, but a written preference on file means a substitute teacher knows too.
- Letting teachers promise cures. A line in class about fixing sciatica undercuts the waiver's statement that yoga isn't medical treatment.
- Missing the drop-ins. The regulars signed years ago; the visitor on a class pass is the one with no waiver.
- Forgetting retreats and online classes. Say the waiver covers every location and format, so one signature reaches them all.
Have it reviewed for your state
A waiver supports your liability insurance; it doesn't replace it. Check that your policy covers heated and aerial classes and hands-on assists before you offer them, because how far a release reaches depends on your state.
How to collect it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens in your SignMaster account with one signer, the student.
- 2
Fill in your studio's details
Add your studio or teacher name, the class locations, the heated room temperature if you run hot classes, and your state. If you don't teach aerial, strike that line through with the editor's Markup tools, then save.
- 3
Make a link and a QR code
Turn the template into a public signing link. Put the link in your first-class confirmation email and the QR code on the front desk.
- 4
Students sign on their own phones
Each student enters their name and email, answers the questions, ticks any opt-outs, initials twice and signs. The signing page follows each phone's language, in any of 6 languages including Spanish.
- 5
Check the class list before you teach
On a paid plan, the Responses tab shows every student's injuries, pregnancy and no-assist choice in one table, so the teacher can scan it before class starts.
Teachers who travel between venues
If you teach at a brewery on Saturday, a park in summer and a corporate office on Wednesdays, there's no front desk to keep paper forms. Keep the waiver as one public link with the locations section filled in broadly, share the QR code on a card or your phone screen, and every student's signed copy lands in one place. For a private client or a retreat booking, send the same template by email with a sign-by date before the first session.
Questions? Answers.
Do yoga students need to sign a waiver every class?
No. This waiver covers every class, workshop and online session until you ask students to sign a newer version, so one signature is enough.
Do I need a separate waiver for hot yoga?
Not with this template. Section 3 covers heated classes, with a blank for the room temperature. If you also teach aerial or acro, check the risks section describes them well enough.
Can students sign the yoga waiver online?
Yes. Under the federal ESIGN Act and state law, an electronic signature is as valid as ink, and each signed copy has a record of who signed and when.
Who fills in which blanks?
You fill the gray ones: studio name, locations, heated room temperature and state. Students fill in their own details, health notes, opt-outs and emergency contact, initial twice and sign.