Much like roughly half of Californians, I thought I wanted to be a yoga teacher. The teacher-training programs have become expensive though, and now individual states are attempting to regulate yoga-training programs using a voluntary on-line registry of programs. The yoga industry is resisting regulation with claims of spirituality and the like:
The conflict started in January when a Virginia official directed regulators from more than a dozen states to an online national registry of schools that teach yoga and, in the words of a Kansas official, earn a “handsome income.” Until then, only a few states had been aware of the registry and had acted to regulate yoga instruction, though courses in other disciplines like massage therapy have long been subject to oversight.
The registry was created by the Yoga Alliance, a nonprofit group started in 1999 to establish teaching standards in an effort to have the industry regulate itself. In a recent newsletter, the alliance warned its members that nationwide licensing might be inevitable, “forcing this ancient tradition to conform to Western business practices.”
I guess you can’t regulate something spiritual. Not that we know what “spiritual” means precisely.
July 11th, 2009 at 10:01 am
I ran across a “Christian” who says that yoga is, in a sense, devil worship:
http://energycafelive.ning.com/profiles/blogs/1999657:BlogPost:2741
July 13th, 2009 at 5:30 am
Yoga has become a very personal thing in my view. Some individuals view it from a spiritual, mind, body connection and others simply exercise for the body. It’s a tough call to make.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:07 am
Yes, we most certainly do know what “spiritual” means. Just go to the Online Etymology Dictionary and look it up.
July 13th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Actually I’ve written pretty extensively about this, Tracie. The meaning pretty much shifts around as it’s useful for the user. It’s one of the continuous issues with “spirituality at work” in that it means a wide variety of things to different people.
August 4th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
How expensive are these yoga schools? For example, how much per hour of schooling?
March 10th, 2010 at 9:12 am
yoga teacher…
Your topic Welcome - Tara Walsh Yoga Bristol was interesting when I found it on Wednesday searching for yoga teacher…