LIke most Yoga communities, we oppose regulating Yoga practitioners as there are spiritual as well as physical implications for the various Yoga organizations. Also, there appear to be no gains for the client of Yoga schools.
In Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware where Yoga Living magazine circulates as a bi-monthly magazine, we have not heard of legislation regulating Yoga teachers. There have been rumors, but nothing has reached the floor of the State Legislature.
LIke most Yoga communities, we oppose regulating Yoga practitioners as there are spiritual as well as physical implications for the various Yoga organizations. Also, there appear to be no gains for the client of Yoga schools.
First of all, how would one regulate an industry that has such variety from the overly physical approaches to the spiritual approaches to yoga practice? Some Yoga schools are similar to fitness clubs, while other Yoga schools function like religious groups and there are plenty of schools in the middle or both! The point is that each of these schools serves their students and there would be no set of regulations that could fit any school.
The other obvious problem happens with determining who would be the regulatory board.
It would be nice if The Yoga Alliance would take a legal stand against these regulations. If these issues like the one in New York State continue, there will inevitably be a group of Yogi Lawyers who will form some sort of Yoga Association to stop future attempts at regulation of Yoga. To date, I have not met nor heard of one Yoga teacher who thinks that regulations would help protect the citizens. We only hear of situations on how the availability of Yoga would be reduced by such actions. Therefore, the regulation would harm citizens who wish to study Yoga. (The purpose of regulation is not to raise money but to protect human’s rights/safety.)
Sincerely,
Bob Butera
Phd, Editor, Yoga Living MagazineGreater Philadelphia Region.
Greater Philadelphia Region.
