Yoga Teacher Training Programs Face Regulations
State Licensing Could be Fatal for Yoga Studios
Nov 3, 2009
Many studio owners are speaking up against teacher training licensing for fear of what regulation by the government and insurance companies might mean for teachers and practitioners across the country. So what are people afraid of and are there any benefits to licensed yoga schools?
Push Toward State Licensing Means Financial Loss
Several yoga studios in New York have successfully warded off threats of licensing, at least for now. Other studios, however, have been forced to close due to the financial fees required for licensing, such as having studios bonded. This seems to be the biggest threat in state implemented licensing. Many small yoga studios depend on teacher training programs to sustain them financially. The necessary buy-in for licensing would make it impossible not only to hold teacher trainings, but to continue to offer regular yoga classes as well.
The voices speaking out on this issue are primarily studio owners who are afraid of financial loss and failure as a result of regulation. An article in Yoga Journal, "Licensed to Teach," cited other threats, including regulation by insurance companies and the medical field. By submitting to government regulations, it could follow that insurance companies determine which yoga teacher or studio a client is eligible to visit, therefore suffering from limited insurance networks and narrowing the accessibility of yoga to people with medical problems.
Self-Regulation Provided by Yoga Alliance
The yoga culture in the United States has already taken action to maintain its own regulation. Yoga Alliance is an organization of teachers and studios that follow specific guidelines in their training. By doing so, they can offer the title of “registered yoga teacher (RYT)” to people who complete the training. This instituted program includes 200 hour and 500 hour trainings, including training in practice techniques, yoga methodology, anatomy, and yoga business.
This method offers a standard to fitness clubs and studios looking to hire teachers and it also ensures students that their teacher has in fact been trained. However, even within these guidelines, curriculum varies widely. This can be accounted for in part because of the wide diversity of yoga styles, but the lack in consistency can make it difficult to find a training program that fits a student’s needs. Instituting licensing does not guarantee a standardization of curriculum or more intense regulation in anything other than financial matters.
Potential Benefits for Licensed Programs
There is financial security for both studios and students in participating in bonded institutions. And while this financial blow could potentially close down many small-scale teacher training programs, it also opens the possibility for larger training schools, much like culinary or cosmetology schools. By leveling the field and issuing more accountability, students could find it easier to determine the program that is best for them. Scholarships could be more readily available through government funding.
As it stands right now, it is nearly impossible for a yoga teacher to make a living on teaching classes unless they own a studio. If yoga training schools became vocational institutions, it could force the market to become more refined in what they are looking for in a teacher. This means that competition could lead to better pay and perhaps even benefits for yoga teachers who find employment.
Final Blow or New Opportunity?
For teachers who have already obtained training, the flux of teachers who received training from licensed schools could provide unwanted competition, especially for teachers looking for jobs in more regulated environments such as fitness clubs.
This unfortunately contradicts what many people consider to be the foundations of yoga. The institutionalization of yoga is what many people are reacting against in their protest of teacher training licensing. But while this new evolution of yoga in the west may bring about more challenges to preserving its intention of healing, stress reduction and unity of body, mind and spirit, it may also be a new chapter in the way that the west develops its own style of yoga.
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