Integrated Body Studio

Archive for October, 2009

In the September, 2009, issue of IDEA Fitness Journal, the topic of state licensing for yoga training schools was debated. While I am on the fence as to whether yoga training schools should be licensed, I am firm in my belief that yoga teachers – along with Pilates teachers and personal trainers – should be licensed much in the same way that massage therapists, chiropractors and physical therapists are.
People hire us to train their most precious and personal belonging – their bodies. They come to us because they need guidance and expertise. How many of those who instruct get that expertise is suspect and I don’t think the fitness industry has stepped up and done enough to ensure that potential clients receive at least average care.
An important point to remember here is that pretty much anyone can have a “certification” program; since just about every fitness genre has one, what do they really mean? What are the standards underlying these certifications? Unless all certifications are created equally, they mean nothing. Many instructors themselves don’t seem to value them and only use them to get to the next level whether they write a book, produce DVDs or star in a fitness show. How many of these “experts” continue to maintain their certification status or continue their education?
I also see a serious lack of ethics in our industry. There are Yoga Alliance teachers I know of who teach what they call “Astanga” yoga but as any true Astanga teacher will tell you, the Astanga system is a strict one with a specific syllabus. Unless that syllabus is followed it is not Astanga and should be called Power Yoga. Of course, Power Yoga does not sound as exotic as Astanga, does it? Why in the world would a teacher call it Astanga when it is not?
There is also a popular home exercise DVD series that contains a Yoga DVD. The instructor takes care to tell you that he is not a yoga teacher, but apparently he still feels comfortable offering a Yoga DVD. Why not call one of his DVDs a physical therapy DVD? Because physical therapists are licensed and this guy would risk getting sued for using that term. Legal violations apparently stop people from doing things that just a simple application of ethics and integrity could do so easily. That is very sad and is just one example of how much we value integrity in our industry. No wonder the public doubts us most of the time!
Look around your own neighborhood and see how many Yoga classes are nothing more than stretch classes. I am not saying that every yoga class needs to chant or quote the Sutras but c’mon, yoga was not meant to be just another “butt and abs” class! Considering the way of the world these days, people need a sense of peace, centeredness and a feeling that they have some control over their lives. This is absolutely the juiciest part of yoga.
While state licensing would not be a cure-all for the ills of the fitness industry, I believe it would provide more consumer confidence because licensing would actually mean something – that there were standards set and the instructor met those standards. It would provide some much-needed boundaries that too many instructors – and the fitness industry – do no impose upon themselves.