Regulation Alert: Yoga Instructors Up In Arms Standing On Heads

Conceive it and the government will regulate, fine and tax it. It isn't like they bother people in airports, or anything. Where have all the Hare Krishnas gone, anyway? Or is it that I haven't been flying as much in recent years? More at Cato at Liberty.

Citing laws that govern vocational schools, like those for hairdressers and truck drivers, regulators have begun to require licenses for yoga schools that train instructors, with all the fees, inspections and paperwork that entails. While confrontations have played out differently in different states, threats of shutdowns and fines have, in some cases, been met with accusations of power grabs and religious infringement — disputes that seem far removed from the meditative world yoga calls to mind.

In April, New York State sent letters to about 80 schools to warn them to suspend teacher training programs immediately or risk fines of up to $50,000 — prompting yogis around the state to join in opposition, and, apparently, to persuade the state to back down.

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” in the process…

“If you’re going to start a school and take people’s money, you should play by a set of rules,” said Patrick Sweeney, a Wisconsin licensing official, who believes that in 2004 he was the first state official to discover the online registry and use it to begin regulating yoga teaching.

Comments

[jaime]

How dare the evil liberal government regulate the yoga industry's practices so that students aren't injured by unqualified quacks.

Yoga is a form of physical therapy and very dangerous if practiced incorrectly. Are you going to rail against the government's licensing of doctor's and physical therapists next?

[Any]

"Yoga is a form of physical therapy and very dangerous if practiced incorrectly."

Any decent links for "very dangerous yoga accidents stats", or is this a link free spout? Which could be seen as a dangerous form of self practicing psychiatric therapy. It certainly has no proven benefits, do you have a license for that?

Like a billion others (see India, Far East) I've done yoga and survived(there are 1000s of dvds out there, Rodney Yee Rocks!, and have been for years) as well as climbed trees, biked, jogged,dodgeball, football etc. Are you going after those next? Please keep mindless, thieving bureaucrats out of this.

"Excuse me Sir, are you licensed to give instruction on the Downward Facing Dog, Upward Facing Dog, Sun Salutation sequence?" Sure.

[Dan Riehl]

What'samatter, Any?Don'tyou wantto help ferret out those evil, unscrupulous Yogis??

This is just government looking for another stupid way to build its power. Pretty pathetic. But then, they are already half way to regulating how we breathe with Climate Change nonsense.

[Any]

Don'tyou wantto help ferret out those evil, unscrupulous Yogis??

The bane of my existence! Darn them to Hec!

[Any]

And BTW, where was my government licensed "get me outta bed in the am" instructor this morning? Am I supposed to figure that out for myself? Maybe I've been doin it wrong for years and that is not a risk I'm willing to take anymore!

[13yankeebravo]

"I am from the government, and I am here to help you" the 12 scareist words in the english language. RWR.

[Jaime]

"1000s of dvds out there"

I guess you watched Shakespeare in Love and consider yourself a Shakespeare scholar as well. Moron.

[PA]

"very dangerous if practiced incorrectly."

So dangerous in fact, I'm hearing of bootleg Yoga fatalities almost every day on the nightly news these days.

[Philip McDaniel]

"I guess you watched Shakespeare in Love and consider yourself a Shakespeare scholar as well. Moron."

How about you, Jaime boy,... are you a Yoga Instructor? Are you an expert in Yoga? Do you even know what you are talking about or are you just spouting off in your typical leftist, moronic way?

[syn]

"Yoga is a form of physical therapy"

Yoga is a quasi-spiritual practice designed to loosen the body so that self-indulgent narcissists can sit in one position for endless hours Ohming their self-divine peace, love and understanding.

I used to do Yoga until one day I ask the Yogi if Yoga was so full of peace, love and understanding how come Yogis never go on retreat to places like say, Darfur to Ohm peace, love and understanding, man?

As for physical therapy, in order to achieve a loose body Yoga tears the joints and muscles to shreds.

[Gary Ogletree]

Syn needs to get his money back, he got Hatha Yoga when he wanted Karma Yoga. And what about stretching exercises before dance classes? I'm counting on Obama to come up with a Dance Czar to regulate and tax that. And there's no telling how much regulation is needed for Jazz and Rhythm and Blues. It's a scandal that live performances have yet to produce their fair share of revenue.

[yoga mat bags]

A license doesn't make a good yoga instructor

[MGA]

Guys, you're missing the point. It's not about control. It's about revenue.

Control is just the excuse.

[Rob Crawford]

'How dare the evil liberal government regulate the yoga industry's practices so that students aren't injured by unqualified quacks.'

How dare we expect people to take responsibility for their own safety!

Lefties -- children who insist everyone else must ALSO be a child.