“More than 16 million Americans practice yoga regularly, and they spend nearly $6 billion a year on yoga classes and products.
But, as Early Show Consumer Correspondent Susan Koeppen reports, a lack of regulation in the yoga industry could be putting you at risk.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of yoga injuries rose from more than 3,700 in 2004 to more than 4,400 in 2006. ”
Comments:
This is a valid perspective that people need to be careful who they are taking yoga from. However, government regulation is certainly not the best solution for this problem. Unfortunately most people in government do not know very much about yoga and it would be difficult for them to be able to decide who is qualified to teach and who does not. I suggest that the yoga industry itself make a stronger push for more consistency in certifications and standards. At present in the yoga community the basic accepted certification level to be a teacher is 200-hrs of training. The 30-min online certification is not recognized in the yoga community that I know. As we better educate people about what the standard certification is, people will be able to make more informed decisions about who to take yoga classes from.
Thanks for the segment, but I feel you missed the point.
Part of yoga is about being more conscious or aware. Maybe that can be part of the experience of doing yoga, becoming truly aware of whether a teacher is good or not. We take it for granted that institutes like ffda and others are looking after the publics best interests but are they? Likewise with any “institution” that accredits a teacher (yoga or otherwise.) Personal experience in teachers and in yoga will guide the way.