Source: www.nytimes.com
UNITED STATES, July 11, 2009: Ten years ago, in an attempt at self-regulation, US yoga teachers banded together to create a voluntary online registry of schools meeting new standards for training instructors. That list has now become the key document in an attempt by state governments to regulate yoga instruction, and regulators in some states have begun to require licenses for yoga schools that train instructors, with all the concomitant fees, inspections and paperwork.
In April, New York State sent letters to about 80 schools warning them to suspend teacher training programs immediately or risk fines of up to $50,000. But yogis around the state joined in opposition, and the state has, for now, backed down. In other states, regulators were not moved. In March, Michigan gave schools a week to be certified by the state or cease operations. Virginia’s cumbersome licensing rules include a $2,500 fee — a big hit for modest studios that are often little more than one-room storefronts. Lisa Rapp, who owns My Yoga Spirit in Norfolk, Va., said she was closing. “It’s too bad, because this community really needs yoga.”