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Yoga
Certification Home >
Importance of Certification & Registration
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Yoga Teacher Training -
The Importance of
Certification &
Registration |
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Aspirants enquiring
about the right Yoga
Teacher Training
program, invariably want
to know - "Will the Yoga
Teacher Training program
help me teach Yoga in my
country?" OR "Is this an
Internationally valid
certification?"
It is
unfortunate that
participants remain
clueless about the
sanctity of the course,
even though they end up
spending thousands of
dollars! |
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The Truth about Yoga
Teacher Training
Certification: |
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Based on our
research, there are no rules or
regulations in most countries for
being able to teach Yoga. This
includes Western nations like the
US, UK, Canada, the European Union
or even countries like Japan and
Australia.
In short, almost no country has
any regulation governing the
teaching of Yoga. |
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What does this mean for
you? |
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You are welcome to choose a program of your
choice, so long as it offers you a Certificate
of Yoga Teacher. Please Note: It would
seem from the above that the concept of
"International" Certification is a myth and
there is no relevance to the concept of seeking
"International" Certification. |
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Yoga Alliance, IYF, BWY
and Others |
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So, where do Yoga Alliance,
the International Yoga Federation (IYF), BWY and
other smaller bodies offering Yoga Standards
come in?
These bodies are self-created
Registries that have devised standards for Yoga
teachers. Being registered with them implies
that as a teacher or school, you meet the
standards of yoga teaching as devised by them.
Please Note: These
Registries are independent bodies and it is NOT
mandatory to be registered with them to teach in
their countries or any country for that matter.
Unfortunately, an impression seems to have
gone around that it is necessary to be on their
registries to teach. This is simply NOT true.
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So, is it Useless
being on these
Registries? |
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Not so. Whatever be the
motivation for creating standards, the fact is
that these Registries are an attempt to bring
some "method in the madness" of Yoga teaching
even though the criteria and method employed to
determine this is debatable.
Indeed, several yoga teachers
– especially the senior and experienced ones –
argue the very need for the method as espoused
by these registries. They argue that yoga is to
be taught as a lineage; as a kind of hand me
down from Master to student.
Nevertheless, the fact is that being on these
Registries can be useful in several respects. |
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Benefits of being
Registered |
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Increased Job
Opportunities: Several (not all) Studios
insist on a teacher being registered as a
prerequisite for the job on offer.
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Guarantee of
"Authenticity": In the absence of any
alternative methods of evaluation,
prospective students have only such
"authenticity" stamps to base their
decisions on which class to join.
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Better "Business"
Prospects: When teachers on such
registries start their own Teacher Training
programs, their students are automatically
entitled to receive a "registered" teacher
status without much additional effort. This
push-effect dramatically increases the
prospects of getting more students for the
Teacher Training Course.
We, ourselves, have witnessed a dramatic
increase in student enrollment for
Registered Courses on HealthAndYoga as
opposed to non-registered ones.
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Future of Yoga:
Much as some may dislike, many of these
Registries are trying to influence
Government and Professional bodies to
recognize their standards as the minimum
requirements for Yoga teaching eligibility.
In the absence of any alternatives, coupled
with the enthusiasm of Registries to push
their case, it seems that authorities would
succumb in the interest of the safety of
their citizens. So, perhaps joining these
registries may be beneficial.
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Disadvantages & Caveats: |
As every action results in both, positive and
negative reactions, so too the following caveats
may be in order:
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Expensive: It is believed that
many Registered Schools & teachers charge
unreasonable and exorbitant fees for the
"badge" that they hold. Innocent and
uninformed students, expecting the "badge"
to be everything get ripped off without
reaping any commensurate returns in the
future.
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Exploitation: There are also
reports of such schools having teachers "for
Free" and students complying to meet the
requirement of adequate teaching hours
experience.
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Poor Instruction: Ironically,
these Registries are encouraging the
spawning of "teachers-on-paper". This is the
very opposite of what was intended. Many of
the senior teachers, teaching far before
these registries even came into being,
refuse to acknowledge, leave alone become a
member of them. On the other hand, young,
relatively inexperienced, professional and
tech savvy enough to manage paperwork, are
increasingly making it to the Registries.
This is a dangerous trend in which the
innocent student can suffer greatly.
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Conclusion: |
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It would seem the best option for aspiring Yoga
teachers would depend upon their motivation for
the same – If the intention is
solely to become a great teacher with deep
knowledge of the subject, then there is no need
to learn through affiliated schools. In fact,
some of the best yoga institutions and schools
are not affiliated nor do they consider it
worthwhile to be affiliated to these Registries.
In such case, it is best to
rely on own research and word-of-mouth, which to
date remains the best method of evaluation (in
the true spirit of yoga tradition).
Alternatively, one can seek
out websites offering some kind of rating of
Yoga Teacher Training programs independent of
their affiliations.
If, however, one is guided by
concerns of making a better living (read, money)
then enrolling with schools that are registered
can be an advantage, subject to the caveats
dealt with earlier. |
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