Guest guest Posted October 29, 2008 Report Share Posted October 29, 2008 In the state of Florida and some other states, Massage Therapists are required to be licensed, for the protection of the clients (partly for protecting from injuries and partly for weeding out seedy prostitution from its relationship to massage in the earlier part of the last century). I am an LMT and I usually prefer to get my massages from Licensed professionals because they are more likely to know what they are doing, at least here in FL. I can see a benefit to yoga teachers being licensed. It may weed out those who are inadequately trained. As an LMT I worked on 3 people in Orlando in a short period of time who all sustained the same injury at a bikram yoga class. All 3 of my clients had an injury to the psoas (aka the hip flexor) causing lower back pain near the SI joints and lumbar spine. I can no longer remember if these people were doing a double leg lift move, or a sit up coming from flat on their backs to straight up (it was 7 years ago and is now hard to recall). A responsible, knowledgeable, and/or well-trained yoga teacher would have shown them how to do it right, perhaps telling them how to tighten their core muscles first, etc. My point is that some licensing requirements, depending what they are, could help prevent students being injured. I don't feel very strongly about licensing, and I don't want to jump through any new hoops to continue my Kundalini teaching, but I just thought I'd point out this thought... Guru Beant Kaur Bridget Kamke, LMT Kundalini Yoga Teacher Licensed Massage Therapist Children's Book Author www.infinipede.com ___________ Free quote and debt consolidation information. Click Here. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2111/fc/Ioyw6iifR5c9dMc3qHV6KJg0w7Mi9GbPvhsM\ DCAKExG65hG3IB9LKl/?count=1234567890 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2008 Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Sat Nam, As with everything, there are good sides and not-so-good ones. Licensing would undoubtedly provide a standard for all yoga teachers, which is to the benefit of the yoga student, as you've pointed out as a LMT. My concern with this licensing is that there's already an accreditation organization we know as " Yoga Alliance " any well- respected yoga studio would hire teachers that have received this accreditation. Also, Yoga Alliance currently requires its teachers to have received 200 hours of training, but New Jersey would now require 300 hours of training--if the legislation does go through, what does that mean for current Yoga Alliance-certified teachers? Sat Nam, Nadh Singh Kundalini-Yoga , " Bridget GuruBeant Kamke " <infinipede wrote: > > In the state of Florida and some other states, Massage Therapists are required to be licensed, for the protection of the clients (partly for protecting from injuries and partly for weeding out seedy prostitution from its relationship to massage in the earlier part of the last century). I am an LMT and I usually prefer to get my massages from Licensed professionals because they are more likely to know what they are doing, at least here in FL. > I can see a benefit to yoga teachers being licensed. It may weed out those who are inadequately trained. As an LMT I worked on 3 people in Orlando in a short period of time who all sustained the same injury at a bikram yoga class. All 3 of my clients had an injury to the psoas (aka the hip flexor) causing lower back pain near the SI joints and lumbar spine. I can no longer remember if these people were doing a double leg lift move, or a sit up coming from flat on their backs to straight up (it was 7 years ago and is now hard to recall). A responsible, knowledgeable, and/or well-trained yoga teacher would have shown them how to do it right, perhaps telling them how to tighten their core muscles first, etc. My point is that some licensing requirements, depending what they are, could help prevent students being injured. I don't feel very strongly about licensing, and I don't want to jump through any new hoops to continue my Kundalini teaching, but I just thought I'd point out this thought... > > Guru Beant Kaur > Bridget Kamke, LMT > Kundalini Yoga Teacher > Licensed Massage Therapist > Children's Book Author > www.infinipede.com > ___________ > Free quote and debt consolidation information. Click Here. > http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2111/fc/Ioyw6iifR5c9dMc3qHV6KJg0w7 Mi9GbPvhsMDCAKExG65hG3IB9LKl/?count=1234567890 > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 1, 2008 Report Share Posted November 1, 2008 According to the bill being positioned now in New Jersey you would have spend the time and money needed to acquire one hundred additional hours of training and pass an additonal exam.To put this in perspective if you are a Kundalini Yoga Teacher Level One you would have to take at least two units of Teacher Training Two which would cost about $1800.00 and take about twelve days to complete and pass two more IKYTA approved tests. I am sure that if the bill passes the state will then create a state licensing test that will cost additonal money and work to prepare for. I am not certain if you could combine certifications if you had a personal training certification for example to get to the 300 hour level. It is my understanding that Yogi Bhajan himself was once almost sued for injuring a student and from that time onward recommended that teachers of Kundalini yoga never do "hands-on" adjustments. I feel that this avoids many of the issues experienced by practitioners of other types of yoga. In addition the fact that most of the poses are to done with the eyes closed and attention drawn inward helps to keep the ego from engaging and forcing the body to go beyond it's safe limits. Although it seems obvious that more training might protect students there are many rigorous schools of yoga that demand long residential programs and have pretty high injury rates. It really depends upon the indidual teachers ability to show modifications and to caution students to really listen to their inner knowing that prevents injury. I am deeply opposed to the state coming in to the process of teaching yoga as it will end up being another set of expensive and innane restrictions similar to those experienced by the unfortunate students and teachers in public school all across the nation who are forced to comply with the ever-changing nuances of "No Child Left Behind",Who would police the studios to make certain that they were in compliance? Perhaps they could create the Yoga Police to make certain that all studios were in complete complience? How would guest teachers from other states be treated? Or international teachers for that matter? No doubt studio owners would have to file long forms on each teacher even if they were subbing.Since even small studios have many classes and teachers this becomes a pretty sticky wicket. As those of you who are currently studion owners will attest to, there is already plenty of work involved. To add another layer of paperwork and expense could drive a small studio right out of business. No doubt these restrictions are being generated from the huge health club chains who have the staffing to deal with issues of this nature who will then be able to scoop up students whose studios have gone out of business. Yogi Bhajan, and all of the most famous yogis who came to this country over the last fifty years were not certified. If they came today and this bill had passed they would not be able to teach in New Jersey, I hope this sheds some light on the question. Love and Light Jane Bentley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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