The article by Patricia Kearney appearing in the December 2009 (pp. 11-15) issue of Yoga Therapy Today offers an excellent overview of licensing requirements for 21 states for yoga teacher programs and analyzes the ways the licensing regulations are affecting yoga training schools. As she points out, "opinions within the Yoga community vary as to whether licensing is good and appropriate for Yoga teacher training (YTT) schools."
Most helpful is the chart listing for each of the 21 states the regulatory body overseeing the licensing as well as contact information for those seeking licensing information. The regulatory entity varies greatly from state to state suggesting some states may not be clear about what they are regulating. The chart also lists for each state the application and renewal fees, surety bonds required, other fees, and if allowed to train current students during the application process. Fees and surety bond amounts vary widely from state to state.
For anyone interested in the current state of licensing of yoga teaching training, this is an invaluable report. For additional information, the author's email and phone number are at the end of the text. See also, the author's blog on this research: http://yogarequirements.wordpress.com/impact-of-state-laws-on-yoga-teacher-training-programsqualititative-data-collection/ Photo credit: LocalFitness.com.au
