When or if, you want to become a Yoga teacher - would you be thinking of litigation and Yoga? The old saying, ?the truth hurts,? applies to legality, ethics, and teaching Yoga. You can always ?bury your head in the sand? and hope that you are never involved in a legal battle. After all, what kind of a student would sue his or her Yoga teacher? Doctors must ask each other this question every day. Sorry, but denial will not help you in a court of law.
Instead of denying the obvious, you can take action, by learning how the law applies to your Yoga business. You can also start creating policies that protect your students, and insure that you are giving quality Yoga instruction for the rest of your life.
It has been said that ?Knowledge is Power,? and this could never be more true than when it comes down to knowing the ?Letter of the Law.? Just like when a Yoga student first learns to develop his or her awareness from Yoga and meditation practice - Yoga teachers must develop an awareness of legality, as it pertains to their Yoga businesses.
For the average Yoga teacher, the thought of litigation, as a result of a student entering his or her Yoga class, is depressing. Many Yoga teachers and interns pursue the rewarding career of teaching Yoga as ?Good Samaritans.? Yoga teachers are very often generous with their time, effort, and services.
It is ?heartbreaking? for me to tell ?giving people,? with the best of intentions, that they can be sued at any time. In this climate of litigation, anyone, even a Yoga teacher, can have a lawsuit filed against them. Defending yourself, in a court of law, can and does, create physical, spiritual, mental, and financial exhaustion.
As a result of this reality, this requires protective action on the part of all Yoga teachers. Look at this as a prevention program and a compliment to your current liability insurance policy. ?I didn?t know,? will not save any of us from the wrath of the law.
Review your liability insurance and your release forms. Most Yoga teachers should have their attorney review their release forms. The days of a simple one page waiver form are over. A documented health questionnaire may help you to prevent a sudden legal catastrophe. This is not required, but serves as a tangible document to know each Yoga student a little better.
Just remember that a potential Yoga student has the legal right to refuse to fill out a questionnaire, if they so desire. This does leave you ?flying blind,? when teaching Yoga classes to students whose current health condition is a mystery.
Therefore, always mention contraindications for asanas. It would be prudent to have an information packet, with contraindications, and prenatal warnings included. You could also include a slip for Yoga students to sign, which indicates that they have read, and understand, that Yoga can be a risk for some health conditions.
Lastly, it is better to lose a potential Yoga student, than to teach one at the risk of his or her health.
? Copyright 2006 ? Paul Jerard / Aura Publications
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Showing posts with label Best Of Intentions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Best Of Intentions. Show all posts
February 25, 2009
February 23, 2009
Practice Yoga with the Best of Intentions
Of course, you practice Yoga with the best of intentions. Now, your thinking, doesn?t everyone practice, learn, and teach Yoga with the best of intentions? In a few words: No, they do not.
Some Yoga teachers over-step their boundaries. We have Yoga students who were abused verbally and physically, before they came here. Some were picked on for being overweight, insulted for their lack of flexibility, and one of my current students had her back jumped on by her former Yoga instructor, while holding Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). By the way, this student had told this Yoga teacher, she had back problems, before she took her first Yoga class.
We?ve all heard stories of different cases of abuse, by anyone in authority. The problem is not the training ? it?s the inherent lack of common sense and compassion. Most people grow into a Yoga teaching position just fine, while a rare few develop ?petty dictator syndrome.?
It?s amazing what people will justify, and then, insist their acts were done with the best of intentions. My Grandfather used to say, ?Hell was made with good intent.? Ponder that for a while, and you will come up with many ideas.
If you think of the worst atrocities known to man, you will find someone who can justify them. Do you think Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Hitler, and Stalin thought they were wrong? They would all justify their intentions.
Now, on a much smaller scale, going into your Yoga class, with a competitive mind-set, is not the best of intentions. You will eventually injure yourself. All of us age, and we will not get the same results, from our body, every day. Your body is not a machine and if it were, a machine would show signs of wear too.
A competitive mind-set will bolster your ego and that has nothing to do with Yoga. Your mind, body, and spirit cannot become healthy, when your ego is in ?the driver?s seat.? There is no tranquility, harmony, peace, mindfulness, or loving kindness within the ego. To the ego everything is a perceived threat, to its existence.
Leave your ego at the door, with your shoes, before going into Yoga class. When you practice Yoga, savor each lesson, and take it out into the world, for practice. When you leave the ashram or Yoga studio, practice is applying what you learn to real life. So, it does not end, when you roll up your Yoga mat.
Be courteous to everyone all the time. You are projecting loving kindness and being mindful of life in the present, and practicing the unity of mind, body, and spirit.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Some Yoga teachers over-step their boundaries. We have Yoga students who were abused verbally and physically, before they came here. Some were picked on for being overweight, insulted for their lack of flexibility, and one of my current students had her back jumped on by her former Yoga instructor, while holding Downward-Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana). By the way, this student had told this Yoga teacher, she had back problems, before she took her first Yoga class.
We?ve all heard stories of different cases of abuse, by anyone in authority. The problem is not the training ? it?s the inherent lack of common sense and compassion. Most people grow into a Yoga teaching position just fine, while a rare few develop ?petty dictator syndrome.?
It?s amazing what people will justify, and then, insist their acts were done with the best of intentions. My Grandfather used to say, ?Hell was made with good intent.? Ponder that for a while, and you will come up with many ideas.
If you think of the worst atrocities known to man, you will find someone who can justify them. Do you think Idi Amin, Pol Pot, Hitler, and Stalin thought they were wrong? They would all justify their intentions.
Now, on a much smaller scale, going into your Yoga class, with a competitive mind-set, is not the best of intentions. You will eventually injure yourself. All of us age, and we will not get the same results, from our body, every day. Your body is not a machine and if it were, a machine would show signs of wear too.
A competitive mind-set will bolster your ego and that has nothing to do with Yoga. Your mind, body, and spirit cannot become healthy, when your ego is in ?the driver?s seat.? There is no tranquility, harmony, peace, mindfulness, or loving kindness within the ego. To the ego everything is a perceived threat, to its existence.
Leave your ego at the door, with your shoes, before going into Yoga class. When you practice Yoga, savor each lesson, and take it out into the world, for practice. When you leave the ashram or Yoga studio, practice is applying what you learn to real life. So, it does not end, when you roll up your Yoga mat.
Be courteous to everyone all the time. You are projecting loving kindness and being mindful of life in the present, and practicing the unity of mind, body, and spirit.
Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame. He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
