Some background on the above video:
For my first post, I wanted to talk about something that is near and dear to my heart but also provides me (and many in the yoga community) with plenty of conversation, division and hopefully acceptance at the changing pace of our healthcare and ideas of well-being.
Though the video above is short - edited just enough for people's attention spans, it leaves out quite a bit of the conversation. It's clear that I have mixed feelings about the title "Yoga Therapist" versus "Yoga Teacher" but what is unclear in the video is how I arrived at some of those feelings.
What I think we have to look at is the term "therapy" and its meanings. For many of us that lean towards Eastern philosophies and medicinal practices, something as simple as a bath or a walk outside can be therapeutic. The concept of what is deemed "therapeutic" is less structured and less regulated from the outside. More traditional views of therapy suggest a diagnosis and treatment of a particular ailment, be it physical or mental. This traditional view usually comes along with a certain structure / protocol as well as governing bodies that regulate, certify and license its members.
And while yoga therapists do now have an official regulating body for their certifications - the International Association of Yoga Therapists or IAYT, there are plenty of amazing yoga teachers out there who fulfill and even surpass the organization's definition of yoga therapy: "the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga." Teachers and yoga therapists that truly practice what they preach, continually study and deeply live their yoga exist both in and out of the IAYT affiliation. This holds true for the other side: teachers / therapists that are lazy, lack accountability and rarely keep up with a self practice exist both in and out of the organization.
If we are to analyze from the outside (meaning we are neither the teacher/therapist or the student/client) then we have to objectively look at the goal of the practice or session. Ultimately, the decision on what is deemed therapeutic - what moves the student/client towards improved well-being should be left up to the teacher and the student.
Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below.
I have also included some links for further reading.
- Dani
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