In the mid 1990s, the yoga world faced a similarly fractions issue. To the great agitation of many longtime yogis, the training of teachers had be gun to range from weekend Internet correspondence courses to years of intensive study. The notion of national certification standards arose, and Yoga Alliance, a group honoring all styles, was formed to create them. It developed a Registered Yoga Teacher list in 1999; being listed on it is by no means mandatory for offering classes, but more than 6,000 teachers currently are.
It’s not surprising that Yoga Alliance is now exploring the idea of a national ethics code. Schools and organizations seeking registry with the group have always had to supply their own codes of ethics. Yoga Alliance president Hansa (who goes by one name) say a committee has begun to review those codes with an eye toward developing one that would act as a general guideline but wouldn’t supercede any existing codes.
Whether or not this effort results in a national code, the attempt if illuminating the challenges inherent in reaching an agreement about ethical principles. For example, on of the more than two dozen codes the alliance is reviewing mentions ahimsa and advises teachers to follow a vegetarian diet so as not to engage in any harming actions. But not everyone interprets ahimsa as requiring one to be vegetarian. Hansa says, “these are the things we need to think about.”
ref: yogajournal
