Yummy – It’s Turkish. I spent about 3 years when I was a little child in … Tehran (Iran, the country shares a border with Turkey – they are neighbors!) and still remember the tasty cuisine of that region of the world I got to experience, before returning to Japan. I probably love Persian food as a result of my exposure to it at such early age. (surprisingly not spicy as in hot; flavored with spices like Saffron yes, but not salty or spicy hot – quite fragrant and fresh. Then, I was educated … Turkish food is similar but different from Persian food … Something new to learn everyday ! Thank you for this melting pot of a country. Love the diversity, generosity and open-mindedness of American people.)
Enough about food and onto today’s topic …
While some simply ignore the latest developments with Yoga Alliance’s announcement while even a legendary teacher like Judith will straight up make the statement, I am NOT a yoga therapist. She is so humble and wise. So eager to use any words that appeal for marketing purpose, we throw around the term “therapy” easily and freely but … from those actual practicing medical “therapist” who spend way more hours to obtain that credential to be a physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychological/mental therapist, social worker/family therapist, it must be rather annoying to hear someone who trained in teaching yoga for 200 hrs. say, and took couple of workshops or one week “therapy” training will elevate themselves to provide so called, yoga therapy. It’s actually quite a responsibility. To provide yoga therapy means that the provider, that service provider is a “therapist” – is yoga “instructor” a therapist? According to Yoga Alliance, the answer is NO. Unless you are already a therapist, such as a physical therapist, psychiatric therapist providing yoga instructions or you are truly trained in yoga therapy and hopefully (not just be a member but) “certified” yoga therapist.(in this case, then who certified the instructor to become a therapist is the next question…)
Here you go – Click Here.
In a world where the word “therapy” is thrown around very casually with light amusement, like – “shopping therapy”, “chocolate therapy” “forest bathing therapy” “moonshine therapy” “Vitamin D therapy” “Comedy Central Therapy”, pet therapy (this, scientifically proved to be effective!) we may wonder why this policy now? Yet as you read through this latest Yoga Alliance policy, you will understand what it’s really about. It’s for the protection of this practice as it is taught today and protection for the yoga studios so that their business remains clear on what their offerings are. If it’s a therapy, then it’s more a medical field, to be regulated as such; but if it’s not a therapy, then it remains in a more sports/fitness field with less regulation, less intense scrutiny and potential liability. Unless you are already a therapist, such as a physical therapist, teaching yoga or a MD teaching yoga, I would refrain from calling an instructor/teacher a therapist. Is high school teacher a teacher? An instructor? YES, but not a therapist. So in the same vein, a yoga instructor is a teacher, an instructor but NOT A THERAPIST. Or are you a massage therapist maybe? Unless of course she/he is certified to call her/himself that … crazy – all this about semantics but I would have to agree, an appropriate LANGUAGE is so important because that defines what we do and who we are. While when someone is feeling vulnerable and in a dark place, any kindness extended is a form of therapy; but …then what? That does not make the kind one a healer, a professional. The extent of training a professional “therapist” undergoes is … extensive and it should be.
Yoga instructor cures? heals? OR do they teach? It’s the latter. That’s all this policy is saying, is it not? It’s about the teaching. It’s about that, what Judith calls “a craft”.
Therapy – Treatment intended to relieve or heal a disorder.
It’s because I am actually a student of yoga therapy, I am now more careful to use that term indiscriminately for anything that feels good. cookie therapy, cupcake therapy, dance therapy – basically whatever you love to do …sure, but YOGA THERAPY is about working with both Western and Eastern medicine providers, to provide a treatment and a self-care skill as defined by the word, “therapy”. It takes a deep understanding of the human system vis-a-vis yoga teachings. I am humbled by it and thus, appreciate the defined scope, that discourages the indiscriminate use of that T word. It comes with greater sense of responsibility.
This is called the cookie therapy. No policy on this, lol.
