Challenging Virginia’s Unconstitutional Regulation of Yoga Teacher Training

To follow-up on a previous post. . .I've really gotten into yoga the past 8 months or so. I have loved going to Little River Yoga Studio and learning to practice Ashtanga yoga. It's been such a blessing that has touched almost all other areas of my life. Only in the DC area could something so peaceful and tranquil become entangled with the stress of politics and regulation (and this statement coming from a government attorney!).

Yesterday, two teachers from Little River Yoga filed a lawsuit against the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV), to stop enforcement of state regulations that purport to regulate yoga teacher-training classes. I've read the brief that the Institute for Justice filed on behalf of the two Little River teachers and another Virginia yoga teacher, and it's crazy - among other requirements, yoga teachers are supposed to submit a "school-plan report" to SCHEV before teaching training classes, create a library for students with prior approval by SCHEV, they would have to maintain records of students applying for admission, a formal process for students to express grievances with the program, instructors must possess a "relevant bachelor's degree in an area related to their area of instruction" or have two years minimum relevant experience (I don't know of a university that offers a BA in yoga), AND, the institution has to pay a $2,500 registration fee with at least $500 every year to maintain their teaching license.

I can see how this type of regulation would be good for large-scale vocational programs, like, say, trade schools. But, seriously, a YOGA program? I guess SCHEV doesn't know that yoga classes are on a much smaller scale than a trade school. For example, I have been in classes with as many as 14 people to as small as JUST ME at Little River Yoga. I can only imagine that the teacher training classes, at least at this studio, are on a similarly small scale.

If you'd like to read more about the case, please visit the Institute for Justice's website at http://www.ij.org. I posted a link to the YouTube video on my Facebook wall, but can't figure out how to post it here. Please take 3 minutes to look at the YouTube video, which you can get to from the Institute for Justice's website (or search "Virginia yoga"), as Little River Yoga would appreciate getting the hits.