Virginia is now requiring Yoga studio's that train future yoga teachers to be licensed by the state. The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia says Virginia code requires them to certify and license the Yoga schools because they teach someone a vocation. In other words, the Yoga schools are considered to be schools of higher learning.
The move came as a shock to many Yoga schools. The certification process can cost up to $2,500 per school and the argument is many schools rely on the education dollars to stay afloat.
"The smaller schools that do teacher training and depend on that income to keep their doors open will suffer," Ann Richardson, owner of Studio Bamboo Institute of Yoga in Virginia Beach, said.
After eight years of business, "My Yoga Spirit" in Norfolk is closing its doors. The owner told Newschannel 3 and The New York Times and she can't afford to be certified by the state. She also said she believes she won't be the last yoga studio to be forced out of business because of the costly new regulations.
"You wonder," Richardson said, "You certainly wonder if there's an ulterior motive for the state or government in general to make more income. In my opinion, $2,500 is a lot of money."
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia says it's in no way looking to make extra money. A spokesperson says it's requiring the yoga schools to be licensed by the end of the year to protect students, end of story. SCHEV says Virginia Code requires that all vocational schools be licensed and regulated by the state. Massage schools, nail salons and even dog grooming schools fall under the same guidelines.
A letter from SCHEV explaining the Yoga regulations is below.
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In December 2008, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) contacted a number of yoga centers concerning the requirement of certification, upon discovering that these centers were offering vocational training programs. This requirement is premised on the fact that these facilities are offering programs that purport to train yoga teachers, which is a postsecondary education activity, pursuant to 8 VAC 40-31-10. Yoga classes for the general public are not subject to certification, as they are avocational and are not intended to prepare a student for actual or potential employment.
These schools advertise themselves as offering programs that explicitly purport to train teachers of yoga. These programs typically display the following characteristics:
200-500 total hours of instruction and practicum; 20-35 hours of anatomy and physiology; 25-30 hours of teaching methodology; Program graduates are asserted to be prepared to instruct others in the art of yoga and to become registered by the Yoga Alliance, a national non-profit organization that sets standards, fosters integrity, provides resources, and upholds the teachings of yoga.
The presence of the above components, among others, in a postsecondary program is indicative of vocational training, which SCHEV is obliged to regulate, pursuant to ยง23-276.4 of the Code of Virginia. The Office of the Attorney General has confirmed SCHEV's interpretation of the Virginia Administrative Code.
There are approximately 26 facilities in Virginia that offer yoga teacher training programs. Each school has been notified of the requirement for certification. Although SCHEV usually requires schools operating without certification to begin the process within 30 days of our contact, we have afforded these schools an extension until December 31, 2009. Schools must come into compliance by certifying by this date or cease offering the teacher training programs.
These notifications have been motivated solely by relevant provisions of the Virginia Administrative Code, which requires SCHEV to ensure that all postsecondary education offered in Virginia, with the exception of specific categories of exemption, be regulated to meet minimum academic standards and provide certain protections for students.
The move came as a shock to many Yoga schools. The certification process can cost up to $2,500 per school and the argument is many schools rely on the education dollars to stay afloat.
"The smaller schools that do teacher training and depend on that income to keep their doors open will suffer," Ann Richardson, owner of Studio Bamboo Institute of Yoga in Virginia Beach, said.
After eight years of business, "My Yoga Spirit" in Norfolk is closing its doors. The owner told Newschannel 3 and The New York Times and she can't afford to be certified by the state. She also said she believes she won't be the last yoga studio to be forced out of business because of the costly new regulations.
"You wonder," Richardson said, "You certainly wonder if there's an ulterior motive for the state or government in general to make more income. In my opinion, $2,500 is a lot of money."
The State Council of Higher Education for Virginia says it's in no way looking to make extra money. A spokesperson says it's requiring the yoga schools to be licensed by the end of the year to protect students, end of story. SCHEV says Virginia Code requires that all vocational schools be licensed and regulated by the state. Massage schools, nail salons and even dog grooming schools fall under the same guidelines.
A letter from SCHEV explaining the Yoga regulations is below.
------------------------------------
In December 2008, the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia (SCHEV) contacted a number of yoga centers concerning the requirement of certification, upon discovering that these centers were offering vocational training programs. This requirement is premised on the fact that these facilities are offering programs that purport to train yoga teachers, which is a postsecondary education activity, pursuant to 8 VAC 40-31-10. Yoga classes for the general public are not subject to certification, as they are avocational and are not intended to prepare a student for actual or potential employment.
These schools advertise themselves as offering programs that explicitly purport to train teachers of yoga. These programs typically display the following characteristics:
200-500 total hours of instruction and practicum; 20-35 hours of anatomy and physiology; 25-30 hours of teaching methodology; Program graduates are asserted to be prepared to instruct others in the art of yoga and to become registered by the Yoga Alliance, a national non-profit organization that sets standards, fosters integrity, provides resources, and upholds the teachings of yoga.
The presence of the above components, among others, in a postsecondary program is indicative of vocational training, which SCHEV is obliged to regulate, pursuant to ยง23-276.4 of the Code of Virginia. The Office of the Attorney General has confirmed SCHEV's interpretation of the Virginia Administrative Code.
There are approximately 26 facilities in Virginia that offer yoga teacher training programs. Each school has been notified of the requirement for certification. Although SCHEV usually requires schools operating without certification to begin the process within 30 days of our contact, we have afforded these schools an extension until December 31, 2009. Schools must come into compliance by certifying by this date or cease offering the teacher training programs.
These notifications have been motivated solely by relevant provisions of the Virginia Administrative Code, which requires SCHEV to ensure that all postsecondary education offered in Virginia, with the exception of specific categories of exemption, be regulated to meet minimum academic standards and provide certain protections for students.
