Scoliosis and Why I'm not Yoga Alliance Certified

Why I'm not Yoga Alliance Certified

While I was riding my bike this morning spirit guided me to write this for my blog. I think this is an important topic because people might wonder why I do not have the E-RYT 500 credential by my name.

I started training and teaching yoga 25 years ago. I was already and nationally certified fitness instructor with several fitness certifications. The most well-known is the ACSM (American Counsel of Sports Medicine) fitness instructor certification. I worked really hard studying and training for all of my fitness certifications and had already been working as a fitness professional for 10 years before I started my career in yoga.

When elite sports clubs started to offer yoga, there was no one to cover for their classes if the instructor couldn't make the class. So a TriYoga instructor trained me to help her when she needed a sub and then she eventually asked me to take over the class. I enjoyed yoga so much that I continued training in Iyengar, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Bikram, Yin, Restorative, Yoga for Cancer and Breast Cancer, Viniyoga, Krishnamacharya Yoga, Paramahansa Yogananda, Kundalini, Sivananda, Yoga Tune-up and more. I started teaching 25 years ago and have had a successful and happy career. I do not stick with one school of yoga but I teach mostly from the styles of Krishnamacharya and his students. I also enjoy Bikram and Yin.

I have been asked to do teacher training but for some reason I never felt a calling for it. I have taught private teacher trainings to other fitness instructors and they were able to use my training as continuing education. I think the reason is because yoga teacher training is quite a business. Because it is difficult to make very much money teaching classes and it is easy to get depleted of energy (instructor burn-out), many seasoned yoga teachers go into the business of teacher training and trying to run studios. This was not where my path was to be. I enjoy being more of a service provider than running a business. I enjoy doing healing work and training people in energy therapy. Getting back to Yoga Alliance.

Yoga Alliance started to become a popular organization about 10 years after I was already teaching yoga for private clients and group classes. I don't think Yoga Alliance is bad for yoga but I did not feel attracted to get involved unless I wanted to certify and train instructors. There are many international organizations such as the Yoga of Krishnamacharya (which I received my certificate in India) that have no interest in being involved with Yoga Alliance either. I do feel like it's a little disturbing that Yoga Alliance has become a monopoly for instructors to get Certified through. It seems like more people are more concerned about Yoga Alliance certification than what yoga schools you were trained in and how much you can work with other people's bodies. I can always tell a good long-term yoga teacher because they can spot anyone in class and know how to work with them. From an advanced fit individual, to an injured person, an out of shape person, a person with a spine condition, etc. For example, I have a double curve in my back, or double Scoliosis. It is really rare to find any Yoga instructor, or any other medical professional to see and realize that I have a back condition. Even though I have had an X-Ray of my spine showing a curve when I was a teenager with back pain, the doctors thought the curve was due to my pain. It was my gymnastic coach that noticed something was unusual about my back but no one ever treated it and since I always exercised it never bothered me. I have seen so many Osteopathic doctors, Chiropractors and Physical Therapist, and not one diagnosed my condition. A double curve in my spine! Finally, I diagnosed it myself. I knew it right away after watching "Yoga for Scoliosis" with Elise Browning Miller, a senior Iyengar yoga instructor. This was at AGE 50!! When I went to my Osteopathic Doctor for body work, I said, "I have a double curve in my back right?" He said said,"Yes, you do!!" He then pointed out where they were on my back. From what I understand from looking at her website, Elise is not a Yoga Alliance Certified instructor and she conducts teacher training without Yoga Alliance Certification. So I think that when you have been teaching yoga and fitness as long as I have, it's more of a matter of choice than necessity regarding Yoga Alliance. If I was just getting into teaching yoga now, Yoga Alliance would be a natural part of my training.