Barbara Stoller Miller, in her book "Yoga, Discipline of Freedom" translates "The aim of yoga is to eliminate the control that material nature exerts over the human spirit, and to rediscover through introspective practice a state of perfect equilibrium and absolute spiritual calm."

For centuries, in India, a spiritual seeker would approach a teacher with an offering of "fuel in hand" indicating a desire to submit to the fire of alchemy. If accepted, the student would come to live and serve in the presence of the master. Before a student would ever see an asana (physical pose), he demonstrated commitment, discipline, and an understanding of the moral and ethical observances of the spiritual path. Bowing before the teachings, each student demonstrates humility and respect for the many masters who have gone before. In the East an individual does not presume to be a teacher in training. To study yoga is itself an honor.

"Obstacles" such as geographic proximity insured that only committed students would be trained. Within the caste system, yoga was not intended to be taught universally. It was reserved for a select group.

The Hindu word for "student" is "chela", which also means "servant". A student of yoga is obliged to lead a chaste life, and to revere the teacher and the teachings. The teacher is respected as an authority who has both the obligation and the skills to challenge the ego and to purify the personality of the student.

History of the Yoga Profession

Traditionally, teacher training in this country has been either under the guidance on one's teacher, or through an ashram, yoga school, or spiritual community. Experienced yoga practitioners who have a foundation of knowledge, mastery and experience will study in small groups with their teacher for the purpose of deepening their understanding of yoga. Teaching emerges as a natural extension of one's devotion, as a dharma, under the guidance of a teacher and in the support of a community.

Students who attend teacher programs at an ashram are expected to come into the training already knowing the form or style that is being studied. The ashram maintains a relationship with its graduates through advanced training, correspondence, and community.

Very often, students are expected to spend 2-3 years actively teaching before returning for advanced trainings, sometimes under the direct supervision of a mentor. Intensive specialties such as pre-natal and cardiac care programs may only be attended by experienced practitioners.

A national recommendation has been established by the interdisciplinary Yoga Alliance. Presuming that teacher candidates will have studied yoga for several years, most lineages now require at least 200 hours of training to teach hatha yoga at the beginner level. Most yoga teachers study continuously, and many hold credentials in multiple traditions.

The European Union of Yoga requires two years of yoga practice before application can be made to the four year teacher training program. In Finland, eight years of training is required for initial yoga teacher training.

Recent Developments in the U.S.

An American approach to mortality and disease is to design education programs for mass dispersal to the public. For example, efforts by the American Red Cross and the American Heart Association have diminished the death rate from sudden heart attacks. CPR can be learned in 4-8 hours. Certification is accessible and convenient and is taught by qualified instructors who can help students to learn a specific technique in a limited amount of time.

It is clear that this Western approach has decreased the mortality rate. The strategy of training a large number of people in a limited amount of time to impart a specific method or technique has been applied in many arenas.

Is this an appropriate approach for yoga?

Due to market forces, the increased demand for yoga teachers is being addressed by eradicating the distinction between student and teacher.

The American Aerobic Association International/ International Sports Medicine Association teaches an instant "Yoga Certification" in 16 hours over the course of one week-end.

Yoga teacher training programs are emerging that do not operate on the basis of relationship and community. Revolving door programs that move about the country certifying large numbers of teachers in a minimal amount of time do not have the commitment to develop a teacher's skills over time.

These programs have been established to provide the quickest fastest cheapest way to obtain "credentials" in response to consumer demand. There is an underlying assumption that proficiency in a limited number of poses translates directly into teaching expertise. These programs operate on the belief that yoga is an intellectual endeavor, not a practice, and absolve themselves of any responsibility beyond issuing a certificate. An operating premise is that many Americans are not interested in the spiritual aspects of the practice, and only want to focus on the physical body.

Values Clarification

The mass culture has embraced this limited version of the physical aspects of yoga. Without self-awareness, and in the presence of an untrained teacher, a student can become completely lost in the fluctuations of the mind while engaged in asanas. The poses can be mis-used either as a platform for self-rejection, competition, or comparison, or they can be mis-used as a vehicle for gratifying the ego. Enhancing the sense of self through the body is a Western construct.

Our market-based culture routinely ascribes authority beyond one's level of expertise. A football player offers advice about tires, an athlete with no background in nutrition makes food recommendations, and an actress who has never studied yoga produces an instructional video. Someone who taught high impact aerobics and kick boxing last month is presumed to possess sufficient expertise to teach yoga.

The American inclination to pre-suppose mastery of Eastern spiritual traditions without ever practicing, or humbling oneself before the teachings, is a reflection of our culture's trend toward instant credentials and immediate gratification.

On a subtle level, it reflects a bias of cultural superiority. Clearly 16 hours is sufficient time for an American to study before calling oneself a yoga teacher?

We each play a part

As the West embraces the contemplative spiritual traditions of the East, we stand as critical links in the chain.

Yoga, derived from the root word "yoke" means to join or connect. Like many Eastern traditions, it is an integrating science because it encompasses the body, mind, and spirit. When the practices are separated and compartmentalized, by definition, union is lost.

The fitness industry and the health care industry are two prime players in an economic system which was built on manifest destiny and an attitude of entitlement, not spirituality. Yoga and other Eastern traditions stand in the precipice.

We have the opportunity to study practices that were once privileged, and have endured for 6.000 years. Will we minimize the spiritual teachings of the East, or will we revere them and give them safe passage? History will record how we enter the millennium together.

If you are looking for a yoga teacher:

Professional yoga teachers will be familiar with the concept of ayurveda, the "sister science" of yoga, and will speak knowledgeably and respectfully about different yoga traditions. A teacher may specialize in gentle yoga, or an athletic vigorous approach, or be trained in a style that is somewhere in the middle. The teacher's role is to facilitate you finding the practice that compliments your inherent constitution, and not to try to sell you on his or her class.

The cheapest deal in town is not necessarily the best. Factors such as class size, the cost of maintaining the space, equipment, and staff are important. Teachers who have established a studio usually incur higher expenses than a teacher in a recreation program or health club setting.

If you desire is to study yoga not as a form of exercise or entertainment but as a transformational personal practice, look for a facility that has hired a trained yoga teacher.

"Hatha yoga" is a non-specific term which encompasses the limb of yoga pertaining to the physical body. Spiritual teachers do not generally speak in terms of "certification" programs. Many individuals who teach yoga consider themselves life-long students, rather than teachers.

Questions to ask of a potential teacher:

• In what tradition do you study?
• Who is your teacher?
• How long have you been practicing yoga?
• How long have you been teaching yoga?
• What is the emphasis of your teaching practice?

Thoughts to Ponder:

• Through the yamas and niyamas, yoga teaches truth and non-violence. Applied to the postures, this means that a person practices the pose in full integrity, to the degree that is appropriate for his/her body, without attachment. The poses should be performed at a level that is comfortable and steady.

• Applied to life, this means that a yoga practitioner is truthful.

• Yoga is diametrically opposed to aerobics. Aerobic exercise was developed in response to the high rate of cardio-vascular disease in this country. The focus has been on burning fat, developing muscle tone, and strengthening the heart by elevating the heart rate, and developing a muscular athletic physique.

• Yoga teaches eating a healthy diet in moderation, and seeks to maintain the balance of all of the body's systems, not just the cardio-vascular system. Like most Eastern traditions it emphasizes flexibility over strength. Releasing chronic contraction in the body, rather than tightening the muscles is the intention of yoga. For example, tight abdominals create tension in the internal organs, which slows down digestion and assimilation. A yoga belly is soft and relaxed.

• Slowing down the breathing rate, rather than speeding it up, is the intention of most yogic breathing practices.

• Letting the body experience the space between breathes becomes a metaphor for the space between thoughts.