All U.S. Pilates instructors will want to read this article in the New York Times about yoga educators' current battle against state licensing regulations around the country.

The article is pro-yoga industry and credits the industry's own registry of schools as the catalyst for state government scrutiny. “We made it very, very easy for them to do what they’re doing right now,” said Leslie Kaminoff, founder of the Breathing Project in New York City, said in the article. “The industry of yoga is a big, juicy target.”

The opinions of commenters in the article seem split between pro- and anti-regulation. What do you think this means for Pilates?

After the PMA won in New Jersey over the proposed Fitness Professionals Licensing Act, I put the issue out of my mind. Clearly there is going to be more coming.

Pilates might not look quite as juicy as yoga, but if yoga goes, they will start looking to Pilates. States like their licensing money. I think we can regulate ourselves and that is happening.

I have had a brush with this recently. I own a studio in Arizona in which I run a VERY small teacher training program. I have been contacted several times by a state employee claiming that I must be licensed to run a teacher training program due to the fact that they are considering me a "vocational school". To me it seems that the state is simply fishing for more money from small businesses. I definitely feel bullied. I am an approved teacher training provider through the PMA and also enroll all of my teacher trainees in the "fostering future professionals" program. To now have to deal with the state and their "vocational secondary school" regulations really upsets me. I feel as though the state is not considering small businesses either and simply want to stick their hands in the VERY small pot.

My opinion may be unpopular, but here it is. If we want to be taken seriously as a profession, we need to abide by local, state and national standards and laws on all levels. This point is made clearly in the PMA Code of Ethics. Post-secondary educational licensing standards are in place primarily to protect the public. The collection of the associated state fees is not a significant source of income for any U.S. state. Post-secondary administrators and boards are obliged by their positions and by law to seek out post-secondary programs that are out of compliance. Educators within the Pilates community have either chosen to ignore these standards or have simply not known about them. This is an area where the PMA could be of tremendous help in educating our community about these standards and in establishing compliance. The licensing process can be time-consuming and relatively expensive. The most expensive aspect is not the license, but rather the associated bond and documentation. I do not believe you are required to complete this process to offer continuing education.

I would agree with Kyria, well said. The minimal fees involved in licensure is not a real money-maker for states. And with all of the questions we see posed on this site alone regarding specific conditions and injuries, it wouldn't hurt to have a minimum standard of education set for instructors, particularly in the realm of human sciences. This way all of the various schools can maintain their individuality but the public can be slightly more assured that qualified teachers are knowledgeable in basic anatomy and pathological contraindications/indications. That is a standard that can be easily established throughout all of pilates, regardless of different schools or interpretations.

It seems pretty clear that most instructors don't understand the basics behind the conditions that people have and this is an area that could comprise the foundation of a regulatory process. I don't think that anyone is interested in regulating what we do with people, but rather what we don't or shouldn't do with them at particular times. And being able to recognize and define the scope of that intervention. Regulating ones self is a disaster waiting to happen.

Neither Yoga or Pilates should be exempt from proper oversight and competency standards. After all, we have been seeing a dramatic rise in injuries incurred in both yoga and pilates classes over recent years. We need to be honest with ourselves and take a look at this more objectively instead of denying any responsibility.

FYI
3-14-10 article in the NYTimes:
"Yoga License Rebellion May Soon Claim Victory"
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/nyregion/15yoga.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

"In the next 10 days, almost a year after the dispute began, Gov. David A. Paterson is expected to approve a bill that would exempt training programs for yoga teachers from state regulation under laws intended to provide oversight of vocational schools."
Kudos and Congratulations to Yoga for NY, the organization that fought for the exemption!

See also the following 7-13-09 blog entry where I, too, cited the NYTimes article referenced above, "Yoga Faces Regulation, and Firmly Pushes Back": http://aasicontributions.blogspot.com/2009/07/nytimes-article-regulation-and-yoga.html
In today's 3-17-10 UPDATE, I provide easy links to new info of interest, including a thread I began today on the AIM Academy Forum:

"Yoga and Licensing: Parallels to Pilates?"
http://www.pilatesconnections.com/index.php?/topic/2765-yoga-and-licensing-parallels-to-pilates/

(Besides citing references to the situation in NY, the above post also cites references to the bill signed by the Governor of VA on 3-09-10, which now pro­tects yoga teacher train­ing pro­grams from being reg­u­lated as higher edu­ca­tion by the Vir­ginia State Coun­cil for Higher Edu­ca­tion.)

I just posted something "WICKED" :) on the AASI Contributions Blog...about NY Governor Paterson signing the bill into law on 3-24-10:
http://aasicontributions.blogspot.com/2010/03/defying-gravity.html
Enjoy!

Click on my name for another link to a helpful video clip and also info about recent legislation in NY and VA, which have redefined the term "vocational."

I am not understanding how no form of regulation is a good thing. Isn't it to the benefit of the general public to know that those teaching yoga, or pilates, have a minimum standard of education in all respects?

Although any form of regulation has its drawbacks, it is meant to serve the public interest by holding the teachers to a safe standard of practice.

There is a reason for oversight in these professions. Most of these teachers have no education or training that allows them to understand what they are doing with the human body beyond the superficial, especially when injuries and conditions are present. Do all of the advocates for no oversight or regulation feel that it is appropriate to let teachers of any ability work with people's bodies despite that fact? Are you concerned with the public's health and well being or with the preservation of your own agenda and low standard of practice?

Again, click my name for a link to a post on the AIM Academy Forum, which helps to explain the following (from the March 27 link above…see UPDATE 3-26-10):
“Confusion remains rampant when discussing this issue because the terms ‘licensure’ and ‘regulation’ are used in relation to both business practice requirements and competency standards.”
You will find a helpful video on both posts.

If you have read the article posted by Amy, you would understand that the issue at hand in this post was concerned with state business license standards, not teacher competency standards. Here the issue was directed towards those holding teacher trainings; the proposed bill would have caused many small yoga studios to close.

I agree with the following statement from the article:
“ ‘If you’re going to start a school and take people’s money, you should play by a set of rules,’ .…”
Is every pilates teacher training program doing their homework and checking out their state business laws and complying? I ask, why would anyone consider it “unpopular” to follow state laws? I would be concerned if a school knowingly operates “under the radar”; I would wonder if such a mentality would also see no harm in cutting corners on competency standards.

The fact that so many involved in the diverse yoga community in NY, which includes the public, came together to solve an issue is heartening. They “played by the rules,” in that they followed proper legislative channels and the revised bill became law. In VA, a few teachers filed a suit to change the law and won. I am happy and encouraged to hear that the concerns of citizens and small business owners were heard and supported.

Those who are interested in following the state-level laws, which differ from state to state, can do so by adhering to business license laws already in place (which in some states do allow for exemption when certain criteria are met) or by petitioning for a new exemption, as in the case of the NY yoga community above.

It would be illogical for anyone to assume that those asking for an exemption are, therefore, uninterested or uncommitted to raising the education/competency standard level for yoga and/or pilates teachers.