By Gopi Rao
Traditionally, Yoga was passed from Guru to disciple, after a detailed apprenticeship. Time has changed, and Yoga is globally popular. To suit demand, many ashrams have short four week courses, for those who aspire to become a Yoga instructor. The tourist industry, in India, has learned to adjust for this need.
Education methods, in all fields, are much faster than they have ever been in the past. Computers were supposed to save us from work, but instead computers have changed the type of work we do, how fast we are required to do it, and how fast we learn. Instead of hours of work in a manufacturing plant, we now work hours in front of a computer monitor.
Technology has made us busier than ever. At the same time, who can afford to take time off from their job to become a Yoga teacher? Suddenly, we discover online Yoga teacher distance learning courses. Nowadays, many Yoga teachers are women, who are working inside and outside the home.
Online education has changed the face of the world. You can take online courses from Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard, or any Ivy League school. There are still some limits as far as subjects, but there are new courses being developed every day.
Economics is the force that drives us to make many difficult decisions. Sometimes, fear also forces us to make decisions. While we were growing up, we were taught to follow rules. We naturally do as we are told. We have difficulty seeing the motives of those who make the rules, and we have difficulty recognizing who has a right to make the rules.
As humans, most of us have the need for worship (pooja). This need to worship has been exploited by registering companies, who claim to be the regulators of Yoga. Some people and register companies want you to believe they are Devas (Gods). These registries do not recognize Gurus, from India, because the Gurus are not “registered.”
Who is the grand registry of all things in Yoga? If you think it is British Wheel of Yoga (BWY) or Yoga Alliance (YA), you are mistaken. These western registering companies have fabricated a false (asat) myth. They are NOT government agencies at all. You do not have to be registered by BWY or YA in any country, province, state, town, city, or territory, to teach Yoga. If you think different, please call your local government to find out the truth.
The government is our ruler. No matter where you live, your government has the right to regulate, arrest, or search you at any time, for any thing. If you think not, please visit an airport and open your eyes. People, who lived in the former Soviet Republics, know that governments can regulate everything, including what you think.
This century is still young, and Yoga has blossomed over the past 20 years, but beware of misinformation about the need to join the Yoga register companies. Join YA if you like, but know it is not required and membership is not the path to Samadhi.
© Copyright 2011 – Gopi Rao / Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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