The Path from India
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. 

Yoga Training on Western Shores 
Traditionally, teacher training in this country has been either under the guidance of 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 two to three 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 United States 
An American approach to mortality and disease is to design education programs for mass dispersal to the public. For example, educational 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 four-eight 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. For instance, the American Aerobic Association/ International Sports Medicine Association teaches a "Yoga Certification" program in 16 hours over one weekend. Even if you have never studied yoga before but are flexible and fit enough to manage basic asanas, you too can become a yoga "teacher." 

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, 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 
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. 

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. 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. 

The fitness industry and the healthcare 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 on the precipice of being swallowed up in this' grand canyon of materialism as they are incorporated into the American way of life. 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.

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Pat Burke is the director of Earthsong Yoga Center, 186 Main St #14 Marlboro, MA  01752 and the founder of the Massachusetts/New England Yoga Alliance. The Alliance provides free information and referral to all traditions of yoga. For more information please call 508-480-8884 or email at pat@earthsongyoga.com  or visit her website at www.earthsongyoga.com.