If you’re anything like me, when you place your health in someone’s hands you at least like to know where they’ve done their training, if they are qualified to practice and how long they have been practicing for. I know my doctor’s, dentist’s and Chinese herbal medicine man’s qualifications, family members and hobbies like the back of my hand. But how well do you know your Yoga teacher?

Admittedly, large group classes don’t lend themselves to excessive friendly banter before or after class but if you are placing your body and mind in the hands of another, wouldn’t you at least like to know if they’re qualified to work with you? Unlike doctors, psychologists, physiotherapists and many other health professionals, Yoga is not regulated in Australia. Anyone, yes ANYONE can teach Yoga legally. Which is a scary thought.

Here are some things for you to consider when selecting a Yoga teacher:

• How many hours was their teacher training and over what span of time did they complete it? As you can imagine someone who completed a 200 hour training in Bali over 2 weeks will be very differently trained compared to someone who has completed over 1000 hours of training over the span of 2 years.
• Is your teacher a member of an association such as Yoga Australia or Yoga Alliance? These organisations have a Statement of Ethics and Code of Conduct that all teachers are obliged to uphold. These also cover a Yoga teachers Scope of Practice. Yoga teachers are NOT psychologists, doctors or physiotherapists (unless they hold the qualifications) and won’t have the answers to all your questions.
• Does your teacher have insurance or a valid Apply First Aid and CPR qualification? Though we pray it doesn’t happen, sometimes there are incidents that require emergency action or insurance claims. Avoid the risk or the hassle by making sure that your teacher has both.

So next time you head to a Yoga class make sure you turn up a little earlier and have a friendly chat with your teacher. Get to know them better, get to know yourself better and give yourself the piece of mind that you’re in safe hands.

If you’re curious to know a little more about me, read my bio.