The International Yoga Educators of America

Hello Yoga World . . .

It is fitting that the very first REAL post on my new website — AmericanYogi.us — is for the IYEA or the International Yoga Educators of America. This is Leslie Kaminoff's new association, formed on Independence Day, July 4th of this year, 2009.

The new association is based on the idea that truly free Human Beings (Yes, that includes Yoga Educators!) should be free to express their professional skills, knowledge and insights in a free and independent way, and not be controlled by any state regulations that interfere with the free expression and association between the Yoga Educator and his or her Students or Clients.

The formation of his association at this time is in part spurred by an initial wave of pressure by various state governments to cause Yoga Teacher Trainings to voluntarily bring themselves under state regulation and control, as well as paying the fees associated with the state regulatory systems. Of course, just like the federal income tax, it is superficially "voluntary" until you decide to NOT volunteer, then it suddenly becomes anything BUT voluntary. Threats of fines and worse come later, if you do not voluntarily comply.

Further, it takes no creativity what-so-ever to see that professional or occupational licensing of ALL Yoga Teachers will not be far behind. It is just a matter of time.

Leslie has been a very active Yoga Educator in New York City and Massachusetts. He is founder of the Breathing Project, and author of Yoga Anatomy, which sold out quite soon after its first publishing run, and deservedly so.

Leslie is also the author of the e-Sutra blog, which publishes a wide variety of yoga related topics.

Leslie is a proponent of what he calls Rational Yoga, which you can pretty much assume has at least a little affinity for Ayn Rand style, liberty-oriented thinking.

Leslie was "at the creation" of the Yoga Alliance, and been very active in the International Association of Yoga Therapists from its beginning. He left Yoga Alliance when he saw the direction they were heading in, and the inevitable results it would bring. … Essentially, Yoga Alliance created and provided the tools necessary for the various sate governments to exert their power over Yoga Educators and their Yoga Teacher Training Programs.

While it could be argued by some that state regulation and licensing is "The American Way," that is NOT true. Although the situation HAS degenerated to that point over the last half century, such state interference was always considered ANTI-American until the anti-free-enterprise, monopoly capitalists got behind organizations like the American Medical Association and drug companies, and though various methods of deception, convinced the legislators of the United States that licensing of doctors was necessary to "protect the public."

Of course, there for all to see who will actually look at the widely available history and facts is that the very opposite was true. Most evidence proves that protection of the public does not — except in a very limited sense — happen under such systems.

The WHOLE idea of medical licensing was to protect the prestige, power and profits of the doctors and the medical (drug, hospital, and hi-tech equipment) corporations AGAINST the interests, health and well-being of The People. This is a core reason our so-called "modern" medicine is primarily drugs, surgery and radiation instead of  food, nutrition and detox. … And, oh yeah, yoga.

Any positive good (usually for a VERY few people) that has come of state regulation and control has created AT VERY LEAST a tripling of negative harm to all of us. … Our food supply has lost most of its nutrients; few people eat fresh, wholesome food; drugs are considered to be the primary form of medicine by most; nutritional supplements are under constant attack by government authorities; alternative medical doctors are repeatedly threatened for attempting to deliver state-of-the -art medical procedures; and so on.

If we want TRUE health care as if people mattered, if we want things like food, nutrition and YOGA as part of people's daily health care regime, if we want to be rid of wasteful, toxic (so-called) "medicine," if we want natural health care to become affordable for all, again, as it was many years ago, then we must STOP this trend toward government control of our health care system, including yoga.

For one way to get started, please visit www.iyea.us

If you feel Leslie's statement of purpose is even remotely valid, if you feel other human beings should have the right to express their professional selves as they see fit, please consider signing on and supporting his efforts.

Thanks for Reading & Take Care,
David