SYTAR 2007 - The Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research

I've just returned from SYTAR last night. It was a momentous gathering. The event was originally planned for 200-250 people, and this weekend over 800 yoga teachers, self-identified yoga therapists, medical professionals, and other interested parties gathered to hear about research, to meet with colleagues, and to work together to build what some think will be a new profession - a Yoga Therapist.

I suspect that this endeavor will prove to be a notable milestone along the way, but the issues that were raised in the face of the challenge are substantial. From my viewpoint, I am not even sure it is a worthy objective, to seek to use the name 'therapist' a term so rooted in our floundering western medical system.

As yoga teachers we face many challenges in this attempt. Licensing, establishment of standards and consistency of delivery are only the tip of the iceberg here. The real substance of the issue is the spiritual dynamic of yoga, and how to preserve that dynamic while entering into a conversation oriented around an allopathic western paradigm.

To their credit, speaker after speaker emphasized the importance of not losing the 'yoga' from the 'therapy'. However, what was notably absent was the instructions for how to 'practice'. The agenda notably avoided legal issues, regulatory issues and pragmatic realtities such as 'when do we bump into HIPPA?'

While it is likely too early to address these issues substantively, it is for me a concern that they were not even mentioned in passing. I think the outset is a great time for bringing the pragmatic issues forward, so that the structures can be designed to address them. This didn't happen here.

I'm very much in support of the effort, and I'll write more about it over time.