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YA President Meets with Arkansas Members, Opposes Licensure for Yoga Teacher Training

October 24, 2014

In early October, Yoga Alliance® President Richard Karpel (2012 – 2014) visited Arkansas to meet with members and oppose the new regulation from the Arkansas State Board of Private Career Education (SBPCE) that would require state licenses for yoga schools that train teachers.

Richard sent a letter on September 24 to SBPCE director Brenda Germann outlining YA’s position and met with her in person on October 8. That same day, he also met with about 25 local yoga teachers and yoga school owners at the Main Library in Little Rock’s River Market District.

On October 9, he met with another group of Arkansas yoga teachers and studio owners at Fayetteville Public Library. During both stops, Richard told local members they can still prevent the regulation from going into effect. He encouraged them to ask their state legislators to help convince the SBPCE that it does not have the legislative authority to regulate yoga schools and that the regulation is bad for Arkansas.

He also detailed YA’s public policy arguments opposing the regulation and outlined various opportunities to defeat it during the regulatory and legislative process. Richard noted that the political environment in Arkansas is favorable to YA's position.

The following Monday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette followed-up with a front-page newspaper article. It quoted Richard's case that "'the burden is on the people who are for regulation to show a compelling state interest. And I don't think there's a compelling state interest.'"

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