About aYs

aYs

The Association for Yoga Studies is a community of Yoga teachers and yoga students at all levels. Members share a common interest in the approach to yoga known as “viniyoga”. Teachers within this approach offer one-to-one teaching and/or therapy, group classes, workshops and retreats.

Find your nearest teacher on the left hand side bar.

Find aYs retreats and workshops in the Events menu.

A Convention is run every year which is open to all those interested in Yoga. Our eighth Convention will take place in July 2011.

You do not have to be a member to attend the events or Convention but they are discounted to members of the Association. To join us please see our membership page

The aYs was formed in 2003 and a copy of the Constitution of the Association is here.

Current committee members can be seen on the who’s who page

What is “viniyoga”?

There is considerable confusion around the term viniyoga. It is actually an ancient Sanskrit word which means “special application”. It is not a word specific to yoga – rather it indicates how an activity is applied or practised, how a goal is achieved. Thus, it is not Vini + yoga (a style of yoga, like Iyengar Yoga or Ashtanga Yoga). For something to be achieved, there needs to be a viniyoga – a viniyoga of cookery, of gardening, of decorating, of car mechanics. Viniyoga is the way the tools of a particular discipline are applied – specific to the circumstance.

The approach to yoga taught by TKV Desikachar, the son of TK Krishnamacharya, became known as Viniyoga. More correctly, it should be known as the viniyoga of yoga – the special application of the tools of yoga to different situations, different people. Desikachar originally used the term to indicate that yoga is not a “one size fits all”, but a body of knowledge and tools which need to be carefully tailored to suit each one of us.

In 2002, Desikachar distanced himself from the term, because he felt that the term was becoming misunderstood as a style of yoga. Desikachar requested that his students refrain from using the word in their publicity – or stop being his formal students. It was a very difficult and painful time for many practitioners around the world, as “Viniyoga” had become the term that indicated the teachings of the tradition of TKV Desikachar. Some of Desikachar’s students stopped using the term at his request, others continued and have remained teaching “Viniyoga” and consequently distance arose between them and the official lineage.

At this time, the national organization for these teachings in the UK was called Viniyoga Britain; we changed the name to Association for Yoga Studies (aYs) to respect Desikachar’s request. However, this did not solve the problem of what we called the approach to yoga that we teach. Over the years, the term “Viniyoga” has remained, and many people continue to use it to indicate the teachings coming from TKV Desikachar. Some people use it in the full knowledge that it is a shorthand term for the viniyoga of yoga – and are fully aware of the complexity of the term and its history. Others use it in blissful ignorance – thinking it to be a style of yoga.

Because Viniyoga is a well-known term, and because it has come to mean the teachings that have evolved from TKV Desikachar, we in the aYs continue to use the term. We use it with full understanding of the issues surrounding the term; but the bottom line is that we teach and practise in a similar way, and we have to call this approach to yoga something – otherwise it cannot be distinguished from any other approach. We use the term in good faith and hope to educate people to its true meaning.

One-to-one teaching and therapy

This is one of the hallmarks of aYs teaching. As part of their training, aYs registered teachers are qualified to teach individual students. They learn how to plan and teach practices precisely tailored to the needs of each student. Those teachers marked as “trainee” on the website are still undergoing such training. Yoga therapy is offered in one-to-one sessions, and can help at times when you may be suffering from an injury, disease or other affliction when it can help to relieve suffering and improve healing .

• It can also help you learn how to:
• Cope with excessive stress or anxiety
• Enhance energy and productivity
• Develop a personal meditation practice
• Reduce dependency on alcohol, social and medical drugs and overeating
• Support sporting or outdoor activities
• Prepare for childbirth and post-pregnancy
• Help menstrual problems and menopause
• Care for chronic disorders such as arthritis, asthma, circulatory or digestive problems, hypertension, insomnia, back pain etc.

The British Council for Yoga Therapy

The BCYT is the UK forum for yoga therapy organisations, promoting high standards in the training and provision of yoga therapy. It supports the regulation process provided by the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (which is recognised by the Dept. of Health) and promotes yoga therapy to the public, medical profession and other organisations.

By joining the BCYT, aYs is involved in the development of professional yoga therapy standards and the accreditation of yoga therapy training courses by the BCYT. In the future, membership of BCYT allows aYs to run accredited training courses for yoga therapy consistent with our viniyoga approach and which will be nationally recognised as being of a high professional standard.

(NB for aYs yoga therapists – both Paul Harvey’s Practitioner training and Sadhana Mala’s training are recognised as meeting the standards of the BCYT.)

The British Council for Yoga Therapy (BCYT) is a professional forum for yoga therapy operating in the UK. It is made up of professional yoga therapy training organisations and professional associations whose members are yoga therapists.

It aims to promote high standards within the profession of yoga therapy including the development of standards in the education/training of yoga therapists.

It liaises with the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CHNC), the national regulatory body for complementary healthcare, and supports the regulation process. As part of this role it approves yoga therapy training courses which meet the National Occupational Standard for yoga therapy and has defined a core curriculum for yoga therapy courses. Yoga therapists who have completed these courses can apply to join the CNHC.

The BCYT also promotes yoga therapy to the public, medical profession, government, other national bodies and other complementary therapy organisations. It encourages research into yoga therapy in the UK and an awareness of research undertaken.

Links between BCYT and CNHC and why the CNHC is important

The Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC) is the UK regulator for complementary healthcare practitioners and is recognised by the Department of Health. Its key function is to enhance public protection by setting standards for registration with CNHC. This means that the general public, and those who commission the services of complementary healthcare practitioners, will be able to choose with confidence by looking for CNHC registration.

The Department of Health recommends that, where CNHC registers the professional discipline in question, that members of the public consult with someone who is CNHC registered.

The BCYT acting as a professional forum for yoga therapy in the UK, advises the CNHC on the acceptability of a yoga therapy training course before the course is able to join the list of qualifications on the CNHC website. www.cnhc.org.uk

Joining BYCT and the benefits to aYs

Many aYs teaching members are also yoga therapists and joining BCYT means that on a national level, aYs is represented in the process of setting and maintaining high standards in yoga therapy.

It allows aYs to develop its own accredited training course for yoga therapy within the viniyoga approach and which will meet the BCYT’s high standards.

aYs will be working with other BCYT members (which include most of the larger UK yoga organisations) to further promote the use of yoga therapy to the general public, medical profession and other organisations and to encourage research into yoga therapy.

For further information, please email Barbara Dancer barbaradancer@gmail.com who has represented aYs at recent BCYT committee meetings