3/17/09 - This is an interesting piece of news to me, as I am training to teach yoga here in the United States. Though there seem to be many, many teachers out there teaching various types of yoga that they may or may not have learned from a Guru (from India or US, etc) or book or training...And being taught in gyms and other places for a LOT of money...There are also a growing number of teachers (myself included) that have our sights set on the people who cannot afford to take classes the way the West has set it up...In Gyms or fancy yoga studios that cost a TON of money. We are teaching Yoga for free in shelters, and anywhere else people are in need. The US has done a lot of embarassing, horrifying things in the world lately, and I hope that people out there know that not everyone here is so selfish and full of dreams of tyranny...There are many of us who are full of love and the desire to serve wherever necessary. As far as copyrights on asanas go; that seems a little ridiculous to me. A lot of the postures in asana can happen spontaneously in a personal practice, and be brought to groups of people whether a teacher thinks they invented it or not. What does it matter who invented it? If it is being practiced and shared, then it is helping someone. If you teach it to 10 people and only 1 or 2 find it helpful, it is worth it. It doesnt matter who came up with it. This is my opinion of course, and I cannot say anything really for India's side, as I've have never been there, never learned or practiced there. I have friends and peers who have, but that's as close as I've gotten so far. One question before I stop rambling: If people teach for free in anywhere, how does copyrighting help anyone? So then we must formally ask permission to teach certain poses? Even if that person is living as far as Australia? This is absurd. Are we not teaching for the Love and sacredness of life itself???