sadly, as a commentary on our continuously liitigous culture - even those seeking liberation, enlightenment or just flexibility may still be subject to the earthly demands of compensation for inury...rightly or wrongly so...one even hears of those individuals who are rescued from near death accidents who sue the Samaritan who pulls them from the wreckage of a burning car because of a sustained injury...seems turned upside down...

but having said that - perhaps its anathema to the yogic mind frame - but i am often surprised with the dearth of information and cautions and even waivers that come with yoga classes - i know whether it was joining a gym, taking kayak lessons or some other practice where injury may be a possibility (remote or not), some form of guidance or statement of potential problems (with the legalese of release of responsibility) was usually in place...

while i personally dont require one as a student, i have often wondered why something didnt exist in yogic circles...ah....no escape from the outside world - even on the mat i guess...sad, yes - but i'm hardly surprised...o well...

I think if they injure someone and if the damage has proof then yes. That teacher is held responsible for not being patient enough and damaging a human being

I have NEVER heard of a yoga teacher being sued. Whether it "hold up in court" or not depends on the specifics of the situation. I got a knot in my stomach reading about it though; the language is extreme and legalistic. It's meant to frighten us and sounds like it was conjured up by a, or team of, lawyers.

Will it hold up in court? Well, it depends on the facts, which we don't have, such as the type of yoga taught, the asanas, the alleged adjustments, the student's body, etc. I imagine the main cause of action is negligence. Ms. Weiss will have to prove that Ms. Sadler was negligent in how she adjusted Ms. Weiss or that Ms. Sadler didn't take into account Ms. Weiss' X condition in doing proper adjustment. Ms. Sadler can make all sort of arguments, including assumption of risk, the signing of the waiver, etc.

Hopefully Ms. Sadler has teacher insurance, so the insurance company can represent her. I imagine this case will be settled out of court with some money being paid to Ms. Weiss.

Of course we can discuss whether we live in a litigation-happy society, or whether people are pushing themselves too hard in yoga, or whether gym yoga is not as good as studio yoga, etc.

But I feel we need to focus on the immediate lessons here:
(1) teachers should avoid making adjustments, especially if they are not fully knowledgeable about a student's condition (keep in mind that students may not tell us what pains they have--I remember a student that forgot to mention that she was having back pain and had left a chiropractor's appointment untreated to come to my class; thankfully I didn't hurt her);
(2) students should tell teachers what's going on with their bodies *and* should feel free to decline any adjustment;
(3) teachers should ask students if they would like an adjustment (to give the student an opportunity to decline); and
(4) teachers should get insurance to protect themselves (I know one studio that will not hire anyone without insurance).

Adan (a lawyer & yoga teacher)

I have an acquaintance who had a yoga teacher break her back. I don't know if she sued, but if she could have proved it, she should have.

The fact is that most of the yoga teachers out there are not qualified to understand human anatomy well enough and should not be manipulating anyone's movement. There are too many yoga certification programs out there that only give 2-3 months (or less) of training and minimal teaching hours to get certified. This isn't enough to teach you proper understanding of the body and the potentials for damage. Many programs do not require any education on anatomy before getting certified. This is why people get hurt. Many yoga teachers aren't even knowledgeable of contraindications of movements that shouldn't be done by certain people, much less ever mention these in a group mat class. For instance, I have two disk bulges in my neck and I should never do ploughs or shoulder-stands because of them. Do I ever have a yoga teacher recommend leaving it out while in a group mat class? Nope. I know because I've studied years of movement, pilates, yoga and anatomy.... but what about anyone else in class who has neck issues?

I highly recommend anyone starting group yoga classes to invest in a couple of privates sessions with a qualified yoga teacher. That means...check out what their certification entails. If it's less than 3 months and doesn't include anatomy work...then don't take with them!

I've never heard of a yoga teacher being suide. Ouch! Broke her back??? That's scary.
I always relay the experience I once had with an overzealous Iyenger instructor. We were doing pyramid pose with hands in reverse namaste. I have never been able to get my hands behind my back in full reverse namaste (I put it to years of sitting at a desk doing computer work) although I do the modification(s). This instructor came up to me and literally yanked my hands back and up into reverse namaste. I felt the initial pain, then (being relatively new to yoga at that time) thought, WOW! If I hold this, maybe I can 'open' my deltoids and do it again. Well, after about 30 seconds of excrutiating pain I had to let go.....I am not sure my arms have EVER been the same....and I would never let a teacher do that again!
We must be very careful with the 'adjustments' or 'assists' or whatever you want to call them.
I carry my own insurance, but for some of the reasons stated, I don't 'advertise' it. I don't want people getting ideas. Sad, isn't that?

This is like a new yoga teacher's personal nightmare.

I am a new teacher and my certification program took about three months, it did include anatomy class (and adjustment classes). Now I always let my students know what poses they should and shouldn't do for injuries. I rarely make adjustments, unless I know the student well enough to touch them. I teach a balanced class and alway perscribe to the rule that if it hurts (not if it's hard) you should stop what you are doing and make sure I give enough modifications to ensure every student's getting in a good class.

I know I still have a lot to learn though and do a lot of reading on injury recovery and the interconnection of the body's muscles, ligament, tendons, bones, etc.

I hope this is an isolated incident, both the suing and the injury. A teacher has a responsibility to help the students, not hurt them--but the student has a responsibility to be upfront about current of past injuries and problem areas.

Melissa