Should Yoga Studios Ask Students to Sign a Liability Waiver?
It’s time for yoga teachers to adopt some of the legal protections that other health professionals already use. Here’s how to understand the benefits of liability waivers plus advice on how to use them and what disclosures they should include. By Michael H. Cohen, JD, MBA As liability issues move into the forefront of the business of yoga, teachers and studios need to start asking some tough questions about whether smart business practices are consistent with the spiritual tenets of yoga. This month we’ll explore one of the most important issues facing professionals today: Can a yoga studio or yoga teacher meet liability concerns without compromising the intention to be fully present and offer wisdom and compassion within the practice? Although there have been few, if any, reported lawsuits stemming from injuries in a yoga class, there have been some claims (See “Insight From Injury,” May/June 2003). This makes the threat of liability, while small, nonetheless real. Still, liability co
