The intention of the Swatantrya Certification Standard is to set forth clear educational requirements for what needs to be known when yoga is used for specifically therapeutic purposes.
The key features of this intention are:
- that the standard of learning not be tied to a specific style of yoga, or to a single perspective that sets itself apart from other approaches, but rather focus upon a common base of objective knowledge that can be approached from different perspectives.
- that the standards ultimately be community-based, drawing upon the collective wisdom of experienced members of the yoga community, rather than established unilaterally by a single person or figurehead.
- that whatever standards are set out should evolve naturally from the input of other experienced practitioners from a variety of fields.
- that certification be granted as an acknowledgement of what a teacher knows, rather than based upon subjective factors. Certification should not depend upon one's willingness to conform to a single perspective or authority.
- that it honor and encourage study with a variety of teachers or a variety of perspectives, as any well-rounded educational standard should
