YMCA Safety & Ethics 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student discloses they have osteoporosis during a group yoga class. What is the instructor's MOST appropriate immediate response?
- Exclude the student from the class for safety
- Provide general modifications verbally without singling them out publicly
- Refer them privately to a physician and offer individualized modifications (Correct answer)
- Continue the class unchanged since osteoporosis is common
Correct answer: Refer them privately to a physician and offer individualized modifications
Instructors should address individual health conditions privately, refer to medical professionals when appropriate, and offer specific modifications to keep the student safe.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes 'scope of practice' for a YMCA yoga instructor?
- The ability to diagnose musculoskeletal conditions based on movement observation
- Teaching yoga techniques within certified competencies without providing medical advice (Correct answer)
- Providing nutritional counseling alongside yoga instruction
- Prescribing therapeutic exercises for injury rehabilitation
Correct answer: Teaching yoga techniques within certified competencies without providing medical advice
Scope of practice limits instructors to teaching yoga techniques they are certified in, excluding medical diagnosis, nutrition counseling, or rehabilitation prescription.
Question 3: A participant experiences sudden sharp chest pain mid-class. What is the instructor's first action?
- Guide them into a restorative pose to rest
- Stop the class, call 911, and stay with the participant (Correct answer)
- Offer water and have them sit in easy pose
- Continue teaching while monitoring their condition
Correct answer: Stop the class, call 911, and stay with the participant
Chest pain is a medical emergency; the instructor must stop class immediately, activate emergency services, and remain with the participant.
Question 4: When is it ethically appropriate for a YMCA yoga instructor to share a participant's health information with a third party?
- When another instructor asks about the participant's limitations
- When a family member requests information about the participant's progress
- When there is imminent risk of harm or required by law (Correct answer)
- When discussing anonymized cases in a staff meeting
Correct answer: When there is imminent risk of harm or required by law
Confidential health information may only be shared without consent in cases of imminent harm or when legally mandated.
Question 5: A student wants to attempt an advanced inversion on their first class. The safest instructor response is to:
- Allow it since the student assumes their own risk by attending
- Spot the student closely throughout the attempt
- Explain prerequisites and offer a foundational progression instead (Correct answer)
- Demonstrate the pose and let the student mirror it
Correct answer: Explain prerequisites and offer a foundational progression instead
Instructors have a duty of care to guide students through progressive skill-building rather than allowing unsupported attempts at advanced poses.
Question 6: Which action demonstrates maintaining professional boundaries in a yoga class setting?
- Exchanging personal phone numbers with students you connect with
- Offering hands-on assists only with verbal consent obtained first (Correct answer)
- Socializing with students at their homes after class
- Sharing personal relationship advice when students confide in you
Correct answer: Offering hands-on assists only with verbal consent obtained first
Obtaining verbal consent before physical contact is a fundamental professional boundary in yoga instruction.
Question 7: A pregnant participant in her second trimester joins your general yoga class. What should the instructor do?
- Ask her to leave and attend a prenatal-specific class only
- Allow full participation without modification since yoga is low-impact
- Screen for complications, offer appropriate modifications, and recommend medical clearance (Correct answer)
- Avoid teaching her anything new to minimize risk
Correct answer: Screen for complications, offer appropriate modifications, and recommend medical clearance
Pregnant participants need health screening, pregnancy-safe modifications, and should ideally have medical clearance before participating in general yoga classes.
YMCA Safety & Ethics 2
A student discloses they have osteoporosis during a group yoga class.
What is the instructor's MOST appropriate immediate response?