Yoga teaching issues (1)

[Guest guest]

Long soliloquy on teaching, part

1:<br><br>Betty<br><br>I think what you are trying to do with this post is

admirable, and it raises a lot of very interesting

discussion points. <br><br>I have never tried to teach

astanga so I can't comment from a teacher's perspective.

But I've been practicing fairly consistently for four

years now and in that time I've studied with a lot of

teachers - for quite substantial periods with three or

four people, and for workshops and occasional classes

with maybe ten or so others. These include some famous

senior teachers (although not Pattabhi Jois), and some

people whose practice and level of experience was only a

little ahead of my own.<br><br>I can honestly say that

I've enjoyed myself and learned new things from

everybody I've studied with. Maybe I've been lucky, or

maybe this reflects the kind of people astanga

attracts.<br><br>"HIERARCHY MISPERCEPTION"<br>Your questions are interesting.

"Hierarchy misperception" is an interesting phrase too. I

assume you mean that students might "mistakenly

perceive" that there is a hierarchy - or that they might

want to, and some of your scenarios might undermine

that perception. Which I would regard as a good thing,

in general. <br><br>I think a lot of this depends on

the maturity of the students in question, both in

terms of their yoga practice and their outlook on life

in general. I think some total beginners might have

their confidence in their teachers undermined by some

of scenarios you describe. But once somebody has

achieved some level of maturity and independence in yoga

practice (and life), they should be able to perceive that

their teacher isn't some kind of different being, but

just another person who happens to be somewhat further

along a particular path of yoga practice at a

particular time than they are. And that their relationship

to that person will sometimes be one of student to

teacher, sometimes fellow student, and always just fellow

human being. The idea that one's relationship with

somebody as a "teacher" negates any other normal

relationship of human equality with that person is the kind of

juvenile misperception that yoga should be helping us to

grow out of. (That was clumsily put. I hope what I'm

trying to say makes sense).