By Faye Martins
Many Hatha Yoga teacher training courses don’t have an oath for graduates, but maybe we should all have one. In this way, instructors would be constantly mindful of ethics, compassion, safety, and loving kindness, at all times. Here is the oath of a Kundalini Yoga teacher: “I am not a woman. I am not a man. I am not a person. I am not myself. I am a teacher.”
Those words are the oath of a Kundalini instructor, but they have weight for all teachers of all subjects. Many people, when first hearing those words, may take pause and try to understand those statements and how it pertains to them. It often takes a spiritual journey and inner examinations in order to truly understand that oath and be able to uphold it.
Yoga can be a wonderful form of exercise and a way to relax the mind and soul. Becoming a Yoga instructor can be rewarding and fulfilling, but there are also challenges associated with it. The oath of a teacher should be to help show his or her students the best way to practice for themselves. Sometimes that means showing students some extra attention and guidance, other times it means letting the students work through the poses on their own in order to help them see their strengths. A good teacher is also a student, and constant learning is the key to growth.
Being an informed teacher is more than just going through the training and becoming certified. It also takes a certain amount of practice and intuitiveness. Knowing when to offer modifications as well as when to help a student take his or her practice to the next level is very important. Many students are attracted to Yoga training because they want to learn a healthy way to reduce stress and build flexibility. Many of them are quite surprised at the physical strength they gain from their practice. Guidance through the journey, without too much interference, is the sign of a good teacher.
The oath of a Yoga teacher can mean different things to different people, depending on where they are in their practice. For some people, it means giving in to a higher power and letting it guide them to a better place, spiritually, mentally, and physically. As we have seen throughout the thousands of years that people have been practicing Yoga, it is often a very personal journey that leads us to unexpected places.
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Thank you Faye! Teachers who show compassion, ethics, and who participate in continuing education are priceless.
Instructors would be constantly mindful of ethics, compassion, safety, and loving kindness, at all times. Thanks for sharing this informative article.
The oath of a teacher should be to help show his or her students the best way to practice for themselves. Thanks for this valuable posting.