Current Letter | John's Letter Archives
Fall 1997
NAMASTE,
For the fall session we welcome the newest member of our faculty, Steve Mitchell. Like all the teachers at Unity Woods, Steve has practiced regularly and intensely for many years, eight to be exact. He has also apprenticed with me, Carol Cavanaugh and Anne Wutchiett directly, observing and assisting in classes for five years. Further, he has taught classes at various locations around Washington, including Fannie Mae, DOE, and the Washington School of Ballet, for four years, so although he is new to our faculty, as a teacher he is certainly not a raw beginner. (To find out when Steve’s classes are offered, check the schedule on pages two and three. Please note that in addition to taking over for Rocky when she goes on maternity leave, Steve will be offering a new early morning class on Tuesday and a Sunday afternoon restorative class at Woodley Park.)
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It has been my pleasure to be Steve’s teacher. In addition, I have been the primary teacher of all the teachers at Unity Woods with the exception of Carol, who studied for many years with senior teacher Ramanand Patel in San Francisco before moving to Maryland. Of course all of them have studied with other teachers as well, and many have been to India to study with the Iyengars at the Institute in Pune. (Carolyn has just returned from Pune and Mary is on her way there this fall.) For some of them it’s been years since they have attended class with me and other influences weigh as heavily in their teaching as mine, perhaps more so. Since yoga is such a vast subject that no one person can master it all, this wide range of experience coupled with strong, steady practice increases the depth of knowledge our teachers make available at Unity Woods. I believe this benefits our students, who receive the fruits of all this learning and practice.
As yoga has increased in popularity, the number of teacher training programs has also increased. Here at Unity Woods we offer weekend teaching seminars twice a year. These are to enable people who are already teaching to increase their knowledge and hone their teaching skills. I also conduct seminars and workshops on teaching at various centers around the country throughout the year.
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As I have taught more and more teachers, one thing I have noticed is that more of them are teaching with less and less experience, and I don’t mean experience in teaching, I mean experience in practicing. As I mentioned in an earlier newsletter, we sometimes get calls from people inquiring about becoming a teacher. After a little conversation with them, it turns out they haven’t begun to practice yoga yet, haven’t even taken a class. This is unusual, but it happens. It stretches my credulity. How can someone want to teach something they haven’t even tried yet?
For some people, to take a year of class and a teacher training weekend and then start teaching is less uncommon. This is not sufficient time or training to become a seasoned student, let alone a teacher. Seventy percent of the students in my regular weekly classes have more experience than this and they wouldn’t dream of setting themselves up as teachers, nor should they. Bear in mind I’m not talking about someone who gets a few interested friends together to show them what he has learned. When such a person acknowledges his limitations and simply shares in this way information and experiences he has acquired, this can be fun, stimulating and beneficial to all. When I talk about teaching, I’m referring to people who present yoga to the general public and represent themselves as experienced and competent teachers.
What constitutes a competent teacher is open to discussion, and criteria and opinions vary widely. Although the Iyengar Association’s requirements for certification are among the most stringent of which I am aware and Unity Woods’ teachers meet or surpass these national standards, I don’t hold the opinion that this is the only measure of competence. There are numerous approaches to yoga and many methods of teaching. Thus there are many valid approaches to teacher training. In support of the principle that the paths to Truth are indeed many, I helped found the Mid-Atlantic Yoga Association and served on the advisory board of Unity In Yoga, both ecumenical organizations designed to promote understanding and communication among the many traditions and among teachers.
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Even so, I cannot accept teacher training programs that in four weeks certify as a teacher a person with no previous yoga experience at all. I’m not ready to say where the line is, but it’s way past there. Nor do I put much store in taking a two hour workshop or a weekend seminar and then describing oneself as having completed a teacher training. Such seminars or workshops are helpful or I wouldn’t offer them, but they are by their very brevity incomplete, even with respect to the specific aspect of teaching they are examining.
The whole issue of what constitutes acceptable teacher training or what qualifies one to teach yoga is one with which the yoga community at large is actively engaged. When I began teaching 24 years ago, I had never been to a class myself. I had practiced regularly for three years from books. When I began teaching at the suggestion of the director of a local yoga school, I was shown how to present a particular weekly program, given a syllabus and a class with over thirty students. It gives me the willies to think of it now. So although I have expressed a number of strong opinions here, it is not my desire to step on anyone’s toes, be hard-nosed or sanctimonious. I would only like to see the teaching of yoga be maintained at the highest standard possible and to urge students to look carefully and select teachers who are knowledgeable, energetic and caring, teachers they resonate with, want to work with. I’m proud to have Steve join the group of teachers here at Unity Woods, a group I feel exhibits these qualities and shares them enthusiastically and sincerely with our students.
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