Part II: A right yoga teacher can guide practitioners on their journey of discovery

The practice of yoga is essentially a practice of self-examination.  Asana and pranayama can help us discover certain things about ourselves, but unfortunately we cannot always trust our own perceptions.  Our habitual way of seeing things makes it difficult for us to look at them differently from experience to experience; our habitual way of seeing limits our self-understanding.  Because a teacher’s perception is not limited by our unique conditioning, he or she can often see what capacities lie hidden in us.

This kind of investigation requires a teacher who can lead the students on their journey of discovery.  If a teacher cannot do this, the students are not only in danger of misunderstanding yoga but may also get discouraged.

The art of yoga is to see the whole person, assess their needs, and apply yoga in the way that serves them best.

One of the most important principles we(AG Mohan family) learned from Sri Krishnamacharya was that the application of yoga should be made suitable for the person receiving it. Teaching is for the taught: there is a person with a purpose, and on that basis, we decide what yoga practice would be best for them.

The Person: Who?

This is most important of considerations, and the most often forgotten! “Who is the student?” Each student is unique, with personal qualities and a particular starting point. In yoga, the teaching of methods and techniques should be suited to the student and not vice-versa. We should not decide on a practice beforehand and then force the student to fit into that mold.

A good teacher will learn the student’s history.  It is important to know, for example, whether a student has a history of chest pain, bronchitis, or chronic headaches before teaching any breathing technique.  Furthermore, the teacher will need to observe if the student has the necessary prerequisites for a pranayama practice ― good posture, a straight spine, and taut abdomen.  Once the teacher knows a student’s history and present condition, he or she can design the correct sequence of orderly steps (vinyasa krama) for learning an ideal inhalation or exhalation.  It may be that before approaching the breath directly, the student needs to work on his or her posture and abdomen.  Whatever the circumstance, appropriate adaptation is critical. The student thus enjoys and benefits from the principle that is inherent to each particular posture.

The Purpose: Why?

The practice of yoga can be for one or more of many purposes, including: seeking freedom from a disease (therapeutic), increasing fitness (preventive and for wellbeing), or seeking inner peace (transformation). As long as the ultimate goal is decreasing suffering, all these purposes are meaningful outcomes of traditional yoga.

The Practice: What?

Since no two bodies are alike, not two bodies will look identical doing the same postures.  Ideally, a teacher should adapt each posture and each asana routine to suit the needs of the student.  In the ancient days, yoga teachers had one-to-one relationships with their students that entailed sacred responsibility — to see to it that the student progressed without any long-term risk of physical or emotional damage.  These teachers defined their role not only as one of teaching (sikshana), but also as one of protecting (rakshana) the student.

Basically, sikshana are the “do’s,” and rakshana the “don’ts,” of asana practice.  A good teacher should maintain the delicate balance between these two tasks of teaching and protection.  A teacher too anxious about  protecting may not allow a student to accomplish enough; on the other hand, a teacher too determined to reach a goal may bring harm.  Thus, just as a balance between sthira (firm) and sukha(comfortable) is ideal, so is a balance between sikshana and rakshana.

Quoted from AG Mohan

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The teacher must meditate on the student in order to discover his positive features and to find  the best way of removing the obstacles which prevent their development.  The primary concern should be for the well-being of the student above all other considerations, and if the teacher does not have the necessary resources he should advice him to go elsewhere, in order to get the best out of the gifts which God has given to him.  This means being open, humble and realistic.

Observation is one of the foremost requirements for teaching.  If a teacher is just distributing technical information without observing the people who are receiving it, he will fall short of the real goal.  Even in a group situation, the teacher should try to appreciate each individual, because he is sharing more than just technical know-how.  Teaching should be like meditation, where the teacher’s focus is on the student.  This helps the teacher to understand how to present things to the person.  Each aspect need to be observed and respected.

Quoted from book: What Are We Seeking? By TKV Desikachar with Martyn Neal

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Encourage students to be independent

Students should not wait for everything to be told to them. It is essential that they develop their own ability to observe, feel, and question themselves. One of the important roles of the yoga teacher is precisely to offer them this space of freedom. Constantly correcting students does not do them any favors: even if their actions are not entirely correct, it is often more beneficial to let them experience their current condition. It is this internal process that allows understanding to mature deeply. Not adjusting can then become, in itself, a true adjustment.

Form, on the other hand, is not an end in itself. Too often, both students and teachers focus on external form as an indicator of progress. If you ask a student to describe their progress, they will often mention their ability to perform certain postures or sequences—in other words, to move from point A to point B. At that point, it becomes necessary to reorient the practice toward its true goal: lifting the veil of illusion. The central question remains: are we practicing postures, or are we practicing yoga?

Practitioners of postures often have a fairly broad understanding of what the body can do, but a much more limited perception of what the body really is.

A practice that is too focused on technique risks trapping the student in mental activity, cutting them off from the inner space that is, in fact, the true gateway to emancipation.

This is a fundamental aspect that profoundly distinguishes those who guide movements and forms from true yoga teachers. The latter see beyond outward appearances: they create the conditions for students to have a genuine experience, an encounter with themselves, sometimes even a confrontation with their entire being.

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“In the student-teacher relationship, is the ball in the teachers court?  The student must also take responsibility for his or her learning, as an adult.” – T.K.V Desikachar