Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship [Paperback]

Donna Farhi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2006

Drawing on decades of experience in training Yoga teachers, Donna Farhi offers the first book to set professional standards for yoga teachers. Teaching Yoga explores with depth and compassion a variety of topics both practical and philosophical, including how to create healthy boundaries; the student-teacher relationship (including whether a sexual relationship is acceptable); how to create physical and emotional safety for the student; what is a reasonable class size; how much a class should cost; and how to conduct the business of teaching while upholding the integrity of Yoga as a philosophy, a science, and an art. A bonus CD features the author speaking about yoga ethics at a 2002 conference.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rodmell Press (September 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930485174
• ISBN-13: 978-1930485174
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #24,323 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Religious Studies > Ethics

More About the Author

Donna Farhi has practiced Yoga for twenty-eight years and has taught internationally for over two decades. One of America's most respected and loved Yoga teachers, she travels throughout the world leading retreats and training others to teach. Farhi has been an Asana columnist for both Yoga Journal and Yoga International and is the author of the contemporary classics The Breathing Book and Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit. Born in America, she now resides in New Zealand.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

76 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How To Be An Ethical Teacher, October 28, 2006

By 

Theresa Reed "The Tarot Lady" (MILWAUKEE, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship (Paperback)

When I went through my own teacher training program, the subject of ethics were only briefly touched on. Although I consider myself an ethical person, I found that once I started teaching for real, there were times where I felt unsure of how to deal with my students or other various situations. How do I deal with a studio that is unethical? What do I do if a student acts in a manner that is inappropriate? How much should I charge? How do I handle a complaint from a student in a respectful manner? How do I set a healthy boundary?

"Teaching Yoga" by Donna Farhi attempts to answer these types of questions - and more. Farhi's book is thoughtful and well written. It is sprinkled throughout with verses from the Yoga Sutras as well as thought provoking "ethical inquires" that challenge the reader to explore their own feelings and ethics with various situations that other teachers have faced. Farhi covers every situation that you could think of: appropriate dress, foul language, when to send a student to another teacher, refunds, traning programs and more. I found myself recognizing situations that I have encountered and nodding in agreement with her solutions.

With the abundance of new yoga teachers and aspiring teachers hitting the market, there are bound to be many with questions and issues. Although the Yoga Alliance (an organization that has "standards" for teachers and schools) claims to "support the diversity and integrity of yoga", I have found this to be untrue. There are many teacher training programs and teachers that do not practice the yamas and the niyamas - and the Yoga Alliance does nothing at all to enforce these so called "codes of conduct". In my own experience, I have been disappointed and confused by some of the people that are out there as role models in the yoga community when they are far from ethical. It is up to us as individual teachers to explore our own hearts, to truly live our yoga and guide our students in a way that is kind, compassionate, honest and positive. This book certainly has been more helpful to me than any other resource.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Should be part of every teacher training, September 9, 2007

By 

L. Avery "Loula" (Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship (Paperback)

I have been unable to put this book down after two years teaching there is a lot that Donna talks about in this book which I have faced without the guidance and professionalism that I found in this book. It is exceptionally helpful and has helped me really think about the nature of teaching Yoga and how this impacts on the students and the world around me.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Rather disappointing., December 31, 2009

By 

Cycling Yogi (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship (Paperback)

I LOVED Donna Farhi's book "Yoga Mind, Body and Spirit" (which should be required reading for all yoga professionals) and was hoping for another book just like it -- only this time focusing on how to be a better yoga instructor. Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in this book. Since this book is called "Teaching Yoga", I thought that it would be about TEACHING YOGA, not 150 pages on ethics. Perhaps a better and more truthful title would have been "The Ethics of Teaching Yoga." If you are looking for a book on yoga and ethics, then this is the book for you. However, if you are looking for a book on the process or the act of teaching yoga or ways of improving yourself as a yoga instructor, this is absolutely not the right book for you.