Teaching Yoga: Exploring the Teacher-Student Relationship (Paperback)

by Donna Farhi (Author)
Key Phrases: teaching yoga, yoga teachers, ethical inquiry, Yoga Sutra, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
In Teaching Yoga, Donna Farhi addresses the growing need within the Yoga community to establish professional standards of conduct and training for Yoga teachers. Drawing on decades of teaching experience, she explores with compassion and clarity the complex questions that lie at the heart of the teacher-student relationship:

• As a Yoga teacher, how do you respond to the many roles you are called upon to play--health care adviser; personal confidante; spiritual mentor; physical therapist?

• How can you create healthy boundaries for yourself and your students, and maintain a safe, supportive environment?

• How do you deal with a difficult student or a question of ethics?

Woven throughout Teaching Yoga are examples from Donna's personal experience that she calles "Ethical Inquiries." In the Teacher Workbook section, she presents additional Ethical Inquiries that are both practical and provocative, and invites you to discuss these issues with your friends and colleagues. This section alone makes the book ideal for teacher training!

Incudes a bonus CD: "Holding a Heart in Our Hands," which is a keynote address Donna gave a Yoga Spirit 2002, a Yoga conference held in Lake George, New York. (74:20 minutes)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Rodmell Press (September 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930485174
• ISBN-13: 978-1930485174
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,701 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

56 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

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

By	Sparkle Reed "smartmouth" (MILWAUKEE, WI USA) - See all my reviews

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for ALL yoga teachers and serious students, August 21, 2007

By	Ruby's Mum "Tanya" (Benton Louisiana) - See all my reviews

Anyone who is currently teaching yoga, or who has a desire to teach yoga, would greatly benefit from this beautifully written and most thorough work on the topic of teaching yoga. You will grow so much as a teacher and as person through these ethical inquiries. This book should be a required reading for teacher training programs. I also highly recommend all of Donna's books as well as her workshops and women's retreat. You can find her workshop schedule at www.donnafarhi.co.nz. Donna's books and workshops have been transformational. She has an amazing ability to make what were once abstract concepts become real and applicable to everyday life. Donna has touched so many lives. She has maintained the purity of yoga. Many western yoga teachers have lost this purity and it has become all about aquiring fame and fortune. Although Donna has aquired this fame, that has never been her goal. Her goal has always been to facilitate spiritual growth in her students. I am forever grateful to my beloved teacher.

6 of 7 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)

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.