by Kara-Leah Grant I recently read a well-articulated and thoughtful open letter to Tiffany Cruikshank by Nikki Cook of the Yoga and Body Image Coalition. In the article, and the comments, Nikki suggested that it is our responsibility as yoga teachers to be mindful of our language and not use language which may be triggering*. My initial response to this was to think: No! That's not true. If we're triggered by something external, it's our responsibility and an opportunity to release a layer of … [Read more...]
The Ethics of Sharing Another Yoga Teacher’s Work
by Kara-Leah Grant Recently I received an email from a woman I have mentored through my Forty Day Process. She asked: Ok, ethics! I have a question for you and I have never thought of asking this of any of my other teachers in the past! I have a student who was just here practicing with me in Mexico. Here is where I don't know what is right from what is wrong. I intend to support her and take her through the home practice and also to get her on the 1 Giant Mind app so she will have two … [Read more...]
The Ethics of Teaching Newly Learned Material in Your Yoga Class
by Kara-Leah Grant Once, I taught a weekend workshop to an eager group of students, including the studio owner and some teachers from the studio. My style of yoga and teaching was fairly different to the usual style on offer at this particular studio. My offering was lapped up and everyone enjoyed the workshop, excited to have a new way to approach yoga. So far so good right? This is exactly the kind of response one wants from teaching a workshop. A day or two after the weekend, one of the … [Read more...]
Are there Ethical Issues to Consider Before Teaching Family Members?
by Kelly Fisher, Urban Yoga Kelly is our resident yoga teacher mentor, answering questions from readers about how to teach and what to do when issues come up. You can email Kelly your question here. The Yoga Teacher’s Question: "I've got my RYT 200 and have been teaching once a week for about a year. I've got a family member who could benefit from some yoga. She is not able to attend classes because of physical limitations resulting from surgery and ongoing health conditions so I think … [Read more...]