Yoga Teachers: What are you learning from your students?

Yoga Teachers: What are you learning from your students?

In our recent episode with Rodney Yee, one of the most thought-provoking subjects he talks about with host Zubin Shroff has to do with his role as a teacher. I’m talking about when Rodney answers Zubin’s question, “What do you learn from your students.” (By the way, if you haven’t listened or watched the episode already, you should check it out here.)

Rodney explains that he’s currently teaching mostly mixed level classes to the general public at the moment, which he finds unfortunate, in terms of the way yoga is structured and the way that it’s taught. He feels it could be much more useful to students, and to himself, if it were structured differently.

So what exactly is Rodney learning from his students? As Rodney puts it, “Human Nature.” What are they interested in? Why are they interested in that? Is there individual inquiry going on? But, Rodney cautions, rarely does he find someone is making an earnest inquiry.

And when Zubin asks about teacher training, Rodney says that’s not necessarily much different. You can’t predict who’s going to have that natural flame of curiosity.

So, this week’s question is for those of us who are yoga teachers: What are you learning from your students? And are you finding students who are devoted to yoga, who are committed to an earnest inquiry into their own selves, and into the world around them? Why do you think your students are taking yoga? Finally, if you have any hints for your fellow teachers, what do you do to awaken earnest inquiry in your students?

Tell us right here in the comments below, or in the discussions about this episode on Twitter and Facebook. Be sure to include the hashtag, #YogaCuriosity