Mentoring in Yoga
by Dr Kaustubha Desikachar (Originally written in 2012)
Dr Kausthub Desikachar teaching a Viniyoga Practice
In a world that increasingly emphasizes self-reliance, or self-involvement - to put it another way - the role of mentoring in our own self-inquiry and personal transformation becomes an important discussion in which to engage. Particularly when we consider a teaching discipline such as yoga that lays such a great deal of importance on self-empowerment, this question of mentoring, its appeal and its challenges, merits a serious and honest discussion.
Part of the challenge in understanding and establishing a functional and open Yoga Teacher-Yoga Student relationship lies in issues arising as a result of Yoga’s modern, cross-cultural context; another part lies in the diversity of roles innate within the Yoga-Teacher-Yoga-Student relationship. This is complicated by today’s social scenario, where we are constantly brainwashed to consider ourselves as freethinkers and celebrate freedom as a concept, but in fact, are inherently more bound to fear and its allies than the ancestors of our past. A random selection and exploration of how many of our current day decisions and actions are based on insecurity, and how many are based on self-assurance can be telling. Today there is enormous pressure on the individual to act independently, be creative and freethinking, yet in reality, we wish only to be told what to do and/or then have someone else do it for us. We imitate public media campaigns, peer behaviour, collegial expectations and other influences in our life and become less able to hear our own voice. All of which brings to light a conflict between the myth of the individual and the concept of self-empowerment.
The scenario for our ancestors, the time during which Yoga was at its pinnacle, was slightly different. Although they too had all forms of distractions, coupled with the imminent inherence of fear, their perception of the individual was quite different. They viewed themselves to be part of an intricately co- dependent society, where they were not only individuals, but also part of the whole. An additional consideration in cultivating this relationship in our modern context, is that while yoga - its roots clearly established in its Oriental Indian origin - is quite clear about the nature and hierarchy of teacher-student relationship, its integration into the Occidental framework is not as clean or smooth as one would wish it to be. In the traditional practice of Yoga the teacher-student relationship was definitively of a vertical nature, with the teacher holding the superior role. In traditional Indian society, the teacher was held in great esteem and was the top of the social hierarchy in terms of reverence and respect, even if not in terms of income. It earned this esteemed place as it hosted grandmasters whose skills in both the practice and teaching of Yoga was unrivalled and who deserved such great trust and reverence.
Contrast this to modern times. Not only are teachers one of the lowest-paid professionals, they are also at a place where reverence and respect seem alien concepts in such a framework. Part of the reason for this shift could be attributed to our times’ altered social patterns, while another part could be the declining number of grandmasters in different fields, particularly in Yoga.
Another factor fundamental to this framework was the necessity of faith and trust between student and teacher. Not only was the student expected to have absolute faith and trust in the teacher, but also was trained to listen carefully to his/her wisdom without conflict or skepticism. Fees were discussed at the time of graduation from the learning process and therefore did not influence or interfere with the learning process. The implication is that students would remain with their teacher till the end and not jump around or jump ship. Ethical frameworks defining boundaries such as we find in today’s litigious society were also non–existent. The relationship depended on flexible frameworks that were appropriate to the teaching context.
While these ideas are alien to the modern way of functioning, they fit the social requirements of a culture that supported this relationship for thousands of years and enabled generations of students to transform and evolve to a place of self empowerment.
However with the advent of the modern era, its changing social structures and needs these frameworks need to be re-evaluated to be relevant in their application and function. This becomes even more critical as Oriental cultures look to imitate and model based on their Occidental counterparts.
The challenge for a discipline like Yoga is that it can neither purely keep the old ways of operation, nor fully embrace the modern ways of functioning if it is to remain vital and effective.
What is clear is that despite the change in the demographic of Yoga’s practitioners, the need for mentoring is as relevant today as it was millennium ago. In a journey of self-inquiry, the presence of a guide who can not only act as a mirror to help us see our own strengths and weakness, but also provide motivation and direction to aid our process of transformation is critical. This is particularly so in an era where choices are aplenty, attention spans short, and priorities unclear. Hence the presence of a respected/competent mentor to steady our journey becomes not just a wish, but an actual necessity.
To understand how we can create successful, trust-based teacher/student relationship today, we must understand the domains which serve different functions of the relationship.
Education, therapy and personal transformation (or we can also call it spiritual transformation) form the three main domains that find space in the Yoga Teacher - Yoga Student relationship. It is quite common today that all three domains find space in a single relationship. Owing to the subtle differences of each domain in terms of hierarchy, approach and framework, the complexity of such a relationship must not be underestimated nor overlooked. Very often Yoga students are engaged with their teachers in a training relationship where they are being educated to become a Yoga teacher or Yoga therapist, or in the area of continuing education. Frequently students are also engaged with these teachers in a role addressing their therapeutic needs. This includes addressing any illnesses that the student may have, either of a physiological or psychological nature. This apart, the teacher may also be responsible for creating space to facilitate the student’s personal and spiritual transformation by helping them to identify and blossom into their full potential. In traditional terms, the discovery and embracing of the student’s potential, and nurturing them to expand into their full capacity formed the spiritual domain of yoga.
For the relationship to be effective in each capacity, it is the prudence of the Teacher that must steer the course of the relationship - hence too the onus of taking such responsibility. Understanding these domains can aid in creating stability for a functional, heart-to-heart relationship to develop, however we must also be cautious about applying further boundaries to a relationship that seeks to free. In embarking on a journey from being a traditional system to a modern science, Yoga and most certainly its practitioners, must not discard its essential value of work and merely embrace a potentially hollow and restrictive set of frameworks.
It is also important to note that, irrespective of the domain, regular meetings at frequent intervals between the mentor and student are essential for it to work. No relationship will work if there is only an on and off interaction, as it does not create connection, trust or a safe space.
Since the modern world works in generalities and lacks patience, there is a tendency to apply its systems to all situations and quickly. Inserting Yoga into our litigious modern world creates an arena rampant with confusion and challenges for the existence of such a relationship. While it is right-thinking on the part of various Yoga organizations and bodies to wish for stringent frameworks, care too must be taken in not making concrete decisions in a hurry or on the foundation of fear and mistrust, especially one that would put the care seeker in a position of disempowerment by continuing to treat them as a victim or potential victim. This would very much defeat the purpose of Yoga as a discipline and its efficacy as a practice.
Just as Āsana practice exists to facilitate the movement of breath and Prāṇa, so does the mentoring relationship exist to move us. We must be willing to adapt the form of mentorship to the individual teacher/student relationship to serve this function.
Such frameworks are indeed a guiding principle, but both the Yoga teacher and the Yoga student must take responsibility in carving out their own unique relationship. An orientation of the main domain of the relationship and its operational principles can be discussed and accepted before commencing the relationship. Because Yoga involves evolution, there should also be continued dialogue and an acceptance that the relationship is dynamic and the dominant domain of the relationship may change over time.
As Yoga is fundamentally a process about change, it is most suitable, and innate in its philosophy, for it to be adapted to serve our current needs as students and teachers in modern times. If we take an attitude of openness, care and respect as the platform for our Yoga teacher - Yoga student relationship, we will be more likely to ensure Yoga’s continued functional application as a transformational process towards self-empowerment.
Copyright © Dr. Kausthub Desikachar. No part of this document, either in parts or as a whole can be reproduced in any form, through any medium without the written consent of the author and copyright holder.