– Respect: ‘Ahimsa’ means not to harm others, as well as oneself; to foster an attitude of respect and dedication towards humanity, as well as towards our fellow creatures; to try to live a vegetarian life, and not to abuse drugs and alcohol.
– Responsibility: People often start yoga at a difficult time in their lives, when they are seeking help. They have the right and the need to grow in consciousness by self reflection and personal exploration. It is our responsibility as teachers to provide this awareness to students, honestly and professionally. We need to understand where our and their limits lie, and encourage students to seek alternative practice and advice when necessary.
– Boundaries: It is necessary to maintain space in the student-teacher relationship. We should not attempt to manipulate or impose our own beliefs onto others. Nor take advantage to fulfill our needs for money, sex, love, power, or create dependency. People come to yoga for self-growth, and in their search to experience it, we may take away this opportunity when inviting or responding to dependancy.
– Self-Study: We recognise the need to practice self reflection and self development, growing in awareness and understanding, before we can be an example to others and teach professionally. We therefore need to invest time in our own development as teachers and as a human beings.
– Integrity: Our words and actions should be one.
