what does it take to be a ky teacher?

[Guest guest]

sat nam,

 

i am reading comments of teachers on the list. I am wondering what it

takes to be a ky teacher. Do teacher do sadhana at the early hours

every morning? for how long did u practice for yourself before to be

a teacher? Do you have another "day" job beside?

 

i would like to know, when some people would like to share about that..

 

thanks!

 

m-c

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam m-c:

 

> i am reading comments of teachers on the list. I am wondering what

>it takes to be a ky teacher. Do teacher do sadhana at the early

 

Early morning is certainly the best, but I imagine that some teachers

have schedules that preclude it. But a teacher must do sadhana

sometime. The job of a teacher is to uplift students. Anyone can

teach technique - people who are disciplined and willing can learn

the techniques for themselves, as people here are doing.

 

But that is secondary to the larger role of the teacher, to uplift

students by living the practices, by being an example of what the

practices do for us, by letting the light shine through us onto

everyone around us. This only comes from sadhana (regardless of the

time of day).

 

>hours every morning? for how long did u practice for yourself before

 

Varies a lot. Some people practice for decades before even

considering teaching. Some feel called to it right away. I had

barely started my KY practice when my teacher began telling me that I

should teach - and shortly thereafter arranged for me to do so.

 

>to be a teacher? Do you have another "day" job beside?

 

Yes. There are teachers who are making their living teaching full-

time, and although I aspire to that, I'm not there yet by any means.

 

I will note several things. Anyone can teach - in fact, we encourage

everyone to teach - teach your friends, teach your family, teach your

co-workers (but good luck teaching the cat). These techniques work,

they are simple to learn and simple to pass along. The best way to

learn anything is to teach it to someone else, so teaching what you

know to others will improve your understanding and practices.

 

Also, certifying as a teacher will bring you to a greater level of

understanding, and a higher level of teaching ability. There are

things you will learn going through a teacher training that are

difficult to learn about outside of that setting, although this list

certainly can help a lot - much of what we discuss here is simply not

available in the literature.

 

Also, the experiences of teacher training are very difficult to

replace - for example, if you take Master's Touch in Espanola, you

get the benefit of direct teaching and connection with YB. You get

to teach yoga to a large group of teachers and teacher trainers who

will give you invaluable feedback. And so forth.

 

Many blessings,

Sadhant

[Guest guest]

Sat Nam! I thought I would take a try at this question.

 

 

sat nam,

 

i am reading comments of teachers on the list. I am wondering what it

takes to be a ky teacher. Do teacher do sadhana at the early hours

every morning? for how long did u practice for yourself before to be

a teacher? Do you have another "day" job beside?

 

I think having a steady sadhana is an important part of being a teacher, but

I don't think it always happens either. My first teacher did not have a

daily practice at that time, and actually I think she was using some heavy

drugs. But, I would stand up and say she was a good teacher any day. Her

presence, her ability to be in the flow, her knowledge, all taught me a lot.

And she did get off the drugs eventually.

Another good question is "why do people teach?" I teach because I think it

is good for my spiritual development, and that I basically owe it to

kundalini yoga, Yogi Bhajan, and the universe for all that I've received

from this practice. I have been told that I am a good teacher, and it is

interesting to note that the reasons that were given such as (hope my ego

doesn't blow up too much!) I have a nice voice, I am very non threatening, I

am willing to say that I don't know something and try to find out, are not

really measurable attributes, like how many hours a day I spend doing yoga.

I think teaching is an art, just like living is and that the life and

teaching of every teacher is going to be different. Oh, and I think the

best way to become a good teacher is to teach! Also I think that tuning in

to the disciplic succession of teachers, the Golden Chain, is very

important.

 

So those are my thoughts on the subject.

 

Sat Siri Akal,

Love Always,

littlebird Leslie

AKA Guru Chiter Kaur